UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO PROFILE
In just half a century, the University of Waterloo, located at the heart of Canada’s technology hub, has become a leading comprehensive university with more than 36,000 full- and part-time students in undergraduate and graduate programs.
Consistently ranked Canada’s most innovative university, Waterloo is home to advanced research and teaching in science and engineering, mathematics and computer science, health, environment, arts and social sciences. From quantum computing and nanotechnology to clinical psychology and health sciences research, Waterloo brings ideas and brilliant minds together, inspiring innovations with real impact today and in the future.
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Find out more about the University of Waterloo at https://uwaterloo.ca/about/who-we-are/waterloo-facts.
Background
The thermal diffusivity apparatus, often called laserflash, is an instrument designed to determine thermal diffusivity and specific heats in inert atmosphere at elevated temperatures, here from room temperature to 1200°C. The instrument is needed to determine the thermal conductivity of thermoelectric bulk materials. As such, high accuracy and reproducibility is required, as well as a large range of thermal diffusivity values.
The flash method applied therein is based on a powerful light source, supplying a short energy pulse to the bottom of a flat sample. An infrared detector then measures the temperature change on the top surface of that sample, from the half time of which the thermal diffusivity is calculated. The specific heat determination requires a reference measurement for comparison under identical conditions. Finally, the thermal conductivity is calculated from the diffusivity and heat capacity and density, the latter being measured by other methods.
The budget is approximately $140,000 CAD, plus HST.
Questions regarding this Request for Proposal may be submitted in writing (via email), and must be directed to the RFP Contact Person as follows:
Christine Wagner, CPPB, CSCP, Senior Buyer - Procurement and Contract Services
200 University Avenue West
University of Waterloo, East Campus 2
Waterloo ON N2L 5Z5
Email: cpwagner@uwaterloo.ca or, procure@uwaterloo.ca
