Internship Report from the year 2013 in the subject Geography / Earth Science - Miscellaneous, grade: 2,0, RWTH Aachen University (Lehrstuhl für Geologie, Geochemie und Lagerstätten des Erdöls und der Kohle), course: Petrophysics Practical Course, language: English, abstract: The thermal conductivity scanner (or TCS) measures the thermal conductivity (W/m K) via optical scanning method. In Figure 1 is a picture of the measurement shown. The thermal conductivity is a material property. High values are used for cooling systems to transport heat away from the material in a short time (e.g. fringes) low values are used as insulators, e.g. thermos flasks. With this method the heater and the detectors where moved along the sample from the right to the left. A sensor measures within the moving first the 'cold' conductivity of the sample. Than the heater follows and a last sensor measures after the heating of 25°C the conductivity of the sample again. Before and after the sample are two reference sources laid with a defined thermal conductivity. These reference sources are need for the sensor calibration, too. To avoid errors there has always to be a gap of a few centimeters between the reference blocks and the measured sample. For the measuring the samples and the reference sources have to be colored with a thick black line to avoid overheating and reflection by lighter samples. The opening has to be covered completely by the painted part of the sample. To control this was a mirror underneath the apparatus. [...]