A double twin isothermal microcalorimeter

The design and properties of a double twin heat conduction microcalorimeter are described. In this instrument two twin microcalorimeters are placed close together, one on top of the other. The size of the instrument is the same as that of a commercial single twin microcalorimeter and each of the twin parts has similar properties as one normal twin microcalorimeter. The cross-talk between the calorimeters can be made low; we measured <0.1% of the signal generated in one calorimeter in the other calorimeter. This figure is, however, dependent on how well the two sides of the instrument are thermally balanced. The paper also contains a general discussion of the use of a reference in reducing the effect of temperature changes in the heat sink. The advantage with a double calorimeter is that one may easily perform two related calorimetric experiments at the same time and in close proximity to each other, e.g. both sorption isotherms and sorption enthalpies may be measured simultaneously, or the heat production rate of a biological process may be monitored at the same time as the CO2 production is measured.