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The ESTEC calorimeter was designed for heat transfer measurements on blankets of multi layered insulation (MLI). This work comprises a Finite Element thermal model based on the computer code ANSYS which is used for an interpretation of the experimental data gained during the 35 years of measurement. A parameter study of various test setup parameters was performed to find possible improvements for future calorimeter designs. Similar blanket lay-ups were used to test the influence of number of layers and material parameters on the analysis results. The influence of residual gas conduction in the MLI blankets was further studied and included in the numerical model. The results of the study form the basis of a further improvement of the measurement accuracy and of possible design improvements.

The ESTEC Calorimeter device was commissioned 1974 and during 35 years of operation, nearly 100 different samples were tested. The calorimeter was designed for heat transfer measurements on blankets of multi layered insulation (MLI). The measurement device is a flat circular double sided hot plate calorimeter with a sample diameter of 480 mm. In this work an excerpt of the most significant measurement results collected during the last 35 years are presented and some MLI lay-ups are compared. This comparison focuses on dependencies of achievable performance on lay-up parameters, for example used materials, surface properties and number of layers.