Effect of spin polarization on the thermal conductivity of polyatomic gases

Abstract

Expressions are developed for the thermal conductivity and Eucken factor of a polyatomic gas which include the effects of spin polarization (molecular angular momentum) in terms of experimentally accessible quantities. Comparisons are made of calculations based on these equations with results for the loaded sphere and spherocylinder models, and for nitrogen. Although the effect of spin polarization is small, it is greater than the uncertainty in present experimental thermal conductivity measurements. The numerical importance of spin polarization appears to be greater than the effect of equating the diffusion coefficient for internal energy to the self‐diffusion coefficient.