Laboratoire national de métrologie et d’essais

Snapshot

Why it matters internationally

LNE is France’s national metrology institute. Its MATIS thermal-characterisation platform offers SI-traceable measurements of directional spectral emissivity from 250 nm to 20 µm and calorimetric total hemispherical emissivity. LNE’s reflectometer-based emissivity work goes back to at least 2005, validated against PTB and NIST references, and a directional spectral emissivity facility working up to 1500 °C was reported in 2013. LNE coordinated the European metrology project EMIRIM (16NRM06, 2017–2020) on emissivity of reflective insulation, and Hi-TRACE (17IND11) on traceable high-temperature thermophysical properties.

Scope of activity

• Quantities: directional spectral emissivity (from spectral directional hemispherical reflectance) · total hemispherical emissivity (calorimetric) · normal spectral emissivity at high temperature · solar absorption factor
• Spectral range: 250 nm to 20 µm (directional spectral emissivity, at 12°, 24°, 36°, 48° and 60°)
• Temperature: Total hemispherical emissivity −20 °C to 200 °C (calorimetric); directional spectral emissivity facility up to 1500 °C (Hay et al., 2013)
• Methodology: SI-traceable directional spectral emissivity of opaque solids derived from spectral directional hemispherical reflectance (expanded uncertainty 0.025–0.04); calorimetric total hemispherical emissivity in vacuum; a high-temperature directional spectral emissivity facility with lamp-image-furnace or inductive heating.
• Named facilities: Spectral directional hemispherical reflectance / directional spectral emissivity bench · Calorimetric total hemispherical emissivity bench

Application domains: aerospace, defence, nuclear and transport materials · reflective and low-emissivity thermal insulation for buildings · high-temperature materials for aeronautics and energy.

IR-EMPOWER contributions

• IR-EMPOWER 2026: Guillaume Failleau, “Measurement of Directional Spectral Emissivity at LNE”

External sources

• LNE — Caractérisation thermique des matériaux (MATIS platform)
• LNE — Thermal characterization of materials (service page)
• Hameury, Hay, Filtz (2005), Int. J. Thermophys. 26, 1973–1983
• Hay et al., New facilities for high-temperature thermophysical properties at LNE, Int. J. Thermophys.
• EURAMET — EMPIR 16NRM06 EMIRIM
• Hameury, Failleau et al. (2021), J. Sens. Sens. Syst. 10, 135–152
• IR-EMPOWER 2026 programme (CAE)