Varios Automated Thermal Analyzers

The VARIOS system from METER Group is a laboratory instrument designed for the automated generation of thermal­dry-out curves—that is, measuring how thermal conductivity (or thermal resistivity) of a soil or other porous medium changes as it dries.

Traditionally, constructing a thermal dry-out curve has been labor-intensive: large sample preparation, repeated weighing, manual measurement of thermal properties, lots of manual data-entry and curve-fitting. The VARIOS simplifies this by combining continuous weight measurement (to track moisture loss) with thermal conductivity measurements at intervals (while the sample dries) and automated software analysis.

It supports two measurement modes (continuous or point-by-point) and is compliant with major industry standards such as IEEE 442‑2017 and ASTM D5334.

This makes it especially useful for labs doing soil-thermal research, underground cable backfill/soil thermal resistivity studies, geotechnical/hydrogeological research where moisture changes influence heat transfer, and more.