An experimental investigation was carried out to determine the feasibility of using thermal conductivity measurements to detect moisture concentrations in a highly porous glass fiber insulation. A new technique employing thermistor probes was used to measure thermal conductivity over a range of low moisture contents.

The results indicate that the material's thermal conductivity is a strong nonlinear function of the moisture concentration. The sensitivity of the moisture content to thermal conductivity is greatest for moisture contents less than 25 per cent for the material tested.

A numerical procedure for predicting the temperature and moisture distributions in a highly porous material is detailed.