TEMPERATURE SENSORS

INTRODUCTION

 The temperature of a substance or medium is a phenomenon

expressing its degree of hotness or coldness.

 It is one of the fundamental parameters, denoting a physical condition

of matter, similar to mass, length, and time.

 When a body is heated or cooled, various primary effects can result,

and one of these effects can be employed for measurement purposes.

They include:

 change in the physical or chemical state,

 change in physical dimensions,

 variation in electrical properties,

 generation of an emf at the junction of two dissimilar metals,

and

 change in the intensity of the total radiation emitted.

 Temperature sensors :

 Mechanical

 Electrical

 Optical
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 MECHANICAL TEMPERATURE SENSORS

Liquid in Glass Thermometers

 Make use of thermal expansion of a thermometric liquid enclosed in a

bulb exposed to the medium.

 Change in temperature is determined in terms of the level of the liquid

in the glass capillary tube attached to the bulb.

 Mercury and Alcohol are some of the liquids used, depending on the

range required.

 Typical example: Standard clinical thermometer.

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Liquid – filled Systems

 Consists of :

 Temperature sensor in the form of an immersible bulb,

 A capillary tube

 An elastic measuring element – a tube or spiral spring and

 An indicating or recording attachment

 On exposure to the thermal medium, the liquid enclosed in the

bulb expands and the change in volume drives the elastic

measuring element.

 The indicator coupled to the elastic measuring element deflects as

a measure of temperature.

 Mercury under a pressure of 100-150 kPa or organic liquids such

as toluene under a pressure of 5-50 kPa are used as filling liquids.

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Vapour Pressure Thermometers

 Similar to liquid filled systems in design and construction

 Bulb and capillary tube in the liquid filled system is replaced with an

immersion tube

 Immersion tube is partially filled with a low boiling point liquid and

the rest of the tube is filled with its vapour

 The change in the vapour pressure in the tube over the liquid column

is a function of the temperature

 The change in pressure drives the elastic measuring element coupled

to the indicator

 Ethylene, ethyl, ether, hexanes, toluene are some of the liquids that

are used

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 The Mechanical temperature sensing devices are not used in

modern instrumentation due to their limitations such as :

 Low speed of response

 Poor sensitivity

 Small ranges

Most of the limitations are met by electrical and optical

temperature sensors.

 Electrical temperature sensors :

 Resistance type temperature sensors

 Thermocouples

 Optical temperature sensors :

 Optical pyrometer

 Measurement using photon detectors

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RESISTANCE - TYPE TEMPERATURE SENSORS

 Metals are crystalline in structure comprising metal ions and free

electrons in equilibrium

 Application of dc potential across the metal causes the directional

flow of these electrons

 During their movement they collide with themselves and with the

ions comprising the crystal lattice, thus restricting its flow, which

results in an electrical resistance

 As the temperature changes, the mean free path length between

collisions changes due to the change in the amplitude of

oscillation; resulting in a change in the electrical resistance

 The range or temperature over which this phenomenon is valid is

decided by the temperature coefficient of resistance of the metal

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 Generally the resistivity of metals increases with an increase in

temperature; ie the temperature coefficient is positive

 In some semiconductors the resistance decreases with an increase

in temperature; ie the temperature coefficient is negative

 Such variation in resistance are measures precisely with suitable

electrical circuits

 Resistance thermometer is based on this phenomenon is one of

the most accurately reproducible temperature sensing device

 In the vicinity of 273.15 K (0O C) and at room temperature,

measurements with accuracy of 0.0001 K can be attained

 At 700 K, the accuracy attainable is 0.01 K and at 1200 K, it can

be 0.1 K

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  The resistance value Rt at any temperature T can be

expressed as: Rt = R0 [ 1+ a (T-T0) ]

ie Rt = R0 (1+ a t)

where

R0 = Resistance of the conductor at temperature T0

a = Temperature coefficient of resistance for that material

t = Difference in temperature

 For larger temperature ranges, the resistance value follows more

accurately the polynomial relation,

Rt = R0 ( 1+ at + bt2)

where

b = constant computed at room temperature for different

materials

 The resistance material may be pure metals or alloys

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Temperature coefficient of resistance of some materials at room temperature

Material Temperature coefficient in ohm/ohm/K

Nickel 0.0067
Iron (alloy) 0.002 to 0.006
Tungsten 0.0048
Aluminium 0.0045
Copper 0.0043
Lead 0.0042
Silver 0.0041
Gold 0.004
Platinum 0.00392
Manganese 0.00002
Thermistors -0.068 to +0.14

 Although a is usually treated as a constant over a small

temperature range, it has a non linear relation with respect to

temperature.

 Copper, Nickel and Platinum exhibit good sensitivity and

reproducibility for temperature measurements