Temperature Measurement

Instrumentation and Measurements

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𝑻𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝑴𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕

• Temperature can be described as the property of an object that describes

its hotness or coldness.
• Heat transfer tends to equalize temperature, or more precisely, systems that are
in thermal communication eventually have equal temperatures.

• Difficulty in standardizing temperature, different than other

physical quantities like mass, weight, length, etc.
• Primary Fixed Points: International Practical Temperature Scale
(IPTS)

• The triple point of hydrogen: -259.35C

• The freezing point of zinc: 419.53C
• The freezing point of gold: 1064.18C
𝑻𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕

Thermocouples • Thermoelectric effect

Resistance temperature Detector • Resistance change
• Sensitivity of semiconductor device
Thermistors • Radiative heat emission
• Thermography
Optical pyrometer
• Thermal expansion
• Resonant frequency change
Radiation pyrometer • Sensitivity of fiber-optic devices
• Color change
Liquid in glass Thermometer
• Change of state of material
Bimetallic thermometer
Pressure thermometer

61
𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑴𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒅
Principle based on the fact the “The dimensions of all substances, whether solids, liquids,
or gases, change with temperature:

 liquid in glass thermometer

The fluid used is normally either mercury or colored alcohol, which
is contained within a bulb and capillary tube.

As the temperature rises,

the fluid expands along the capillary tube.
An rise level is read against the calibrated scale.

Range: -200 and +1000 oC, special design: 1500 oC,

Inaccuracy:±1% of full-scale reading, Liquid In glass Thermometer

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𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑴𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒅
 Bimetallic thermometer
• The bimetallic thermometer uses the bimetallic strip which converts the temperature into the mechanical
displacement.

• The bimetallic strip is constructed by bonding together the two thin strips of different metals.
• The metals are joined together at one end and free at the other end

Range: -75 and +1500 oC

• When the temperature increases, the strip bends towards
the metal which has a low-temperature coefficient. And Inaccuracy:±. 𝟓% of full-scale reading,
show the opposite behavior when temperature decreases. but they are quit expensive

To increase the range

of thermometer
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𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑴𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒅
 Pressure thermometer
• The sensing element in a pressure thermometer consists of a
stainless-steel bulb containing a liquid or gas.

• The temperature rises would cause volume of gas or

liquid to increase.

• The liquid or gas is constrained, hence pressure get

increased according to boyle’s law.

Boyle’s law: PV = KT.

• The change in pressure, which is function of

temperature, is measured by using bourdon tube.

Range: -250 and +2000 oC.

Inaccuracy:±𝟎. 𝟓% of full-scale reading,
long time constant Pressure thermometer
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𝑬𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒚
Principle: Variation of resistance with temperature.
Resistance thermometers Detector (RTDs) or thermistors If material used for their construction is a metal or
a semiconductor, respectively.
 Resistance thermometers Detector (RTDs)
• Principle: The resistance of a metal varies with temperature
according to the relationship:

Linearization

• The change in resistance, which is function of temperature, is

measured by using wheat stone bridge circuit.

Range:
Platinum: -270 to +1000 oC, Usually 650 oC (expensive, slow
response)
Copper: -200 to +260 oC
Nickel: -200 to +430 oC
Tungsten: -270 to +1100 oC
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𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆
• A semiconductor material has an electrical conductivity value falling
between that of a conductor and an insulator.
• Its resistance falls as its temperature rises; metals are the opposite.
 Thermistor
• Thermistors are manufactured from beads of semiconductor material.
Thermistors have a negative temperature coefficient according to:

β =3500 and 4600 K,

• RTDs are useful over larger temperature ranges, while thermistors

typically achieve a greater precision within a limited temperature
range.
• The change in resistance is measured by using wheat stone
bridge circuit.

Symbol 66
𝑬𝒙𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆
Calculate the temperature sensitivity for thermistor No. 1
at 100◦ C. Express the result in ohm-centimeters per
degree Celsius. Take β = 4120K at 100◦C.
Solution

Derivative

Also

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𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝑺𝒆𝒔𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒓 Hot junction

 Seebeck effect

• The Seebeck effect is a phenomenon in which a temperature

difference between two dissimilar electrical conductors or Reference
semiconductors produces a voltage difference between the two Cold junction
metals.

 Peltier effect
• The Peltier effect is the reverse phenomenon of
the Seebeck effect; the electrical current flowing through
the junction connecting two materials will emit or absorb
heat.
 Thermocouples
• Principle: when any two different metals are
connected together, an e.m.f., which is a function of
the temperature, is generated at the junctions
between the metals.

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𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝑺𝒆𝒔𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒓
 Law of Homogenous Materials
• A circuit composed of single homogenous metal, cannot generate an electric potential by the application of even
sufficient temperature difference between two different point of the circuit
 Law of Intermediate Materials
• The law of intermediate metals states that a third metal may be
inserted into a thermocouple system without affecting the EMF
generated, if, and only if, the junctions with the third metal are
kept at the same temperature.
 Law of Intermediate Temperature
• The law of intermediate temperatures
states that the sum of the emf
developed by a thermocouple with its
junctions at temperatures T1 and T2,
and with its junctions at temperatures
T2 and T3, will be the same as the emf
developed if the thermocouple junctions
are at temperatures T1 and T3.

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𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔
𝑒𝑚𝑓 = 𝑎1 𝑇 + 𝑎2 𝑇 2 + ⋯ + 𝑎𝑛 𝑇 𝑛 ~ 𝒂𝟏 𝑻

𝑬𝟏 𝒉𝒐𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒉

𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒋𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

Reading Assignment: Types of

Thermocouples : range of
Equivalent measurement
Circuit
𝑹𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓
• All objects emit electromagnetic radiation as a function of their temperature
• Radiation thermometers (also known as radiation pyrometers) measure this
radiation in order to calculate the temperature of the object.

Rate of radiation emission :

 Optical Pyrometer
 Radiation Pyrometer

Thermal detector
Photon detector

Range: -100 to 3600 oC

Lower limit 600
Upper limit 5000C to 10,000 oC
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