Submitted to:

Mam Sobia Anwar

Submitted by:
Group # 05 (B2)

2017-CH-62 Ubaid-ur-Rahman
2017-CH-66 M. Tahir
2017-CH-70 M. Furqan
2017-CH-78 Ahmad Raza

CALIBRATION OF THRMOCOUPLES
Assignment # 01
 CALIBRATION OF THRMOCOUPLES

What are thermocouple devices?

Thermocouples, devices used to measure temperature, are composed of specially-made wires of
two dissimilar metals that produce a small voltage when joined together at one end (the hot
junction) and connected at their other ends to a colder point, known as the cold junction. This
small voltage can be used to determine the difference between a known reference temperature
and a second unknown point. The voltage is used to determine the temperature of the unknown
point. Thermocouples are made from numerous metal combinations that are used over several
ranges that typically fall between -200 and 1250°C. Depending on the types of metals in the
thermocouple, the specific temperature range will vary. Thermocouples are employed
extensively in industry as well as in many other non-industrial settings such as in household
appliances. They are rugged, inexpensive, and can operate over a wide temperature range and in
an assortment of environments. Thermocouples do not measure temperature directly—they
merely produce a voltage when exposed to a temperature gradient. Hence, calibration is
necessary to correlate this voltage to the temperature difference.

Calibration Basics
Thermocouples are calibrated initially by their manufacturers but regular recalibration is
necessary for most industrial operations to ensure that the instruments continue to provide
accurate measurements. Though they are robust devices, thermocouples can drift and fail
over time. Typically, thermocouples are standardized by using 0°C as a reference point,
and many devices can adjust to compensate for the varying temperatures at thermocouple
junctions. At one time, ice baths were used for the cold junctions and the reason most
thermocouples are referenced to this temperature. But ice baths are not practical to
maintain for most instrumentation settings, and reference-junction compensation became
accepted practice. Here the temperature of the reference, or cold, junction is measured by
another temperature-sensitive device (such as a thermistor, a diode, or an RTD), and the
thermocouple voltage is compensated to reflect the temperature of the reference junction.

Calibration Process
 To calibrate a thermocouple, various types of measuring equipment, standards, and
procedures must be in place. First, a control temperature must be established that is stable
and provides a constant temperature; it must be uniform and cover a large enough area
that the thermocouple can adequately be inserted into it (such as an ice bath). Sources of
controlled temperatures are called fixed points. A fixed point cell is composed of a metal
sample within a graphite crucible, with a graphite thermometer submerged in the metal
sample. When this metal sample reaches the freezing point, it maintains a very stable
temperature. The freezing point occurs when a material reaches the point between the
solid and liquid phases. A reference junction temperature must also be established;
CALIBRATION OF THRMOCOUPLES

typically, 0°C is used. A measuring instrument, such as Fluke 702 calibrator, can be used
to measure thermocouple output.

 A simple calibration process can be done by following a few basic instructions A basic
calibration process involves heating water to 30°C in a thermal bath. Next, each of two
multimeter leads is attached to the free end (cold junction) of the thermocouple – at this
point, the multimeter should register zero microvolts as both ends are at the same
temperature. The hot junction of the thermocouple is then placed into the thermal bath.
The voltage can be recorded once the multimeter reading becomes stable. The water
temperature is increased to 35°C, and again the voltage is recorded. This process is
repeated by increasing the temperature by five-degree increments and recording the
voltage until 60°C is reached. Once all of the measurements have been taken, the voltage
for the thermocouple type at the room’s temperature is determined. (This figure can
usually be looked up.) Then the given figure is added to each of the recorded voltage
values gathered previously. Next, a curve-fitting method is used to fit a line to the
recorded data – the slope of the line will be the voltage increase per each degree of
temperature increase.