BOI UL Be issuee AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARD TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT THERMOCOUPLES MC96.1 ° ; | APPROVED AUGUST 1982 ‘Sponsor INSTRUMENT SOCIETY OF AMERICA eee ‘67 Alexander Drive P.O. Box 12277 Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 2709 U - Pomas USA, Gy» maromen Se ye a 2 mean FasACKNOWLEDGMENTS ANSI - C96 COMMITTEE EDWARD D. ZYSK ~ Chsinman LOIS M. FERSON - Seereury Engeand Minerals & Chemica Corporation Tseument Society of America ORGANIZATIONAL LIAISONS. [AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS ROBERT, P. BENEDICT - Lisioo Westinghiuse Elecuis Coquation K. WOODRELD « Aterate GEORGE W. BURNS - Lision Neiceal Buia of Standans Geaeal Motor Insane ‘IML. Pst2Rss EDWARD D. ZYSK - Techaical Advisor AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS Eevee seers ee eevee eee DONALD [ FINCH - Conwlaat (Decesl) SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS RB. CLARK - Lisson General Elsie Company wecrrces-wes GEORGE J. CHAMPAGNE - Lisson UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ‘Tee Foner Conpeay JAMES E. ORWIG - Lisioa EDWARD D. ZYSK ~ Alternate USAF Aerospace Guidance & Engeltant Minerals & Chemical Coporition ‘Mesrology Cenex INSTRUMENT SOCIETY OF AMERICA PHILIP BLISS - Lisivon Consul EDWARD 7. ZYSK - Alernae Engelard Minerals & Chemicals Corporason . INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS ROY F. ABRAHMSEN HENRY L. KURTZ Combustoa Enginceang, Inc. Daver-Hars Co 4A. BARD EDWIN L. LEWIS Mabey Bishop, toe. ‘Consliat ALEX H. CLARK JOHN D. MITILINEDS Leeds & Northrup Co. ‘Sigmund Cohn Corporatdy — @ ‘CuNTON R DODD LLOYD J. PICKERING Drvertiatis Co, Ghaud $. Gordon Compsey A. £. GEALT RA. PUSTELL, Honeywell : ‘General Electric Co. WILEY W. JOHNSTON, J 1. P. WANG Oak Ridge National Labortory Witter B. Driver Company J.D. WILLIAMS Chass 3 Gontse Company ° 3TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Coding of Thermocouple Wir and Extension Wires... 2. Terminology, Wite Size, Usper Temperature Limit, and Intial Calibration Tolerince'for Thermocouples and Extension Wire 2 2.1 Scope. and. Purpose : ea 2°2 Terminology and. Syibois 2.3 Wire Sizes soe 28 Upper Temperature Limit 2'5 Tolerance of Inidal Calibrion 3. Noe-Ceramic Insulation of Thermocouple and Extension Wires 4 Temperur-EME Tals for Themoswoples 4.1 Scope and. Purpose $2 Inoducton” $3 Use of Tempore Appendices ‘A Bare Thermocouple Element Fobrication Aut Geteral 42 Thenoco 183 Joining, Thermocouple “Wires 8 —Sheathed Thermocouple Elerrm Fabrication ° B.i General B.2 Special Equipment B.3 General Precautions B.4 Measuring Junction Fabrication Thermocouples and Thermocouple Extension Wires ~ Assembly, and Installation ‘C+ Installation Considerations for ‘Thermocouples C5 Installation of Extension Wires... LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Tite Page Thermocouple Element with Connection Head Coonection. Head Protecting Tube .. Protecting Tube with Mounting Bushing Protecting Tube with Mounting Flange ‘Thermocouple Element with Protecting Tube Connection Head Open End Proiecting Tube Weil. Tocrmocouple “Assemily with Well Immersion and Insertion Lengths for Thermocouple Assembly) with Themowell ifFOREWORD {This Foreword is included for infoervztion purposes and is not part of ANSI iC36.i5 ‘The development of this American National Standard has resuked from the work of the American National Stand- ards Commitice on Temperature Measurement, MC36. ‘The Commirtce was organized ix 1946 under the sponsorship of the Instrument Society of America, the scope of the Committee being designated as follows: Requirements for temperature measurement thermocouples, including terminology, fabrication, wise sizes, installa: tion, color codes of le ‘and thermocouple ex- ‘ension wire, Temperature-EMF tables aad tolerances Fave ‘Geen coordinated with the Intemational Electrotechnical ‘Commission (IEC). Credit must be given to the Nationa} Bureau of Stand- ards and 10 Commitee £20 on Te-nperature Measute- ‘ment of the American Society for Texting and Materials for the development of the temperature-EMF tables and tor rocommendations as to the miaxinem recommended ‘exaperature of the various materials, Special credit must also be given to G. W. Burns, NBS-Washington, D.C., and Dr. Robert Powell, formerly with NUS-Boulder, for providing the thermocouple reference tables. ‘This Standard has been prepured as a part of the service cof the lastrument Society of America toward a goal of uniformity in the field of instramenss"ion. To be of ical vvalue this document should not be st-t, but should be subjected to petiodie review. Toward wis end the Socie- ty welcomes ali comments and criticisms, and asks that they be addressed to the Standards ard Practices Board Sceretary, Instrument Society of America, P.O. Box 1277, Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27709, fn 1821, Seebeck discovered that, in u closed circuit made up of wes of two. disiniler mets, clectic Curteat will ow if the temperature of one junction is clevaied above that of the other. In 1886, Le Chateier introduced 2 wermocouple consisting of one wire of plete and the other of $0 _persent_platinam-10 pes ceat thodum. This combination, Typ: S. the inten andand for purposes -eaibration and comparison, sad defines the Intemational Practical Ten perature Scole of 1968 from the antimony to the gold point, This type of thermocouple was made and sold by W. C. Heraeus, GmbH of Handy, Germany, and is sometimes called the Heraeus Coupic. Somewhat late, it was leamed that a thermoclement composed of 87. eset pau an 13 pzveat sodium, Type Real fe € Sorat Higher EME ouipat. This HPs fe quently used in indusuy. tn 1954 a thermocouple was introdaced in Germany whose positive ley is an alloy of platioum and 30 perecot zbodium. Its negative leg is so a7 alloy of platinum and 6 percent rhodium. Thi combizaion, Type B, gives somewbat greater phisical Strength and gtHer-tabily, and can witand some what higher temperaure than types Rand S. {in an effort to find less costly metals for use in thermo- ‘couples, a number of combinations were ied, [roa and nickel were useful and inexpensive. Pure nicke!, howev- ft, becomes very brite upon oxidation, and it was leamed that an alloy of stout S-asintt copper, 45 Perce nickel originally knowm 1s constan an ‘mate this problem. This alloy combination, icon- 3. has since been widely used and is designated [The present calibration for Typ: J was estab- i the National Bureau of Standirds (see NBS Monograph 125). In an effort 10 find a couple useful to higher tempera tures than the iron versus copper-nicke! combination, 2 90_pescent_nickel-10 ium slloy as posi. ve wire, and a 95 cases pen ain. manganese, silicon_alloy a ve 3§_a_negslive_wite 1. This combination (originally ciled Chromel- Alumel) is known as Type K, Similar allays for specific applications have since Become available, t0 the same curve. Another combination, copper versus conpic-nickel, Tune { Gow Tis usod particularly st below-rero ten peratures. The hiperanure-EMP Reference Table was prepared by the National Bureau of Standards in 193A ind revised in NBS Monograph 125. ‘eam The Type E Thermocouple, 90 percent niskel-10 percen| choi versus coppanickel Teena weressngt © afiention and use where Corrosion of smal Uiameter icon wi i a problem and = higher EMF oust f desibte( Cros Farther inf om the letter designated type thermo- ‘couples is given in, Appendix C. Several combinations using wngsten, rostium and their binary alloys are widely used at high temperatures in inert or reducing atmospheres, and are scaring access ance as standard, For additional information on temperature scasusemene thermocouples, reference may be made w NBS Special Publication 360, Volume I, "Precision Measurement and Calibration-Temperature,"" 1968 and io NBS Mono praphs 124 and 125, published by United States De- partment of Commerce, National Bure of Standards Specific attention is called to the refereact categories on ‘Themoclecaric Theory and Calibeation, and! Themcetc- tie Devices. Additional information ‘is ia STP-i700, "Manual on the Use of Thermocouples,” 1981, published by the American Society for Testing ard Materials. For many years, leer designations hive been assigned by ANSI Commitice MCO96 and endorsed by internation- al standards as a device to identify certain common types without using propitay tae martes, and wo aso- ciate them with temperature-emf relationstips established by the National Bureau of Standards. Color codes for the insulation of leter designated wires an: sls assign by Me96 wo facilitate Wentificaton in eek. The a Sigameat of a letter designation andlor volor code ty MC96 constivies an scknowledgment cP an exsing fecopsiton by NBS of a defiinn temper iwe-cnt tis Cnship anda exiting eral expe, and doet na.1. CODING OF THERMOCOUPLE WIRE AND EXTENSION WIRES : This standard spplies to thermocourles and extension wires. by means of the color of its insulation, sn identification Se ofits type or composition as well as its polarity when wed lis purpose is to establish uniformity ia the designation as part of @ thermocouple system. ‘of thermocouples and extension ‘sires and to provide, TABLE 1 1 THERMOCOUPLE TYPE LETTER DESIGNATIONS _ ; seat ! | Nominet Temperature-EMF | Material Identification* i Type | Temperature jt2nge | Relationship Data | (Positive Material in Caysy** : i 1 Ba | © to 1820 | Refer wo Table 11 | PLATINUM-30 PERCENT RHODIUM versus ! | platinum percent thodium i | | { E | 270 wo 100K Refer to Table 12 NICKEL-10 PERCENT CHROMEJM? versas | copper-nickel Ff 210 v9 r00% Refer w Table 13. | IRON verwus copper-nickel i } Kf 270 137Fe Refer to Table 44 | NICKEL-O PERCENT CHROMIUM + i oy versus nickel-S percent i | (aluminum, silicon) tt i | R50 wo s70sE | Refer wo Table 15 | PLATINUM-I3 PERCENT RHODIUM | versus platinum tf i Ss 30 to 1768S Refer to Tabi PLATINUM-10 PERCENT RHO MUM t versus platinara } t 270 1 are | Refer wo Table 17 | COPPER vers coperickel i ~ 4p combinnion of emocouple mas=uls ving EMT-teeperne pelaiontips ein te Whres fat any of te above nesoine (bes El Rees at he's appopee 7 Fret een Seer ° i 17 The iodkated poly of the menmoce(te materials applies for condiions when the measuring junction is at higher temp satire than te releeace j08 ° 1 sboukt not be assumed that thermcesenenis esa with moe than one tenmecouple ype are interchangeable o¢ have tht saan mlb lini of ere 7 Siisoa, or sleminim and silicon ine) be preset we combniuon with other elements, Ex Cxvfinck aa OR JOT woe Be JOurTABLE 4 ot COLOR C“:VE - DUPLEX INSULATED THERMOCOUPLE WIRE ‘Thermocouple | ‘Color of Insulation Type Poctive | Negative | Overall® | Positives | Negative E =P EN Brown | Purple Red, J ap uN Brown | White Red K KP KN Brown | Yellow Red Te ™ Brown | Blue Red posivve wire code color my be sed in the overall bra TABLE 5 COLOR CODE - SINGL® CONDUCTOR INSULATED THERMOCOUPLE EXTENSION WIRE Extension 7 [ Color of Insulation [Tae Poste Postve Regaih* BateE BPX Gray RedGnay Trace E Px Purple Red Purple Trace J mx White Red-White Trace K KPX Yellow Red-Yeliow Trace Ros | sex Black Red-Black Trace { T TPX TNX Blue Red-Blue Frace + The colee tented as a tee may be applied as a uncer, bed, or by any ober readily identifiable means {NOTE OF CAUTION: fa the procuce-a? of random lengis & single conductor insulated extension wise, it must be risopsised that such wie & commercly combined ia raiching pais 1 conform (0 exblihal temperature EMF curves, Therefore, tis imperative fat al single x inslsed extension wire be prcwed ia pur a the sare inc, and from the same src. Po 2 ' TABLE 6 COLOR CODE - DUPLEX INSULATED THERMOCOUPLE EXTENSION WIRE Extension Wire Ty * Color of Insulation "Type Positive Overall Positive “Negative? B BPX Gray Gry "Rede E EPX Purple Purple Red 5 Px Black write Red K Kex Yellow Yellow Red Roars sex Green Black Red a) Tex Blue Blue + taser having He eal come towing Wo the postive wie cade coor may BE Wed on (be negavE wie cc ce nCOMMECTION HEAD + eeewent boot Figure 3. Thermocouple Element with Connection ead (Ay T — conourr Lect Leet: Figure 4. Connectio: Head TERMINAL BLoce fy “x a=’ PROTECTING TUBE OR ‘CONNECTIUN HEAD EXTERSION 3. Connection Head Extension. covsection head exten- sion is a threaded fitting or an assembly of fittings extending between the thermowell 0: sagle fining and the connection head. ‘The connection head extension lengchis the overall length oof the connection head extension and is assigned the symbol N. (See Figure 1.) 4% Protecting Tube. A protecting wie is a tube © enclose a temperature sensing Gevice and protect it froin the deletcious effects of the environment. I fiaty provide for attachment to a connection head but is not primarily designed for pressuce-tight attachment to a vessel. A bushing or flange :21y be provided for the attachment of a protecting tube to a vessel. (See Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8 ‘The protecting tube length is the overall length of a protecting tube and is assigned the symbol: P. (See Figure 5.) LeNGTRIe) a Figure §. Protecting Tube sermon Lowen : [eeererereomtreeeereeercel Cc ee eusnine Figure 6. Protecting Tube with Mounting Bushing fuse i i e Figure J, Protecting Tube with Mcunting Flange Tnorecrn wet Figure 8. Thermocouple Element with Protecting Tube ‘and Connection Head The protecting tube diameter is the outside diameter of a protecting tube and is assigned the symbol M. ‘A. protecting tube hias one end closed unless it is specified as open end. (See Figure 9.) LENGTHOP) Figure 8. Open End Protecting Tube 5. Thermowell. A thermowell is 2 pressuns-tight receptacle adapted to receive a temperature sensin element and mrovided with external threads or othir means for Pressure-tight atachment to a vessel ‘A lagging extension is that portion of 1 thermoweli above the threads, intended to extend though the lagging of a vessel. The lagging exteniion length is the length from the lower end of the extemal threads of the well to the outer end of the portion interded 10 extend through the lagging of a Yewel, less onc inch allowance for threads, and is assignd the syzabol T. (Gee Figure 10) | LAGGING EXTENSION ft TENT Prec po — Figure 10. Well WeSERTION LENGTH CONNECTION HEAD : RECTION HEAD EXTEIGION EES CONNEC HEAD acter segue. on Figure 11. Thermocouple Assembly wit Thermewell ‘The immersion lengtti of @ thermowell, protectint tube, of thermocouple element is the fenjth from the free ‘end to the point of immersion in the medium which is being measured and is assigned the symbol R. (See Figuie 12) ‘The insertion length of a thernowell, prisecting ture ‘or thermocouple element is the Iength fom dhe free2.5 TOLERANCE OF INITIAL CALIBRATION ‘Table 8, 9 and 10 give the stand>rd and special tolerance cof initial calibration for ther should be applied only to standsed wite sizes. The sane (olerances may not be obtainable in special sizes. These tolerances do not include installation o1 system errors ‘See Appendix C, paragraph C4.1 for the thermocouple in extension wires. The lerance Stallions and errors defined a8 the allowable dev iation.of & Where tolerances are given in percent, a Tuble 8. the couple sin se Wk eoiibrainon percentage applies to the temperature teing measured The magnitude and direction of the change are dependent For example, the standard tolerance of “ype J over the ‘on temperature, time and envimamaental conditions affecting he thermocouple and may not be accurately. peedicied, The tolerances for each type of thermocouple apply only cover the semperauure range for which the wire size i question is recommended (see Tate T). These tolerances temperature range 277° to 760°C is +34 percent. If the temperature being measured is 538°C, the tolerance is £3/4 percent of $38, or *4.0°C. To determine the tolerance in degrees Fahrenheit, multiply the tolerance in degrees Celsivs times 1.8. TABLET RECOMMI WIRE SIZES (AWG), deg C Thermocouple No. 8 Gage 1 24 Gage | No. 28 B E a%0 J 8 K 1260 | kas \ T | | THERMOCOUPLES. UPPER TEMPERATURE LIMIT FOR VARIOUS | ‘D UPPER TEMPERATURE LIMITS FOR PROTECTED { TABLE 8 INITIAL CALIBRATION TOLERANCES FOR THERMOCOUPLES i Reference Junction O°C Seen ecate [TOLERANCES Thermocouple | Temperature Sandard Spal | Type | _Ramge, °C | (owhichever is greater) | (whichever is. greaier) aio w 00 2058 ny E | 0 900 ELTC or 20.5% | 1 | 0 750 i K 1 0 to 1250 | Ror S Gt 1450 | ? i oe 350 | Cryogenic Ranges e | "300 to 0 7 Ke | nu to 0 Saud | t | “0 te 0 ” + Tacroxcuupics end Germocoupie material ae normally supplied fo mec he Iolerances speed t@ Ge woke forth: suena pecied range. The sane uterus, bowcver, may tot all within de eryopenie tneances onthe seo sec te Gbe, Hf cauerials we quired m rict Ge ryopenic tolerances. tbe purchase ondet Out 19 sane, Seiten of 4 esile ‘enay wil be requted, Toleramer wali in dis Ube are pot necetaly indication of the accuracy of trax cts Resuremens ia tse afer inks heaing of the mucia + Cite ttormatice is avaible 2 extly exablnting sci wlenaces fox erogenictoeperat, Limited eaperiense 426.0 fe folioming wleaoces for tyes E and T thermexcupls “Type £ -200 w@ OC HC oe ‘Type T 200 GC OSC ox 2.88 (etachever pT é “Tes tolerances ae given oily sie for dncianon betecet purchaser and supplier. Due to the cturateriis Goacrds, chyopein Wlerancey tr Type J Skamacoyples and special enogenie toleraces for Type X theres 5% tatichever is wear) 1s4 SEMPERATURE-EME TAB(LS FOR THERMOCOUPLES 41 Scope und Purpose This section applies to the temy:rature-cmnf relionshins ‘of materials used for temperart cieasutement thermo~ couples. {ts purpose is to provide reference tsbles of temperature-amf values for Type B. S. ard T thermocouples, in form convenient for industrial 24 laboratory use. 4.2 Introduction ‘The values in these tables are bar=1 upon the International Practical Temperature Scale of 19¢ «IPTS-68) and the U.S. legal electrical units.. All the data im Tables 11 to 17 have been extracted from ‘“Thernioccuple Reference Tables Based on the IPTS-68," Nation: Fureau of Stardards Monograph 125. These tables ditter slightly from pre vious tables for the followie reasors: improved measure ‘meats and data analysis techniques, slight changes in commercial thermocouple materiais. and also charges in the temperature scale and electra! units. The signi- ficance of these factors, as weli as the origin of each of the tables, is discussed in th NBS reference noted above, and it should be consulted for details, These tables give values of EMF :2 tee decimal places 40.001 mV) for one degree Celsius CC) temperature intervals. If greater precision is aryuired. the NBS re- ference noted above should be ecnsulted. It includes tables giving values of EMF w four decimal places (0.0001 mV) and analytical functions for each thenno- couple type that allow a direct =< precise calculation of the EMPuemperature relationship. Tables for each type of thermoco.pl: giving values of EMF as a function of temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, (CF) canbe found in ANSVASTM Stonetend E230, “Temper ature-Elecromotive Force (EMF), Tables for Thermo- couples.” Fables giving EMF-tempersrure values (in both °C and “F) for-singleeg thermoetements referenced to platinun (NBS I-67) are also given in the above ANSU ASTM standard. 4.3 Use of Temperature-EMF Tables ‘These Temperatur-EMF reference tables serve two very useful purposes: in that they provide < means for con- verting the generated EMF of certain thermocouple material ‘combinations into equivalent temperatures, and they enable the calibration and checking of thermocouples and thermo: ‘couple extension wire If the reference junction is maintained w O°C, the appro- priate temperature or EMF data may be read directly from the tables. When it is not pracical to maintain the reference junction temperature at U'C. these tables ‘may still be used by applying an appropriate correction. The value of the correction may be obtained irom these tables. ‘An example to illustrate how to obtain and apply this conection follows. Let us suppose a Type J thermocouple was used in an installation to determine the temperature of a fluid medium and an EMF output of 18.070 mV was observed. Also, ‘a mercury thermometer in close proximi' to the thermo” couple reference junction produced a riading of 20°C. To use the Type J Table to obtain a vile for the tom= perature of the fluid medium, the obsersed EMF output Of the thermocouple must first be corectsd (0 compensate for the difference between the reference y a joint of groxt electrical and thermal conductivity. without destroying the mechanical and metallurgical proseities of the thet= mocouple wires 3¢ this joint 1, For use below S00°C (1000°F most base metal thermocouple wires may be silver ~vilered using borax. asa flux. 2. Above 500°C (1OQ0°F) experiene: has shown that Properly welded thermocouple jun-sons provide long life and excelent thermal and e'xcrical properties Welded thermecouple junctions are usad in practically all industrial applications today. Netic metal thermo- couples should always be joined by welding. Com- mon methods of welding thermocoules are gas, elec- tric arc, resisance, tungsten-iner-gs und plesma-are welding A3.2 Preparation of Wires 1. Oiten the matched wires must be st'sichtened prior 10 joining to facilitate stringing of inselators in the final thennacouple assembl} bending of termocoup! because cold working maj mocouple wire. Hammering sive twisting should be avoided for the sam but where possible, excessive Id be avoited MF output of and exces 2. The thermocouple wires are cut to the lengih desired allowing for one of two attempts at welding and for any forming that must be done atthe janction 3. All thermocouple wire should be cleaned carefully ‘with a suitable solvent such as Freo2 TF*. Meth Ethyl-Ketone, or Alcohol (such as Isepropy!) prior to welding. 4. Simple jigs and fixtures are usually used to shape the wires prior (0 welding, except for butt welded ther mocouples which are often bent around 2 mandrel after welding. Care must be tiken to avoid nicking for damaging the wire during the forming operation 3s damage 0 the wire or wire surfuce may shorten thermocouple life. The wires shoul be spuced to permit free insertion into insulators. A3.3 Gas or Arc Welding Types, E, J, K and T Thermocouples In preparation for welding. the wires may be fisted 2 shown in Figure A-L of positioned ina “V"" as shows. in Figure A-. The twisted constructs adds strength and facilirates welding For twisted AWG sizes 8 and 14, one inch of each wire should be prepared by removing any oxide of olber surface finish with abrasive paper or by very careful filing or grinding. For twisted AWG 20, 74, ant 28. the prepared length need be only one-half inch. The pre pared ends ate either twisted together to yield one und ‘one-half tums as shown in Figure A-I or positioned in “V"" as shown in Figure A-t and then welded. spacing 70 acconmooart Figure A-1. Method of Twisting Wires for Gas and Electric Arc Welding A34 Resistance Welding Types J and K Thermocouples ‘This method is recommended only fer the 8 end 14 AWG wires. Approximately one-half inc of each wise should be sanded, in preparation for welding. with abra: sive paper or by very careful filing or grinc'ng, sesame Semen ng | Figure A-2. Method of Forming Metal Wires for Re- sistance Welding trae Name