Thermocouple: Aim

❑ Obtaining the Thermocouple calibration curve.

❑ Measuring temperature using a Thermocouple

after calibration.
 Thermocouple: Theory
When a metal is heated up at one end, electrons flow from the hot end to
the cold end generating an EMF. This effect is known as the Seebeck effect
Potential difference: difference in the amount of energy
that charge carriers have between two points.

Is there any potential difference?

 Thermocouple: Theory
• A thermocouple consists of two dissimilar metals, joined together at one
end (hot junction). When the hot junction heats up, the electrons in each
metal move to the cold end (cold junction).
• Because the two metals are different, the rate of electron flow is not the
same, this makes a potential difference between the cold ends of the two
metals.
• Voltameter measures the sum of all
the voltage differences along the wire

V 𝝰 ΔT : The potential difference measured at a cold junction depends on

the temperature of the hot junction.
 Thermocouple: results
we use a deferential Copper-constantan thermocouple.
V 𝝰 ΔT
1. calibration curve:
a graph of potential difference versus Temperature
𝑇c= room temp o C
T h (o C) ΔT (o C) = 𝑇ℎ- 𝑇c V(mv)
95
90
85

2. Measure unknown temperature

From calibration curve T= o C, Thermometer reading T= oC

% difference =
2- Estimate potential difference (V) at T = 53 o C
 Thermocouple: Procedure

1. connect the circuit

2. put one of the thermocouple junctions in
the cold water and the other in the hot water and start heating.
3. record the e. m f resulting in each five-degree rise of hot water.
4. Calculate the difference of tempebrature the (Tℎ) hot and the (𝑇𝑐)
cold junctions (𝑑𝑇= 𝑇ℎ-𝑇𝑐)
5. plot the e.m .f as the y-axis and t as the x-axis to get the
thermocouple calibration curve resulting