IAEA Regional (AFRA) Training Course on Use of Virtual Instrumentation

for Developing and Refurbishing of Nuclear Instruments

Birine, Algeria, 26 Nov. – 7 Dec. 2017.

Temperature Measurement
 TYPES OF TEMPERATURE SENSORS

RTD – Resistive Temperature Detector

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THERMOCOUPLE

COMMON THERMOCOUPLES

THERMOCOUPLE OUTPUT
VOLTAGES FOR TYPE J, K, AND S
THERMOCOUPLES

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THERMOCOUPLE
PRINCIPLES AND COLD-JUNCTION COMPENSATION

To use thermocouples successfully we must understand their basic principles.

THERMOELECTRIC VOLTAGE THERMOCOUPLE MEASUREMENT

V = K1T1 - K1T2
The expression for the output voltage of a
thermocouple with its measuring junction at if T2=Const.
T°C and its reference at 0°C is a V= K1T1 - Const.
polynomial of the form
V = K1T + K2T2 + K3T3 +...,
but the values of the coefficients K2, K3,
etc. are very small for most common
types of thermocouple

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CLASSICAL COLD-JUNCTION
COMPENSATION USING AN
ICE-POINT (0°C) REFERENCE
JUNCTION

USING A TEMPERATURE SENSOR

FOR COLD-JUNCTION COMPENSATION

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 Interfacing Thermocouple
to Microcontroller
to ADC
MAX31855
The MAX31855 performs cold-junction
compensation and digitizes the signal from a K-,
J-, N-, T-, S-, R-, or E-type thermocouple. The
data is output in a signed 14-bit, SPI-
compatible, read-only format. This converter
resolves temperatures to 0.25°C, allows
readings as high as +1800°C and as low as -
270°C, and exhibits thermocouple accuracy of
±2°C for temperatures ranging from -200°C to
+700°C for K-type thermocouples.
Example of a thermocouple
signal-conditioning circuit

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 RESISTANCE TEMPERATURE DETECTORS
The Resistance Temperature Detector, or the RTD, is a
sensor whose resistance changes with temperature.
RT  Ro  RoT
For RTD Pt100:
R0  100 
  0.00385 (1/ oC )
T ( oC )

Platinum (Pt) the Most Common

100 , 1000  Standard Values Remember this formula.
You will use it the lab. exercises
Typical TC = 0.385% / °C
0.385  / °C for 100  Pt RTD
Good Linearity - Better than Thermocouple
Easily Compensated
 Interfacing RTD
To avoid measurement error caused by lead resistance, a 4-wire connection is made to
the RTD. A constant current is applied though the FORCE leads of the RTD, and the
voltage across the RTD itself is measured remotely via the SENSE leads. The measuring
device can be an instrumentation amplifierwith high input impedance. Since the SENSE
leads do not carry appreciable current, this technique is insensitive to lead wire length.

FORCE
Offset Gain

Vout=kT

SENSE

Caution must be exercised using current excitation because the current

through the RTD causes heating. This self-heating changes the
temperature of the RTD and appears as a measurement error.
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 Interfacing RTD to microcontroller

MAX31865

The MAX31865 is an easy-to-use resistance-to-digital converter optimized for

platinum resistance temperature detectors (RTDs). An external resistor sets the
sensitivity for the RTD being used and a precision delta-sigma ADC converts the
ratio of the RTD resistance to the reference resistance into digital form. The
MAX31865's inputs are protected against overvoltage faults as large as ±50V.
Programmable detection of RTD and cable open and short conditions is included.
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 SEMICONDUCTOR TEMPERATURE SENSORS

Modern semiconductor temperature sensors

offer high accuracy and high linearity over an
operating range of about –55°C to +150°C.
Internal amplifiers can scale the output to
convenient values, such as 10mV/°C. They
are also useful in cold-junction compensation
circuits for wide temperature range
thermocouples.

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 Interfacing semiconductor temperature sensor

DIGITAL OUTPUT SENSORS

AD22103

The AD22103 is specified over a

range of 0°C to +100°C and has
an accuracy better than ±2.5°C
and a linearity better than ±0.5°C
±1.5°C Error Over Temp. –40°C to +100°C
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