Department of Renewable Energy - Heat Transfer Laboratory

Experiment No. 3

Calibration of Thermocouple

Objective :
Calibration of thermocouple and how to use it to measure temperatures.

Apparatus
Two different metals
1. Hot Plate
2. Thermometer
3. Voltmeter
4. Tow beakers

Theory:
In 1821, the German physicist Thomas Johann Seebeck discovered that when
different metals are joined at the ends and there is a temperature difference
between the joints a magnetic field is observed. At the time Seebeck referred to
this as thermo-magnetism, the magnetic field he observed was later shown to be
due to thermo-electric current. In practical use the voltage generated at a single
junction of two different types of wireis what is of interest as this can be used to

1
Department of Renewable Energy - Heat Transfer Laboratory

measure temperature at very high and low temperatures. The magnitude of the
voltage depends on the types of wire used. Generally, the voltage is in the
microvolt range and care must be taken to obtain a usable measurement.
Although current flows very little, power can be generated by a single
thermocouple junction.

Thermocouples operate on the Seebeck effect, whereby a temperature

difference between two junctions of dissimilar metals creates a voltage, as seen
in Fig 1. Metals A and B are joined at two locations, where T1 and T2 are
marked. The temperature difference between these two junctions, T2 – T1,
creates a voltage, V. A reference such as an ice bath at 0.0C is typically used
for one junction and the other is used to measure an unknown temperature.
Modern data acquisition systems can also be used to control the temperature of
one junction so that the other may be used for measurement. To calibrate a
thermocouple, the temperatures of both junctions must be known. Typically,
one junction is held in an ice bath at 0.0C while the second junction is exposed
to a reservoir at predetermined temperature. The temperature of the second
junction is also measured independently with a calibrated thermometer. The
thermocouple voltage is then plotted against the temperature read with the
thermometer to create a calibration curve. Known references may be
substituted for the calibrated thermometer. For example, the boiling point of
water at atmospheric pressure, which is well known, may be used as a
calibration point.

Figure 1. Schematic of a Thermocouple

2
Department of Renewable Energy - Heat Transfer Laboratory

The generated electromotive force (EMF) leads to continuous electric induction

within the circuit. The direction and value of the electromotive force depend on the
difference between the temperatures of the two welding points and the metals of
the two wires used.
The generated electromotive force is measured by a voltmeter or potentiometer.

Whereas
:
=
: Two dissimilar metals
: Seebeck Constant
: Hot and cold junctions

Procedure:

1. Two wires are prepared from two different metals and welded at a point as in
Figure No. Copper can be used with iron or iron with constantan, any
thermocouple available in the laboratory.
2. A cold bath is prepared from an amount of ice in a Beaker, as its temperature
is constant ( ) and can be read using a mercury thermometer .
3. One of the two welding points is immersed in the ice bowl, which is called
the cold welding point, while the other point is immersed in the other water
container, which is called the hot welding point.
4. The thermocouple is connected with a potentiometer as shown in Figure (2).
5. Start heating the water (hot spot) and at each temperature find the voltage of
using a potentiometer.
6. Repeat the previous step at different temperatures.

7. Plot the relationship between (Δt) on the X axis and the voltmeter readings
on the Y axis and find the slope of the curve representing the Seebeck
constant. This curve is called the Calibration Curve.

8. The prepared thermocouple was used to measure the temperature of a

specific object using the calibration curve of the thermocouple.

3
Department of Renewable Energy - Heat Transfer Laboratory

𝐶𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟
V

𝐼𝑟𝑜𝑛

𝑇 𝑇
𝐻𝑜𝑡 𝐽𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝐽𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
Figure 2. Schematic of a Thermocouple

Questions:

1. What is a Thermocouple?

2. What is the Seebeck effect?

3. Where is used thermocouple ?

4. List some types of thermocouples, mentioning the temperature limits that can be
measured using these thermocouples.

5. What is the difference between a Thermocouple and a Thermostat?