Unit IV

Measuring Device –
Temperature
Dhaval N. Yadav
Lecturer (GES CL II)
Chemical Engineering Department
Shri K. J. Polytechnic, Bharuch
Contents

• Temperature Scale
• Different types of temperature measurement devices.
• Principle, Construction & Working of: Mercury in glass, Bi-metallic,
pressure spring, Resistance thermometers, Radiation and optical
Pyrometers.
• Pressure Gauge, Principle, Construction & Working of: diaphragm, Bourdon
tube gauge, Dead weight Gauge, Strain gauge
Contents

• Principle construction, and working of Target meter, Vortex Shredding

meter, Turbine meter

• Direct Level measuring devices: Probe and Tape, Sight Glass, Float

• Indirect Level measuring devices: Air trap box, diaphragm box,

bellows system, differential pressure manometer
Heat and Temperature

• Heat is a form of energy and is measured in calories or BTU's (British

Thermal Units).

• Temperature is defined as the degree of hotness or coldness

measured on a definite scale which is the result of molecular activity.

• It is a measure of the internal energy of a substance.

Why do we need to measure temperature?

• Is important for protection of the equipment.

• To prevent run away reactions in case of exothermic reactions.

• To monitor the physical or chemical state of most substances when

they are heated or cooled.
 Conduction

Modes
of Heat Convection
Transfer
Radiation
Temperature Scales

• Different temperature scales are used to measure temperature.

• The most common temperature scales are Celsius, Fahrenheit, and

Kelvin.

• Ice Point: The temperature, equal to 0°C (32°F) at which pure water
and ice are in thermal equilibrium in a mixture at 1atmosphere
pressure is called Ice Point.
Continued…

• Steam Point: The temperature, equal to 100°C (212°F) at which water

vapor condenses at 1atmosphere pressure is called Steam Point.

• Absolute Zero: The temperature, equal to -273.2°C (-459.7°F) at

which movement of molecules completely stops is called Absolute
Zero
Continued…
Continued….

Temperature Ice Point Steam Point Absolute

Scale Zero
Centigrade (°C) 0 100 -273.2
Fahrenheit (°F) 32 212 -459.7
Kelvin (°K) 273.2 373.2 0
Rankine (°R’) 495.7 675.7 0
Reaumer (°R) 0 80 -218.5
 Temperature
Measuring
Device

Expansion Change of State Electrical

Pyrometers
Thermometers Thermometers Thermometers

Constant Volume Gas Vapor Pressure

Conductor Sensors Radiation Pyrometer
Thermometer Thermometer

Mercury in Glass Semiconductor Sensors

Thermometer, Pressure Spring (Thermistor),
Optical Pyrometer
Bimetallic Thermometer Resistance Temperature
Thermometer. Detectors (RTD)
Mercury in Glass Thermometer

Thermo well
Principle, Construction, Working

Principle: Thermal expansion of the liquid.

Construction:

• Mercury is filled in a metal case with the bulb inserted into a metal
thermal well.

• A calibrated scale is mounted which enables to read out the

temperature of the process medium with a glass covering the scale.
Continued…

• Purpose: To protect the thermometer from breakage and providing a

sealing medium at the point of installation.

• MOC of thermal well may be stainless steel, brass or other alloys

depending upon the requirements of installation.

• Widely used due to its accuracy for the temperature range -200°C to
600°C
Pros and Cons

• Simple to use.

• Accurate and easy to read.

• Fragile and can be dangerous if broken.

• Mercury is a toxic substance, so it is important to dispose of broken

mercury-in-glass thermometers properly.
Problems associated with glass
thermometers
• Mercury solidifies at -40°C.

• Alcohol boils around 120°C.

• Accurate manufacture is needed which makes the instrument

expensive.

• It is easy for peoples to make mistakes while taking readings within

subintervals.
Bimetallic Thermometer
Principle, Construction, Working
Principle: Thermal expansion of metals.
Construction:
• Made up of two different metal strips having a different coefficient of
thermal expansion.
• Metal strips welded together.
• Construction is similar to a cantilever beam i.e. one end fixed and other
end free to deflect.
Continued…
• On exposure to higher temperature the free end undergoes deflection.

• The deflection caused varies linearly with temperature and depends mainly
on coefficient of thermal expansion.

• Invar (coefficient of expansion =2.7x 10-6 cm/°C) is universally employed as

the low expansion metal high expansion metal brass (coefficient of
expansion = 34.2x10-6 cm/°C) is used at lower temperatures and nickel
alloys at higher temperatures.
Helix Type Bimetallic Thermometer
Helix Type Bimetallic Thermometer

• One end is fixed (fastened) permanently to the outer casing and the
other end connected to the pointer stem.

• A pointer is attached to the upper end of the stem and sweeps over a
circular dial to indicate the temperature
Uses of Bimetallic Thermometer

• Commonly used wherever the mercury in glass thermometer is used.

• The temperature range covered by the industrial bimetallic

thermometer is -40°F to 800°F (-40°C to 426°C).
Advantages

• The cost of bimetallic thermometer is low.

• They are tough and cannot be easily broken.

• They are easily installed and maintained.

• They have good accuracy relatively with their cost.

Problems associated with glass
thermometers
• Mercury solidifies at -40°C.

• Alcohol boils around 120°C.

• Accurate manufacture is needed which makes the instrument

expensive.

• It is easy for peoples to make mistakes while taking readings within

subintervals.
Pressure Spring Thermometer

Liquid Expansion Thermometer

Gas Expansion Thermometer

Vapor Actuated Thermometer

Principle, Construction

Principle: Thermal expansion

Construction:

All pressure spring thermometer consist of

• Bulb (which is filled with filling medium i.e. liquid, gas or vapor)

• Capillary (providing path for expansion of liquid, gas or vapor)

• Receiving Element
Working
• The bulb first interacts with the measuring medium.
• Bulb senses the heat and the filling medium undergoes thermal expansion.
• Thermal expansion causes pressure build up hence temperature is
converted into pressure.
• Generated pressure is transmitted through the tube to Bourdon Tube,
which convert, which converts this pressure signal into a Displacement or
Motion Signal
Thermocouple

• A thermocouple consists of two pieces of dissimilar metals with their

ends joined together (by twisting, soldering or welding).
Care in making Thermocouple

• A thermocouple is made by creating a junction between the two wires.

• In order to prevent the forming of a second junction, the wires of a

thermocouple are insulated from each other by being threaded through
porcelain insulators.

• The ends of thermocouples are connected to a porcelain block having

screw terminals for connections
Thermoelectric Circuit

• A simple thermoelectric circuit is made up of two different metal

wires A and B that are joined together (by twisting, soldering or
welding) at ends. The figure shown below is a thermoelectric circuit
made up of Iron and Copper.
T2

T1
Seebeck Effect

• Current flows in a thermoelectric circuit when a temperature

difference exists between the two ends of the junctions.

• He stated that the thermal emf produced in the circuit causes the
current to flow.

Seebeck EMF α Temperature Difference at Junctions

Peltier Effect
• Current flows in a thermoelectric circuit because of heat absorption and
evolution in a circuit.

T1 T2 T1>T2

• Heat is evolved at the Reference Junction and absorbed at the Measuring

Junction
Continued…

• This evolution and absorption of heat is in proportion with the

current that flows in the circuit and is independent of the method by
which the junction is made.

Peltier EMF α Current Flow in the wire

Thomson Effect

• An emf is generated in a single homogenous wire and is in proportion

with the temperature difference at the two ends of the wire.

• The Thomson emf generated is proportional to the temperature and

the temperature difference in the wire and differs from wire to wire.

Thomson EMF α Temperature and Temperature difference in the wire

Joule Effect

• The Joule heating effect stated that the emf generated in the wire is
directly proportional to the square of the current times the resistance
(I2R).

• A thermocouple thus employs both Peltier and Thomson effect. Any

one of the two effects cannot be used only
Desirable Properties of Thermocouple

• Relatively Large Thermal EMF

• Precision of Calibration

• Resistance to Corrosion and Oxidation

• Linear relation of emf to temperature.

Common Types of Thermocouple
Pyrometer

• It is a Non-Contact Temperature Measurement Device i.e. device that

measure temperature from a distance.

• Pyrometers are non-contact thermometers that measure the temperature

of an object by detecting the electromagnetic radiation it emits.

• Offer a safe and convenient way to measure the temperature of objects

that are difficult or dangerous to reach physically.
Continued…
• Since they rely on the radiation emitted by the object, their effectiveness
depends on the object's emissivity, a material property that determines
how efficiently it radiates energy.

• Emissivity is defined as the ratio of the energy radiated from a material's

surface to that radiated from a perfect emitter, known as a blackbody, at
the same temperature and wavelength and under the same viewing
conditions.
Applications

• Measurement of moving objects or any surfaces that can not be

reached or can not be touched.

• Widely used in industries like metalworking, glass production, and

food processing

• Ex. Metallurgical furnace, Salt bath furnace (1300°C), Steam Boiler,

Hot Air Baloon, Gas turbines etc
Types of Pyrometer

Radiation
Pyrometer Optical
Pyrometer
Optical Pyrometer
Optical Pyrometer

• Principle: It operates on the principle that the color of light emitted

by an object increases in intensity and shifts towards shorter
wavelengths (blue) as its temperature rises.

• An optical pyrometer measures temperature based on the visible light

intensity emitted by a hot object.

• Typically used for measuring high temperatures (above 700°C)

Optical Pyrometer
Optical Pyrometer
Construction
• Lens: Focuses the thermal radiation emitted by the hot object onto the filament.

• Disappearing filament: A thin filament made of a high melting point material like
platinum or tungsten.

• Eyepiece: Allows the user to view the filament and the hot object simultaneously.

• Filter (optional): Used to narrow down the specific wavelength of light being
measured.

• Rheostat: Controls the current flowing through the filament, adjusting its
temperature and brightness.
Working
• The user aligns the optical pyrometer towards the hot object.
• They look through the eyepiece and see the hot object superimposed on
the disappearing filament.
• By adjusting the rheostat, the user changes the brightness of the filament
until it appears to match the brightness of the hot object.
• Once the match is achieved, the user reads the temperature of the object
from the calibrated scale corresponding to the filament's current setting.
Advantages

• Non-contact measurement, making it suitable for very hot or

hazardous objects.

• Wide temperature range measurement capability.

Disadvantages

• Requires user skill and experience for accurate readings.

• The emissivity (material property affecting light emission) of the

object being measured needs to be known for accurate temperature
determination.

• Limited accuracy compared to some other temperature measurement

methods.
Applications

• Metalworking: Measuring temperatures in furnaces and during

forging.

• Glass production: Monitoring glass melt temperatures.

• Welding: Ensuring proper welding temperatures.

• Semiconductor manufacturing: Controlling temperatures during

processing.
Radiation Pyrometer
Radiation Pyrometer

• It operates on the principle of detecting and analyzing the infrared

radiation emitted by the object.

• Works on the principle of the Stefan-Boltzmann Law, which states

that the total energy radiated per unit surface area of a black body is
proportional to the fourth power of its absolute temperature.
Radiation Pyrometer

• More versatile than optical pyrometers.

• Can measure a wider range of temperatures, including those below

the visible spectrum (infrared).

• They use a detector to convert the received radiation into an

electrical signal.

• They do not rely on the human eye for measurement.

Construction
• Optical System: Consists of lenses and mirrors to focus and direct the infrared radiation
onto the detector.

• Detector: Typically a thermopile or a photodetector that converts the incoming infrared

radiation into an electrical signal.

• Display Unit: Displays the temperature measured by the radiation pyrometer.

• Power Source: Provides power to the instrument for its operation.

• Control Panel: Contains controls for adjusting settings such as emissivity and
measurement range.
Working
• The radiation pyrometer is pointed towards the object whose temperature is to
be measured.

• The optical system focuses the infrared radiation emitted by the object onto the
detector.

• The detector converts the incoming radiation into an electrical signal.

• The electrical signal is processed to determine the temperature of the object.

• The temperature is displayed on the display unit.

Applications
• Industrial Processes: Used in industries for monitoring and controlling temperature in processes
such as metal forging, glass manufacturing, and ceramics production.

• HVAC Systems: Used for monitoring temperatures in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
systems.

• Electrical Systems: Used for detecting overheating in electrical components and systems.

• Medical Applications: Used in medical thermography for diagnosing diseases and monitoring
patient temperature.

• Research and Development: Used in laboratories and research facilities for studying thermal
properties of materials and conducting experiments.
References

• Industrial Instrumentation by Donald P. Eckman

• Industrial Instrumentation and Control by S. K. Singh

• Process Instrumentation And Control by A. P. Kulkarni

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