Filled-bulb temperature sensors

use the principle of fluid

expansion to measure
temperature.
the capillary tube
connecting the fluid-filled
bulb is protected by a
spiral-metal jacket.
the bulb itself is located at
the very end of the
stainless steel wand

A photograph of pneumatic temperature

transmitter using a filled-bulb as the
sensing element

 the fluid pressure in this instrument actuates a selfbalancing pneumatic mechanism to produce a 3 to 15 psi
air pressure signal representing process temperature.
are seldom used in industrial applications anymore, chiefly
due to the superiority of electrical sensors.

Types of Filled-bulb
temperature sensors
Liquid Filled (Class I A,B)
Vapor Filled (Class II A,B,C, D)
Gas Filled (Class III A,B)
Mercury Filled (Class V A,B)

Class I and Class V

system use a liquid fill
fluid (Class V is
mercury).
The volumetric
expansion of the
liquid drives an
indicating mechanism
to show temperature.

Class III system use a

gas fill fluid instead of
liquid.
The change in
pressure with
temperature (as
described by the Ideal
Gas Law) allows us to
sense the bulbs
temperature.

A fundamentally
different class of
filled-bulb system is
the Class II, which
uses a volatile
liquid/vapor
combination to
generate a
temperaturedependent fluid
expansion