Temperature Measuring Devices

Temperature

A measure of a substance’s internal kinetic energy. The degree of

hotness or coldness of a substance (as measured on a
thermometer)
Temperature is the most important process variable that requires continuous
measurement and monitoring in a process industry. Among the different types
of temperature transducers,
The most commonly used ones are RTDs and thermocouples. Their popularity is
mainly due to their ruggedness, repeatability and wide range of operation. Bare
RTDs and thermocouples are rarely used in practice; instead, they are put in
protective metallic sheaths.
The signal conditioning circuits should be properly designed, so as to avoid the
errors due to lead wires in RTDs and variation of cold junction temperatures in
thermocouples.
There are several cases where the temperature to be measured is more than
2000oC, the conventional measuring techniques fail to measure the high
temperature. Instead, the measurement is carried out from a distance.
Radiation pyrometers are used in these situations
 Bimetal Thermometer
• Two metals with different coefficients of thermal expansion are bonded
together.
• If one end is fixed, other end displaces in response to temperature
changes.
• Bimetal strips can be fabricated into coils, spirals, and disks.
Frequently used
• Range of temperature
in on-off use -65 to 430 °C
control (thermostats)
• Accuracy varies with range ± 0.5 to 12°C
• Advantages:
• Low cost, Negligible maintenance, Stable
 Bimetal Thermometer

r = Radius of curvature

t = total thickness

m = ratio of thicknesses

n = ratio of Young moduli of elasticity

1 = lower coefficient of thermal expansion

2 = higher coefficient of thermal expansion

T = Temperature ( °C)

To= Initial bonding temp. (°C)

 Liquid Expansion Thermometer

 The volumetric expansion of liquids and solids is used for

temperature measurement. Expansion registered is actually the
difference between the liquid and the glass.
 Mercury filled thermometers
• Range= -37 to 320 °C ,
• Best Accuracy ± 0.02 °C
 Alcohol filled thermometers.
• Range = -75 to 120 °C ,
• Best Accuracy ± 0.6°C
 Advantage : Low cost, simple
 Disadvantage: No remote
 Liquid in Glass Thermometers

Greatest sensitivity to temperature is at the bulb, where the largest volume of

liquid exists. However, all portions of the thermometer are temperature sensitive.

T = T1+kT’(T1-T2)
where T =
corrected temperature
T1 = indicated temperature
(reading)
T2 = ambient temperature
(exposed tube portion)
T’= correction related to
exposed length.
k = differential expansion
coefficient between liquid
and glass
(mercury in glass = 0.00016
Fluid-Expansion Thermometer
 Fluid Expansion Thermometer

 A fluid filled bulb is connected to a

pressure measuring device via a capillary
tube. As fluid is heated it expands increasing
the pressure.
 Pressure is linked to temperature. Accuracy
and range depends on fluid.
 Advantages/Disadvantages
• Low cost, Stable in operation,
• Remote readings are possible.
• Transient response is a function of bulb
size and capillary tube length.
Resistance Thermometers
 RTD (resistance temperature device or detector) is a metal conductor, has a
positive coefficient of resistance. R increases with T
 Thermistors are made from semiconductor materials, have a large negative
coefficient of resistance. R decreases with T
Resistance Temperature Thermometers
RTD

 Metals have linear relationship with temperature

 Platinum (high cost, highly linear, most
common)
 Tungsten (highly linear) L
 Copper (lower temperature ranges) R
 Nickel (lower temperature, low cost, nonlinear) A
 Nickel alloys (lower temperature, low cost)
 Each metal has a specific resistivity, , which varies with temperature
and is determined experimentally.

T  o 1  a(T 
 RTD Response:



R  Ro 1  a T  T
o  bT  To
equation)
2
(derived from Callendar - Van Dusen

where

R o = reference resistance measured at T o (To is typically 0 C)
T = measured
temperature a and b =
calibration constants

simple linear verson is often used over smaller temperature

interval R  R o1  aT  To 

 Coefficients a and b depend on the wire material and its

purity. Example: Platinum
 a=3.9083 E -03
RTD
 Low resistance
 100  (most common) to 1000 
 Wide operating range (-200 °C to 850 °C)
 High sensitivity
 High accuracy (to 0.1°C or better 0.01
°C )
 High Repeatability and Stability
 Low drift (0.0025 °C/year)
 Industrial models drift < 0.1 °C/year
RTD
 Lead wire resistance can be significant.
 3-wire provides sufficient accuracy in accounting
for the lead wire resistance.
 accuracy using 4-wire RTD.
 Internal/self-heating :To measure resistance must
pass current through sensor. Joule Heating=I2R
 Thermistors
 High resistance 1 k to 100 k
 Eliminates most lead resistance issues
 Highly non-linear resistance-to-temperature
relationships.
 Mostly NTC (metal oxides) but PTC
(barium and strontium titanate mixtures)
models available
 Small physical size, Fast response time
 Lower cost than RTD’s
 Very high sensitivity and resolution : Up to 1000
times more sensitive than RTD’s
 Thermistor :

 1  1 

R  Roe T To 

where
Ro = reference resistance measured at To
T = measured temperature
 = material constant
Thermocouple
 Thermocouples operate under the principle that the junction of two
dissimilar metals produces a measurable voltage (emf-electromotive force)
when the two ends of the thermocouple are at different temperatures.
 They are inexpensive, small in size, rugged, and remarkably accurate when
used with an understanding of their peculiarities.
Thermocouples Principle

 In, 1821 T.J. Seebeck observed the existence of and electromotive force (EMF)
at
the junction of two dissimilar metals
 Seebeck effect is actually the combined result of two other phenomenon,
 Thomson observed EMF due to contact of two dissimilar metals and the junction
temperature.
 Peltier discovered that temperature gradients along conductors in a
circuit generate an EMF.
 Thomson EMF is much smaller in than Peltier EMF and can be minimized and
disregarded with proper thermocouple design.
Thermocouple Effect

 Any time a pair of dissimilar wires is joined and a junction is formed an

emf
voltage will be generated.
 Voltage or EMF produced depends on:
 Types of materials used, A and B
 Temperature of the junctions, measuring and reference