EXPERIMENT NO.

3
 
STUDENT NAME S GURDEEP SINGH BALI
REG. NO 191030001
ACADEMIC YEAR 2022 - 2023

PROGRAM ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

YEAR FINAL YEAR

SEMESTER VIII

COURSE AND SENSORS AND TRANSDUCERS LAB

COURSE CODE R4EE4104P

NAME OF THE THERMOCOUPLE

EXPERIMENT
 Title: Thermocouple

 Aim: To study a temperature measurement system using a Thermocouple 

 Apparatus used: Water heater/Boiler, Thermometer, Thermocouple, multimeter

 Theory: 

A thermocouple is a transducer that converts thermal energy into electrical energy and is
constructed by joining wires made from dissimilar metals to form a junction. Voltage is
produced when the temperature at the junction changes.

Principle: The idea of a thermocouple is based on three principles of effect discovered by

Seebeck, Peltier, and Thomson. Electrons carry heat and electricity. If a piece of copper wire
is heated at one end, the electrons will move along the wire to the cooler end and create a
temperature gradient along the wire. The heat has been changed into energy. This same
principle, as discovered by Volta and Seebeck, applies to a thermocouple.

Seebeck effect:
The Seebeck effect happens when two different or unlike metals are joined together at two
junctions and an electromotive force (emf) is generated at the two junctions, which is different
for different types of metals.

Peltier effect:
An emf is generated in a circuit when two dissimilar metals are joined to form two junctions
due to the different temperatures of the two junctions of the circuit

Thomson effect:
The Thomson effect is when heat is absorbed along the length of a rod whose ends are at
different temperatures. The temperature of the heat is associated with the flow of current to
the temperature along the rod.

 Construction: The structure of a thermocouple consists of two insulated wires of two

dissimilar different conducting materials connected to a measuring device like a multi-meter.
Types C, B, E, J, N, K, R, T, and S type are common types of thermocouples and have base
metals of iron, copper, nickel, platinum, rhodium, and chromel.
 Working:

i. The circuit of a thermocouple is shown in the image above, where A and B are two
dissimilar wires that are joined to form a junction. The two junctions are at different
temperatures to generate the Peltier emf in the circuit, which is the function of the
temperatures of two junctions.
ii. When the two wires of a thermocouple are joined to form a junction, one of them is
connected to the body of the thermocouple and measures temperature. It is referred to as the
hot or measuring junction. The second junction is attached to the body of a known
temperature and is the reference junction or cold junction.
iii. A thermocouple measures an unknown temperature and compares it to a known
temperature. For a thermocouple to be of value, it has to have a cold junction compensation
using an ice or water bath to set the reference temperature. The two ends of the thermocouple
are kept at the same temperature while the hot junction is compared to the cold junction as
seen in the diagram above.
iv. If the temperature of the junctions of a thermocouple is the same, an equal and
opposite EMF will be generated at the junctions, and the current flow will be zero. If the
junctions have different temperatures, the EMF will not be zero, and the current will be
flowing through the circuit much like the heat flowing through the copper wire.
v. The flow of the EMF through the circuit depends on the metals and the temperature of
the two junctions, which is measured by a meter. The thicker the thermocouple wire is, the
higher the temperatures it is able to measure but at a slower response time.

 Advantages :
1) small size and fast response
2) wide temperature capabilities
3) ruggedness (ability to endure shocks and vibrations)
4) low cost

 Procedure: 

1. Fill up the heater with water. Arrange a temperature monitoring system by inserting a
thermometer in the water.
2. Put the thermocouple junction in the water and connect the two wires of other junction
to a multimeter.
3. Switch on the heater and observe the change in temperature and the corresponding
change in the multimeter reading.
4. Note down the temperature and corresponding voltage after every 10 degree rise in
temperature upto 800 Celsius.
5. Switch off the heater. Note down temperature and voltage for every 10 degree drp in
temperature.
6. Record the observations in a tabular format.
 Observation Table: 

Voltage at room temperature (320C) = 0.4 mV

S.N.  During Heating During Cooling

Temperature Output Voltage Temperature Output

(in Celsius)
0
(mV)  (in Celsius) Voltage (mV)
0

40 0.6 40 0.6

50 1 50 1

60 1.4 60 1.4

70 1.8 70 1.8

80 2.2 80 2.2

90 2.6 90 2.6

 Conclusion: As seen from the observation table, The voltage varies almost directly
proportionally with the temperature. We learnt about various principles used in
thermocouple like the Seebeck effect and Peltier effect. We also learnt about the
construction, working and advantages of thermocouple.