Temperature Measurement

Chimere Brown
Carol Elliott
Erin Robinson
 Introduction
• Historical development of temperature scales
• Types of measurement devices
– Thermometers
– Thermocouples
– Thermowells
– Pyrometers
• Instrumentation that may be associated with
temperature sensors
History of Temperature Scales
• 1596 - Galileo created first device
to measure temperature
• 1714 - Fahrenheit proposed first
standardized scale with 32oF for
water freezing and 212oF for
boiling water
• 1742 – Celsius developed another
scale with 0C boiling and 100C as
freezing
 History Continued
• Boyle and Charles
developed a theoretical
instrument which led to the
theory of absolute zero
• 1848 - Kelvin created new
scale based on
thermodynamic Carnot
Cycle
• 1929 International
Temperature Scale (ITS-27)
was established.
 Thermometers
• What is it? • Background
– A device to measure – First modern thermometer was
temperature by using developed by Fahrenheit
materials that change
in some way
– Direct vs. Indirect
measurements
 Types of thermometers: Liquid in Glass

• Capillary tube and

bulb filled with

 
mercury or alcohol
and then sealed so that
it can expand/contract
with temperature.                        

       
Types of thermometers: Bimetal

• Based on the
temperature
coefficient of
expansion
– Different expansion
rates cause the material
to curve
– Must be designed to
have linear rate of
curvature over desired
range.
 Types of thermometers: Filled System

• Work on pressure or
volume changes of gas
or changes in vapor
pressure of a liquid

• Thermocouples and
RTD are replacing
these in industry
 Types of thermometers: Resistance (RTD)

• Developed by Sir
Humphrey Davey in 1799
• Uses relationship between
resistance of material and
temperature to measure
temperature
• Common metals used are
Platinum, Nickel, or
Copper
 Thermocouples

• Background
– Seebeck – 1822 – Current flow is proportional
to temperature difference
– Peltier – 1834 – If battery inserted in the
circuit, flowing current will cause heat to be
absorbed & liberated
– Thomson – analyzed effect thermodynamically
 Thermocouples
• Two alloys joined at one
end and free at the other
• At the open end, the emf
is a function of
temperature T1 at closed
end
• As T rises, emf increases
• T2 must be kept at a
standard temp (0°C)
 Thermocouples
• Junction composition
does not affect
thermocouple action
• T1 must be kept
constant throughout
the junction
• Junction material must
be electrically
conductive
 Thermocouples
• Reading is not affected by
insertion of non-
thermocouple alloys in
either lead
• Temp at the ends of
inserted material must be
the same
• Ability to work with
spurious materials allows
for use of specialized
devices, such as
thermocouple switches
 Law of Successive
Thermocouples
• First thermocouple has
T1 at hot end and T2
at open end
• Second has hot end at
T2 and open end at T3
• Emf between both,
V1+V2, equals V3
• V3 same as if they
were combined
 Advantages & Disadvantages

• Thermocouple can be used over great

distances since emf is a function of T1only
• These long leads can cause problems
• There could be a break in the circuit or a
reversal of leads
• Induced voltage from nearby A/C magnetic
field
 Thermowells
• A tube closed at one end
• Used to provide an
isolation between a
temp. sensor and the
environment
• Allows temp. sensor to
be removed or replaced
without compromising
ambient region or the
process
 Thermowell Problems

• Temp. gradient in wall can cause a gradient

in the well
• Can heat the base of the thermowell or
insert at a point where wall and fluid temps.
are similar
• Temperature of any sensor will not change
instantaneously – has a response time
 Pyrometer

• Outline
– What is a pyrometer?
– Types of pyrometers
– Pyrometer Applications
• Instrumentation used with T sensors
 What Is A Pyrometer?
• Three definitions
– “Any instrument used for measuring high temperatures
by means of the radiation emitted by a hot object”
– “A thermometer designed to measure high
temperatures”
– “A device measuring the temperature of an object by
means of the quantity and character of the energy
which it radiates”
• There are two types of pyrometers
 Optical Pyrometer
• 1892 introduced by Lechatelier, which it measured
radiation from dull red to white hot
– Used for measuring kiln and furnace temperature
• Today an optical pyrometer is used in which the
color of an electrically heated filament is matched
visually to that of the emitted radiation
• Based on the principle of using the human eye to
match the brightness of the hot object to that
calibrated inside the instrument
 Optical Pyrometer
• Made from a small
magnifying optical device
• Filters that reduce
wavelength to 0.65-0.66
• Other filters reduce
intensity
• These restrictions prevent
the device from measuring
object that are glowing
(700 C)
 Radiation Pyrometer

• Non-contact temperature
sensors measure
temperature from the
amount of thermal
electromagnetic radiation
received from a spot on
the object of measure
• Measures the rate energy
emission per area unit
 Applications

• Moving Objects:
– Rollers
– Moving Machinery
– Conveyer Belt
• Rescues
• Nursing Homes and Hospitals
 Instrumentation used with T Sensors

• Temperature Transmitters
• Single Loop T controller
• Datalogger
• Final Control Devices
 Instrumentation used with T Sensors

• Temperature Transmitter(RTD): used to

convert a temperature reading into an
electrical current
– Four wire, used when power input is separate
from signal transmitting
– Two wire, uses DC power that supplies power
to the transmitter over same two wires that
transmit signal
 Single loop T controller
• Used to keep temperature
steady
• An instrument that takes
the signal from a sensor,
compares it to a setpoint
signal, and adjusts the
output to the heating
device to maintain, as
close as possible,
equilibrium between the
measured temperature
and the setpoint
temperature.
 Datalogger
• Records temperature
over history of run
• A digital way of keep
track of the
temperature changes
in a process over time
• Battery Powered
equipped with a
microprocessor or data
storage (data recorder)
 Final Control Devices
• A device that takes the output from the
temperature control device and converts it
into heating or cooling production
• Carries a high current due to the amount of
power needed to heat a large process
• Controls the output better than a regular
temperature control due to the higher rangeability
• They switch the power to the heating load
either full on or full off
Questions?
 Sources:
• http://www.wici.com/technical_info/articles/temp_prm/tmprmch1.htm
• http://www.wici.com/technical_info/articles/temp_prm/temp_primer.htm