Temperature Measurement techniques

Zankhana Mehta
 Brief Overview
 Types of Sensors and how they work
 Sensor Applications
 Advantages and Disadvantages
 Sensors that will work with project
 Temperature….
• Definition :--The
temperature of the
substance is a measure
of the hotness or
coldness of that
substance.
• Units :--Celsius ,
Fahrenheit , Kelvin ,
Rankine , Reaumur
 Heat…..
• Definition :-- The form of
energy that is transferred
between two substance
at different
temperatures.

• Units :--Calories or joule

 How is heat transferred?
Conduction

Metal coffee
cup

Convection

Radiation

003
 Temperature Scales
• Three different ones get used

• Fahrenheit(°F) :-the one we

use
• Celsius(°C)- metric standard
• Kelvin(°K)- starts at absolute
zero but same degree size as
Celsius
Baseline Temperatures in different scales…
Converting Temperature

°F = 9 °C + 32
5

°K = °C + 273.15
Extra !!!!…….
0⁰C 32⁰F 273 K
100⁰C 212⁰F 373 K

0⁰C 32⁰F 273 K

100⁰C 212⁰F 373.15 K

0⁰C 32⁰F 273.15 K

-273⁰C -459.67⁰F 0K
 Conversion Practice
• Water freezes at 32°F, what is this in Celsius and In
Kevin?
• Water boils at 100°C. What is this in Fahrenheit
and In Kevin?
• Body temperature is 98.6°F, what is this in Celsius?
In Kelvin?
• Methanol boils at 75°C, what is this in Fahrenheit?,
in Kelvin?
• Lead melts at 600 K, what is this in Celsius? In
Fahrenheit?
 Temperature tells you direction
• That energy will move.
• Always moves from high temperature to low
temperature.
• Faster molecules (high temperature) hit
slower molecules (low temperature) and
speed them up
 Types of Temperature Sensors
 Bi Metallic
 Thermocouples
 Resistance
Temperature
Detectors (RTDs)
 Thermistors
 Infrared Sensors
 Expansion thermometer
• Solid Expansion Thermometer
Bimetallic thermometer
1. Spiral Bimetal element
2. Helix Bimetal element

• Liquid Expansion Thermometer

Mercury in Glass type.
 Bimetal thermometer

Two dissimilar Forces due to

Result
metals, tightly thermal
bonded expansion

10 20 30
00 0
0 40
0
Thermal Expansion Co efficient
Of Metal
Spiral and Helical
 EXPANSION THERMOMETERS
BI-METAL STRIP

Advantages
 Inexpensive

 Provides direct reading

 Has a rugged design

Disadvantages
 Narrow operating temperature
range
 Not very accurate as compared
Applications

to RTDs and Thermocouples

 Control thermostats
 Not suitable for very low
 Drive a pointer on an instrument
temperatures
 Mercury in Glass thermometer
Advantages:
1) Simplicity in use & low cost.
2) Portable device.
3) Checking physical damage is easy.
4) Power source not require.
5) Repeatable, calibration does not
required.

Disadvantages:
Application: 1) Can not be used for automatic
 To measure body temperature.
recording.
 To initialize weather forecast 2) Time lag in measurement.
models 3) Range is limited to about 300 °C .
 Used in indoor climate control
systems
 Filled system thermometer

 Class I-Liquid Filled Systems

 Class II- Vapour Systems
 Class III- Gas Filled Systems
 Class V- Mercury Filled Systems
Class I-Liquid Filled Systems
Class I-Liquid Filled Systems

Advantages :
Rugged Condition
Require low maintenance
Three or more separate systems can be put
Cost is low
No need of electronic power

Disadvantages :
Need a large bulb for the sake of accuracy
The entire system usually has to be replaced in
case of failure
Maximum spans are not as narrow as in the
bimetallic thermometer
They have limited maximum temperature
compared to some electrical measurement
Class II- Vapour Systems

Advantages
• Small bulb size
• It is less expensive

Disadvantages
• The scale is not linear
• It has a slow response rate.

Applications
Used in:
• Pipelines
• Boilers
• Heating systems
Class III- Gas Filled Systems

Advantages
• Rapid response to temperature change
• Wide temperature range

Disadvantages
• Difficult to handle.
• Large bulb size

Applications
• Installed in most piping and
tanks which provide direct and remote
temperature reading.
Class V- Mercury Filled Systems

Advantages
Rapid response to temperature change
Accuracy is very high
Most liner scale
Disadvantages
Objection to mercury on accidental breakage.
Applications
Used to measure room temperature
Used to measure body temperature
Advantages of filled system Thermometer

 Rugged construction
 Low maintenance
 No electric power requirement
 Satisfactory time response
 Low cost
 Disadvantages of filled system
Thermometer
 Large bulb required for
better accuracy
 Requires full scale
replacement if found faulty
 Accuracy , sensitivity and
span are on the lower side
compared to electrical
methods
 Not great temperature range
ability
 Sources of error in filled system thermometry.

Common Sources of Errors are:

 Ambient temperature Effect

 Head or Elevation Effect
 Barometric Effect
 Immersion Effect
 Radiation Effect
 DIP Effect
 Ambient Temperature Effect
 The change of
ambient
temperature cause
volume changes in
the capillary tube
and bourdon tube
thereby causing
error in
measurement .
 Head or Elevation Effect
 This is the error caused due the elevation of
the bulb from the level of the bourdon tube .
 Due to the difference in height a pressure
head is created which causes error in the
temperature reading .
 Barometric Effect
 The tip travel of bourdon tube
is due to pressure difference
between atmosphere and
filled system pressure .
 So if there is any variation in
atmosphere pressure from
designed pressure , the
bourdon tip travels and
causes an error reading .
 Immersion Effect
• This error is caused to the improper
immersion or insulation of head of bulb .
 Radiation Effect
• This error occurs due
to temperature
difference between
the bulb and solid
bodies around it .
 Dip Effect
 In case of a metallic bulb of
mercury filled system, the
metallic bulb expands
before expansion of
mercury , hence volume of
bulb is increased and
pressure reduces .
 So in short respose of
thermometer is slowed
down .
 Thermocouple
 A Thermocouple is a sensor used to measure temperature.
 A thermocouple is comprised of at least two metals joined together
to form two junctions.
 One is connected to the body whose temperature is to be
measured; this is the hot or measuring junction.
 The other junction is connected to a body of known temperature;
this is the cold or reference junction.
 Therefore the thermocouple measures unknown temperature of
the body with reference to the known temperature of the other
body.
 Thermocouple Principle
• Thermocouple will work on below principles…

 Seebeck effect ,

 Peltier effect ,

 Thomson effect
 Seebeck effect
When the junctions of two different metals are
maintained at different temperature, the emf is
produced in the circuit. This is known as Seebeck effect.
 Peltier Effect

 Whenever current passes through the circuit

of two dissimilar conductors, depending on
the current direction, either heat is absorbed
or released at the junction of the two
conductors. This is known as Peltier effect.
 Thomson effect

 Thomson effect will deal with only single

metallic rod.
 According to this effect, if a conductor has
placed in varying temperature along its length
and current is passed through it then it will
absorb or evolved heat. Absorbing or evolving
heat will depend on direction of current.
 Thermocouples
 Two wires of different metal
alloys.
 Converts thermal energy into
electrical energy.
 Requires a temperature
difference between
measuring junction and
reference junction.
 Easy to use and obtain.
 Cold junction compensation

 Temperature should be measured with the cold junction at

0°C or 32°F.
 When a thermocouple or its extension wires are connected
to the terminals of a device like a thermocouple transmitter
the cold junction is at the room temperature T1°C.
 If both temperatures of the hot and the cold junctions are
above 0°C, the device receives a lower emf than when the
cold junction temperature is 0°C.
 In order to measure the temperature accurately, we need to
add the emf value which corresponds to T1 to the measured
emf.
 To add this emf is called cold junction compensation.
 What is Thermowell

• Thermowells are hollow tubes closed

off on one end and threaded at the
other end.
• They are permanently placed into
pipes, tanks or sumps so that
temperature measurement probes
can be inserted into the pipe to
measure the contents temperature.
• The temperature of the contents is
transferred through the wall of the
thermowell.
 Advantages of Thermowell

 Thermowells are used to guard

temperature sensors against damage
from excessive pressure, material
velocity and corrosion.
 They also increase the longevity of
the sensor,
 They allow sensor replacement
without draining the system
 They reduce the probability of
contamination.
Thermocouple extension wires
Thermocouples selection criteria
 Thermocouple Applications
 Plastic injection molding
machinery
 Food processing equipment
 Deicing
 Semiconductor processing
 Heat treating
 Medical equipment
 Industrial heat treating
 Packaging equipment
 Thermocouples
Advantages Disadvantages

 Simple, Rugged  Least stable, least repeatable

 High temperature operation  Low sensitivity to small
 Low cost temperature changes
 No resistance lead wire  Extension wire must be of
problems the same thermocouple type
 Point temperature sensing  Wire may pick up radiated
 Fastest response to electrical noise if not
temperature changes shielded
 Lowest accuracy
 Thermopile
• A thermopile is an
electronic device that
converts thermal energy
into electrical energy.
• It is composed of several
thermocouples
connected usually in
series or, less commonly,
in parallel.
RTD….
 Resistance Temperature Detector

• Resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) are based

on the principle that the electrical resistance of a
metal increases as temperature increases.
• Thus, a temperature measurement can be inferred by
measuring the resistance of the RTD element..
 Material used for RTD
• RTD’s are constructed of a resistive material
with leads attached and usually placed into a
protective sheath.
Resistance Temperature Formula for an RTD

 RTD sensors are usually manufactured to have

a resistance of 100Ω at 0oC and the value of α
is 0.00385 to 0.00390
 Lead Wires Configuration
• Three basic types of RTDs exist in terms
of wire configuration.
2-wire RTD
3-wire RTD
 4-wire RTD
 Two Wire RTDs
• These RTDs have two lead wires.
• They are used where lead length is short.
• There is no compensation for resistance of
lead wires hence they are less accurate.
 Three Wire RTDs
• These RTDs have three lead wires.
• They are the most common type of RTD
assembly you can find.
• Typically, they are connected to standard
bridge circuit, which allows lead wire
resistance to be compensated.
• They are more accurate than two wire RTDs
and are used in most industrial applications.
1000d 100d
Rlead 1
V
Sense wire
3-Wire
1000 Rlead 2 PRTD
d
100d

02
2
 Four Wire RTDs
• They have four lead wires.
• They are used where higher accuracy is
demanded.
• Lead wire resistance errors are eliminated in
this configuration by measuring the voltage
across the RTD element supplied with a
constant current.
 Rx
10 d +
Rlead= d V I ref= 5
0 -
1 mA

01
9
 At Glance!!!
• Two-wire RTDs are generally used in
HVAC applications.
• Three-wire RTDs are commonly found in
industrial situations.
• Four-wire RTDs are used in high-
precision services requiring extremely
good Accuracy.
 Advantages of RTDs
Good accuracy (better than thermocouples)
Long term stability
Good interchangeability
A wide temperature range (-200 to 850°C)
 Disadvantages of RTD
Bulky in size and fragile
Slow thermal response time due to bulk
size
Self heating problems
More susceptible to electrical noise
More expensive to test and diagnose
Thermistors
 Thermistors
 Thermistors = Thermal Resistor.
**Principle of working **
 The thermistors are resistors whose resistance
changes with the temperature.
 While for most of the metals the resistance
increases with temperature, the thermistors respond
negatively to the temperature and their resistance
decreases with the increase in temperature.
 Most of thermistors have NTC(Negative temperature
coefficient).
 Properties of Thermistors

 They have Negative Thermal Coefficient i.e.

resistance of the thermistor decreases with
increase in temperature
 They are made up of the semiconductor materials
 They are more sensitive than RTD (Resistance
Temperature Detector) and Thermocouples
 There resistance lies between 0.5Ω to 0.75Ω
 They are generally used in applications where
measurement range of temperature -60oC to 15oC
 Construction of Thermistor

 Thermistors are generally composed of mixture of

metallic oxides such as manganese, nickel, cobalt,
copper etc.
 Smaller thermistors are in the form of beads of
diameter from 0.15 millimeters to 1.5 millimeters.
 Thermistor may be in the form of disks and
washers made by pressing thermistor material
under high pressure into flat cylindrical shapes with
diameter from 3 millimeters to 25 millimeters.
Different types of thermistor
 Thermistors
Advantages Disadvantages
• High sensitivity to small • Limited temperature
temperature changes range
• Low cost
• Non-liner Response
• Small size
• Easy to use
• Fragile
• Available in different • Some initial accuracy
shapes “drift”
• Power requirement is less • Decalibration if used
• Copper or nickel beyond the sensor’s
extension wires can be temperature ratings
used
• Lack of standards for
replacement
Integrated Circuit (IC) based Temperature sensors
Pin diagram
 Features..
• Calibrated Directly in Celsius (Centigrade)
• Linear + 10-mV/°C Scale Factor
• 0.5°C Ensured Accuracy (at 25°C)
• Rated for Full −55°C to 150°C Range
• Suitable for Remote Applications
• Low-Cost Due to Wafer-Level Trimming
• Operates from 4 V to 30 V
• Less than 60-µA Current Drain
• Low Self-Heating, 0.08°C in Still Air
• Non-Linearity Only ±¼°C Typical
• Low-Impedance Output, 0.1 Ω for 1-mA Load
Compare RTD, Thermistor and Thermocouple
Compare output response of RTD, Thermistor and Thermocouple with sketch
 emissivity
• The emissivity of the surface of a material is
its effectiveness in emitting energy as thermal
radiation.
• Thermal radiation is electromagnetic radiation
and it may include both visible radiation (light)
and infrared radiation,
 Stefan–Boltzmann law
• Stefan–Boltzmann law, statement that the
total radiant heat energy emitted from a
surface is proportional to the fourth power of
its absolute temperature.
• 5.6704 × 10−8 watt per metre2∙K4
• E = σT4
 Black body
• A black body is an idealized physical body that
absorbs all incident electromagnetic radiation,
regardless of frequency or angle of incidence.

• A white body is one with a rough surface

[that] reflects all incident rays completely and
uniformly in all directions
Non-contact type thermometry
 Non-contact type thermometry

• Radiation pyrometer
• Optical pyrometer
• Optical Fiber Thermometry
• Ultrasonic thermometry
• Laser thermometry
Optical pyrometer
Optical pyrometer
Optical Fibre Thermometry
Optical Fibre Thermometry
Ultrasonic thermometry
Laser thermometry
Laser thermometry
 Advantages of Pyrometer
 Measurements can be taken from a distance
for hot surfaces and objects.
 Measurements can also be taken of moving
parts.
 Memory and advanced measurement
functionality is available
 They are compact, lightweight, and easy to
use
 Disadvantages of Pyrometer
• Infrared thermometers cannot take
measurements of gas or liquids
• The environment needs to be clean, without
dust, high humidity, or similar
• Depending on the model, the accuracy can be
marginal
• They are very expensive.
Temperature switches
Thermostats
Actual Image