Reference junction

The thermocouple reference data in Tables 11.55 to 11.63 give the thermoelectric voltage in millivolts with the reference junction at 0°C. Note that the temperature for a given entry is obtained by adding the corresponding temperature in the top row to that in the left-hand column, regardless of whether the latter is positive or negative. 

Type B thermocouples (Table 11.56) offer distinct advantages of improved stability, increased mechanical strength, and higher possible operating temperatures. They have the unique advantage that the reference junction potential is almost immaterial, as long as it is between 0°C and 40°C. Type B is virtually useless below 50°C because it exhibits a double-value ambiguity from 0°C to 42°C. 

TABLE 11.57 Type E Thermocouples Nickel-Chromium Alloy vs. Copper-Nickel Alloy Thermoelectric voltage in millivolts reference junction at 0°C. 

Thermocouples Temperature measurements using thermocouples are based on the discovery by Seebeck in 1821 that an electric current flows in a continuous circuit of two different metalhc wires if the two junctions are at different temperatures. The thermocouple may be represented diagrammaticaUy as shown in Fig. 8-60. A and B are the two metals, and T and To are the temperatures of the junctions. Let T and To be the reference junction (cold junction) and the measuring junc tion, respectively. If the thermoelectric current i flows in the direc tion indicated in Fig. 8-60, metal A is customarily referred to as thermoelectricaUy positive to metal B. Metal pairs used for thermocouples include platinum-rhodium (the most popular and accurate), cmromel-alumel, copper-constantan, and iron-constantan. The thermal emf is a measure of the difference in temperature between To and T. In control systems the reference junction is usually located at... 

The calorimeter response (the emf-time curve or the thermogram) is, of course, proportional at any time to the temperature difference which exists between two definite values of the space variable ri and r2 where the active and reference junctions of the thermoelement are located ... 

The working principle of the thermocouple was discovered (1823) by Seebeck who observed that if wires of two different metals were joined to form a continuous circuit, a current flowed in the circuit when the two junctions were at different temperatures. In order to make a measurement, one junction (the reference junction) is maintained at a constant temperature (typically at 0°C) and the electromotive force produced when the other junction is at the test temperature is measured, or recorded, by a suitable instrument (or used as the input of a controller ). In order to choose the right kind of thermocouple among the many types available, the temperature range to be studied must be considered, as well as several requirements regarding sensitivity, calibration stability, chemical, thermal, mechanical inertia, etc. 

Thermocouples The reference junction. As previously mentioned, the resultant reading of a thermocouple depends on the temperature of the two junctions (the measuring and the reference junctions). A reference junction can be made up of an ice bath in which the wires are immersed. A simpler arrangement may be obtained by putting the reference junction (with its two identical copper connections to the voltmeter terminals) in an isothermal block. A thermistor, placed in the same block, measures the absolute temperature of the reference junction, and consequently allows correcting, either by software or hardware compensation, the voltage measured, that will be referenced to 0°C for the subsequent conversion. 

Sensors used are either thermocouples or platinum resistance bulbs. All early gas chromatographs used thermocouples referenced to ambient. This is unsatisfactory because the oven temperature would change with ambient. The platinum resistance bulb, not requiring a reference junction, has gained wide acceptance. 

A well-referenced thermocouple can be just as satisfactory and will probably become the standard in the future. The reference junction must be in a temperature-controlled zone or ambient compensation must be made. 

Reference junction Acts as a liquid path electrical conductor. 

The emf developed by a thermocouple depends upon the temperature of both the measuring and reference junctions. Thus, to determine temperature, the following data musi be known (1) the calibration data for the particular thermocouple (2) the measured emf and (3) the temperature of the reference junction. In laboratoiy cases, the reference junction can be maintained at the freezing temperature of water. However, in most modem instruments, the ambient temperature of the reference junction is sensed, and the correction is incorporated in the measurement circuitry. 

The temperature of a gas oil product flowing through a pipe is monitored using a chromel/alumel thermocouple. The measurement junction is inserted into the pipe and the reference junction is placed in the plant control room where the temperature is 20°C. The emf at the thermocouple junction is found to be 6.2 mV by means of a potentiometer connected into the thermocouple circuit adjacent to the reference junction. Find the measured temperature of the gas oil. 

A typical thermocouple installation for an industrial application is shown in Fig. 6.23. Instead of placing the reference junction in a temperature controlled environment (which is often inconvenient), an automatic reference junction compensation circuit is fitted. This provides a second source of emf Sj,° in series with the thermocouple emf E. The meter thus measures 0 = E 0 where E%-0... 

Fig. 6.23. Thermocouple installation with automatic reference junction compensation...

Reference junctions measuring temperature T, of lens housing... 

Thermocouples consist of two dissimilar electrical conductors which are joined to form a measuring junction, with the free ends of the wires constituting the reference junction. When a temperature difference exists between the measuring and reference junctions, an emf is produced between the free ends of the device. This emf, which is a function of the temperature difference, can be used to determine the temperature at the measuring junction if the reference junction temperature is known. A schematic of a typical thermocouple circuit is shown in Fig. 9.12. 

Low-temperature thermistors are usually made from nonstoichiometric iron oxides and have a resistance sensitivity of around 15% per Kelvin at 20 K.17 Thermistors act as ohmic conductors at any fixed temperature. Therefore, one advantage of using a thermistor is that ordinary copper wiring may be used to build the circuit reference junctions and special extension wires are not needed.14 Thermistors are generally quite stable to long-term fluctuations after an initial aging period. 

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