Temperature measuring process

Zhuiykov, S., Zirconia single crystal analyser for low-temperature measurements. Process Control and Quality 11 (1998) 23-37. 

Thermocouple Size. Many factors can confound the solder-joint temperature measurement process, regardless of whether the thermocouple bead is properly deployed between lead and pad. Among these are the size of the bead and the thermal mass of the thermocouple assembly. In general, the use of finer-gauge thermocouples such as 30 to 36 American Wire Gauge (AWG) (see Table 47.1) is recommended. This will permit insertion between lead and pad even at very fine lead and pad pitches. Ideally the thermocouple bead will be completely within the solder joint to be measured. 

Industrial and Control Instruments. Mercury is used in many industrial and medical instmments to measure or control reactions and equipment functions, including thermometers, manometers (flow meters), barometers and other pressure-sensing devices, gauges, valves, seals, and navigational devices (see Pressure measurements Process control Temperature measurement). Whereas mercury fever thermometers are being replaced by... 

Dimensional Stability. Plastics, ia general, are subject to dimensional change at elevated temperature. One important change is the expansion of plastics with increa sing temperature, a process that is also reversible. However, the coefficient of thermal expansion (GTE), measured according to ASTM E831, frequendy is not linear with temperature and may vary depending on the direction in which the sample is tested, that is, samples may not be isotropic (Eig. 7). 

Process Measurements. The most commonly measured process variables are pressures, flows, levels, and temperatures (see Flow LffiASURELffiNT Liquid-levell asurel nt PressureLffiASURELffiNT Temperaturel asurel nt). When appropriate, other physical properties, chemical properties, and chemical compositions are also measured. The selection of the proper instmmentation for a particular appHcation is dependent on factors such as the type and nature of the fluid or soHd involved relevant process conditions rangeabiHty, accuracy, and repeatabiHty requited response time installed cost and maintainabiHty and reHabiHty. Various handbooks are available that can assist in selecting sensors (qv) for particular appHcations (14—16). 

Distance-Velocity Lag (Dead-Time Element) The dead-time element, commonly called a distance-velocity lag, is often encountered in process systems. For example, if a temperature-measuring element is located downstream from a heat exchanger, a time delay occurs before the heated fluid leaving the exchanger arrives at the temperature measurement point. If some element of a system produces a dead-time of 0 time units, then an input to that unit,/(t), will be reproduced at the output a.s f t — 0). The transfer function for a pure dead-time element is shown in Fig. 8-17, and the transient response of the element is shown in Fig. 8-18. 

In the use of temperature measurement for control of the separation in a distillation column, repeatability is crucial but accuracy is not. Composition control for the overhead product would be based on a measurement of the temperature on one of the trays in the rectifying section. A target would be provided for this temperature. However, at periodic intervals, a sample of the overhead product is analyzed in the laboratory and the information provided to the process operator. Should this analysis be outside acceptable limits, the operator would adjust the set point for the temperature. This procedure effectively compensates for an inaccurate temperature measurement however, the success of this approach requires good repeatability from the temperature measurement. 

Measurement of the hotness or coldness of a body or fluid is commonplace in the process industries. Temperature-measuring devices utilize systems with properties that vaiy with temperature in a simple, reproducible manner and thus can be cahbrated against known references (sometimes called secondaiy thermometers). The three dominant measurement devices used in automatic control are thermocouples, resistance thermometers, and pyrometers and are applicable over different temperature regimes. 

As normally used in the process industries, the sensitivity and percentage of span accuracy of these thermometers are generally the equal of those of other temperature-measuring instruments. Sensitivity and absolute accuracy are not the equal of those of short-span electrical instruments used in connection with resistance-thermometer bulbs. Also, the maximum temperature is somewhat limited. 

Because indirect-heat calciners frequently require close-fitting gas seals, it is customaiy to support aU parts on a selFcontained frame, for sizes up to approximately 2 m in diameter. The furnace can employ elec tric heating elements or oil and/or gas burners as the heat source for the process. The hardware would be zoned down the length of the furnace to match the heat requirements of the process. Process control is normaUy by shell temperature, measured by thermocouples or radiation pyrometers. When a special gas atmosphere must be maintained inside the cyhnder, positive rotaiy gas se s, with one or more pressurized and purged annular chambers, are employed. The diaphragm-type seal ABB Raymond (Bartlett-Snow TM) is suitable for pressures up to 5 cm of water, with no detectable leakage. 

Temperature Measurement shift. Measurement not representative of process. Indicator reading varies second to second. Ambient temperature change. Fast changing process temperature. Electrical power wires near thermocouple extension wires. Increase immersion length. Insulate surface. Use quick response or low thermal time constant device. Use shielded, twisted pair thermocouple extension wire, and/or install in conduit. 

The conductivity of solid dielectrics is roughly independent of temperature below about 20°C but increases according to an Arrhenius function at higher temperatures as processes with different activation energies dominate [ 133 ]. In the case of liquids, the conductivity continues to fall at temperatures less than 20°C and at low ambient temperatures the conductivity is only a fraction of the value measured in the laboratory (3-5.5). The conductivity of liquids can decrease by orders of magnitude if they solidify (5-2.5.5). 

Shear viscosities of the twin-screw blended materials were measured at 190°C and 290°C (Fig. 6), the same temperatures as the melt temperatures during processing 190°C for the composites and 290°C for the melt blends. 

The viscosity of a substance measures its resistance to flow. The melt viscosity of a polymer increases as the molecular weight of the polymer rises. Polymers with high melt viscosities require higher temperatures for processing. 

Intelligent transmitters have two major components (1) a sensor module which comprises the process connections and sensor assembly, and (2) a two-compartment electronics housing with a terminal block and an electronics module that contains signal conditioning circuits and a microprocessor. Figure 6.9 illustrates how the primary output signal is compensated for errors caused in pressure-sensor temperature. An internal sensor measures the temperature of the pressure sensor. This measurement is fed into the microprocessor where the primary measurement signal is appropriately corrected. This temperature measurement is also transmitted to receivers over the communications network. 

This paper describes work on equipment and instrumentation aimed at a computer-assisted lab-scale resin prep, facility. The approach has been to focus on hardware modules which could be developed and used incrementally on route to system integration. Thus, a primary split of process parameters was made into heat transfer and temperature control, and mass transfer and agitation. In the first of these the paper reports work on a range of temperature measurement, indicators and control units. On the mass transfer side most attention has been on liquid delivery systems with a little work on stirrer drives. Following a general analysis of different pump types the paper describes a programmable micro-computer multi-pump unit and gives results of its use. 

Principal component regression (PCR) is an extension of PCA with the purpose of creating a predictive model of the Y-data using the X or measurement data. For example, if X is composed of temperatures and pressures, Y may be the set of compositions that results from thermodynamic considerations. Piovoso and Kosanovich (1994) used PCR and a priori process knowledge to correlate routine pressure and temperature measurements with laboratory composition measurements to develop a predictive model of the volatile bottoms composition on a vacuum tower. 

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