Thermal Resistance Gauges

The sensing filament in the gauge head forms a branch of a Wheatstone bridge. In the TFIERMOTRON thermal conductivity gauges with variable resistance which were commonly used in the past, the sensing filament was heated with a constant current. As gas pressure increases, the temperature of the filament decreases because of the greater thermal... 

A thermal conductivity gauge uses a constant electric current to heat an element whose temperature is a linear function of gas pressure over a limited range. The temperature is typically measured with a thermocouple. In the popular Pirani gauge, a single metal filament is substituted for a thermocouple, and filament resistance is monitored [19]. The range of pressures detected by thermal conductivity gauges is — lO -lO 4 torr, which makes them useful for... 

Sandwich Type. When heat is conducted through a thin slab of material (a thermal resistance), there is a temperature drop across the material. A measurement of the temperature difference across the slab can be used as a direct indication of the heat flux [111]. A schematic of a sandwich-type gauge is shown in Fig. 16.33. The steady one-dimensional heat flux through the material is related to the temperature difference AT by... 

These measure the change in thermal conductivity of a gas due to variations in pressure—usually in the range 0.75 torr (100 N/m2) to 7.5 x 10"4 torr (0.1 N/m2). At low pressures the relation between pressure and thermal conductivity of a gas is linear and can be predicted from the kinetic theory of gases. A coiled wire filament is heated by a current and forms one arm of a Wheatstone bridge network (Fig. 6.21). Any increase in vacuum will reduce the conduction of heat away from the filament and thus the temperature of the filament will rise so altering its electrical resistance. Temperature variations in the filament are monitored by means of a thermocouple placed at the centre of the coil. A similar filament which is maintained at standard conditions is inserted in another arm of the bridge as a reference. This type of sensor is often termed a Pirani gauge. 

Pirani gauge An instrument used to measure low pressures (1-10 torr 100-0.01 Pa). It consists of an electrically heated filament, which is exposed to the gas whose pressure is to be measured. The extent to which heat is conducted away from the filament depends on the gas pressure, which thus controls its equUibrium temperature. Since the resistance of the filament is dependent on its temperature, the pressure is related to the resistance of the filament. The filament is arranged to be part of a Wheatstone bridge circuit and the pressure is read from a microammeter calibrated in pressure units. As the effect depends on the thermal conductivity of the gas, the calibration has to be made each time the pressure of a different gas is measured. 

Ablefill UF 8802B/ Ablestik Labs. Moisture-resistant cyanate ester (silica filled, no pigment) 1 Ceramics, silicon Dispense (22-25 gauge needle), capillary underfill Flip-chip requiring improved thermal-cycling performance absence of pigmentation eliminates frequency interference. 

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