Thermometers standard

In 1821, Sir Humphrey Davy discovered that as temperature changed, the resistance of metals changed as well. By 1887 H.L. Callendar completed studies showing that purified platinum wires exhibited sufficient stability and reproducibility for use as thermometer standards. Further studies brought the Comitd International des Poids et Measures in 1927 to accept the Standard Platinum Resistance Thermometer (SPRT) as a calibration tool for the newly adopted practical temperature scale. 

Mercury is extensively used in various pieces of scientific apparatus, such as thermometers, barometers, high vacuum pumps, mercury lamps, standard cells (for example the Weston cell), and so on. The metal is used as the cathode in the Kellner-Solvay cell (p. 130). 

Several forms of apparatus employing electrical heati iig wi 11 be described. A simple form may be readily constructed from a domestic electric iron of 400-500 watts rating. The handle is removed, and two holes of 8 mm. diameter are drilled through the base (ca. 11 mm. thick) so that they meet in the centre of the block. One hole is for a 360° thermometer (small bulb) the other hole is spare and can be used for comparison with a standard thermometer. The heater is mounted on a sheet of thick asbestos board which is fixed to an appropriate wooden base. The wires from the heating unit are connected to two insulated terminals fitted on the board (Fig. 11, 11, 1). The rate of heating is controlled by either of the following methods ... 

The density determination may be carried out at the temperature of the laboratory. The liquid should stand for at least one hour and a thermometer placed either in the liquid (if practicable) or in its immediate vicinity. It is usually better to conduct the measurement at a temperature of 20° or 25° throughout this volume a standard temperature of 20° will be adopted. To determine the density of a liquid at 20°, a clean, corked test-tube containing about 5 ml. of toe liquid is immersed for about three-quarters of its length in a water thermostat at 20° for about 2 hours. An empty test-tube and a shallow beaker (e.g., a Baco beaker) are also supported in the thermostat so that only the rims protrude above the surface of the water the pycnometer is supported by its capillary arms on the rim of the test-tube, and the small crucible is placed in the beaker, which is covered with a clock glass. When the liquid has acquired the temperature of the thermostat, the small crucible is removed, charged with the liquid, the pycnometer rapidly filled and adjusted to the mark. With practice, the whole operation can be completed in about half a minute. The error introduced if the temperature of the laboratory differs by as much as 10° from that of the thermostat does not exceed 1 mg. if the temperature of the laboratory is adjusted so that it does not differ by more than 1-2° from 20°, the error is negligible. The weight of the empty pycnometer and also filled with distilled (preferably conductivity) water at 20° should also be determined. The density of the liquid can then be computed. 

Another set of apparatus ( B) adopts the 5 19 joint as standard (apart from 7/12 for thermometers) but connexions to condensers, etc., incorporate internal glass seals. A typical assembly for distillation is depicted in Fig. XII,... 

The new international temperature scale, known as ITS-90, was adopted in September 1989. However, neither the definition of thermodynamic temperature nor the definition of the kelvin or the Celsius temperature scales has changed it is the way in which we are to realize these definitions that has changed. The changes concern the recommended thermometers to be used in different regions of the temperature scale and the list of secondary standard fixed points. The changes in temperature determined using ITS-90 from the previous IPTS-68 are always less than 0.4 K, and almost always less than 0.2 K, over the range 0-1300 K. 

When a thermometer which has been standardized for total immersion is used with a part of the liquid column at a temperature below that of the bulb, the reading is low and a correction must be applied. The stem correction, in degrees Celsius, is given by... 

Analytical and Test Methods. Measurement of the sohdification point using a highly sensitive thermometer and of APHA color by comparison of molten samples to APHA standards is straightforward. Specific impurities are measured by gas chromatography. A nonaqueous titration is used to determine phthahc acid content. 

The ITS-90 has its lowest point at 0.65 K and extends upward without specified limit. A number of values assigned to fixed points differ from those of the immediately previous scale, IPTS-68. In addition, the standard platinum resistance thermometer (SPRC) is specified as the interpolation standard from 13.8033 K to 961.78°C, and the interpolation standard above 961.78°C is a radiation thermometer based on Planck s radiation law. Between 0.65 and 13.8033 K interpolation of the scale rehes upon vapor pressure and constant-volume gas thermometry. The standard thermocouple, which in previous scales had a range between the upper end of the SPRT range and the lower end of the radiation thermometer range, has been deleted. 

Working-grade thermometers, conventionally called industrial resistance thermometers, are generally smaller than the SPRT element and may be as small as 2.5 mm in diameter and 10 mm in length. These are available in various 0°C resistances, eg, 100, 200, and 500 Q. They are available as unsheathed elements or in a wide variety of sheaths and enclosures, both standard and custom. They are relatively inexpensive. They are usually made to be interchangeable, without relying on iadividual cahbration, within limits of 0.25 K or closer upon special order. A typical tolerance statement for a precision-class industrial resistance thermometer is... 

Industrial resistance thermometers are also the subject of a number of national and international standards, which describe both cahbration constants and classes of accuracy and interchangeabihty. lEC pubhcation 751 was revised in 1976 to conform to ITS-90, and national standards will be revised to conform to this document. lEC 751 uses the fixed-poiat values of ITS-90 with the simpler algorithm of IPTS-48 ... 

Whereas it is no longer an iaterpolation standard of the scale, the thermoelectric principle is one of the most common ways to transduce temperature, although it is challenged ia some disciplines by small iadustrial platinum resistance thermometers (PRTs) and thermistors. Thermocouple junctions can be made very small and ia almost infinite variety, and for base metal thermocouples the component materials are very cheap. Properties of various types of working thermocouple are shown in Table 3 additional properties are given in Reference 5. 

The proof content is determined by the use of a standardized hydrometer with a standardized thermometer. The alcohol content can also be determined by the use of an immersion refractometer, a pycnometer, or a density meter. 

New catalogs for large induction motors ai e based on standard motors with Class B insulation of 80°C rise by resistance, 1.0 service factor. Previously, they were 60°C rise by thermometer, 1.15 service factor. 

The newest catalogs show standard induction motors designed with Class B insulation for operation in a 40 C ambient with 80°C rise by resistance at 100% load for motors with 100% service factor. Class F insulation, with the capability of operating up to a 105°C rise by resis taiice, is today frequently offered as standard for machines with a Class B rise, particularly the larger sizes. Many users specify this as a standard Previously, induction motor ratings were based on temperature rise thermometer. 

Resistance thermometers are made of a pure metal, such as platinum, nickel, or copper. The electrical resistance of such a material is almost linearly dependent on temperature. Resistance thermometers are stable, having a small drift. A widely used and the best-known resistance probe is the IW-100 probe, which is platinum, having a resistance of 100 ohms at the temperature of 0 °C. Other resistance values for PT probes are available. The resistance versus temperature values as well as tolerances for platinum probes are standardized. The shape and size of a resistance probe can vary considerably, resulting in changes in probe dynamics. 

Between the fixed points, temperatures on the ITS-90 are obtained by interpolation using standard instruments and assigned formulae. These standard instruments are the helium gas thermometer (3 K to 24.5 K), the platinum resistance thermometer (13.8 K to 1235 K), and the optical thermometer (above 1235 K). 

The so-called standard instrument is used for interpolation between the fixed points and for the calibration of other thermometers lower in the metrological hierarchy. The standard instrument in the moderate temperature range is a special platinum resistance probe, as it has to fulfill set requirements. It is important in all calibration that traceability to a primary normal, here the fixed-point ITS-90 scale, exists. 

ASTM El 137-97. Standard Specification for Industrial Platinum Resistance Thermometers. American Society for Testing and Materials, 1997. 

There are two types of devices subject to calibration those that are adjustable and those that are not. An adjustable device is one where the scale or the mechanism is capable of adjustment (e.g. micrometer, voltmeter, load cell). For non-adjustable devices a record of the errors observed against a known standard can be produced which can be taken into account when using the device (e.g. slip gage, plug gage, surface table, thermometer). 

This section deals with the procedure used by American Polymer Standards Corp. in the manufacture of GPC/SEC gels. The reaction is performed in a three-neck flask equipped with a reflux condenser, a mechanical stirrer, and a thermometer. First, prepare the water phase and then the organic phase. After mixing the organic phase into the water phase, stir at 300 to 400 rpm for 2 hr at 40°C. Heat to 70°C and continue mixing at 150 rpm for 10 hr. Cool to room temperature, (RT), dilute with water, and filter. Wash the gel with water, acetone, toluene, and again with acetone. Dry at 70°C for 12 hr, classify the gel, and package. 

Polymerizations were performed in a 1-L five-necked separable flask equipped with a thermometer, a reflux cooler, a VAc dropping funnel, an initiator dropping funnel, and a stirrer. In the standard recipe, the flask was first charged with 250 g of aqueous solution containing 25 g of PVA (the degree of polymerization was approximately 1700 and the degree of hydrolysis was 98.8%) and 5 g of water (in the case of the HPO-tartaric acid [TA] system, 5 g of aqueous solution con-... 

Besides readings of Earth s surface temperatures taken with standard glass thermometers, direct readings of atmospheric temperatures have been taken with satellites and weather balloons. In addition to direct measurements of Earth s recent temperatures, proxy measurements of temperatures from farther in the past can be derived from borehole temperature measurements, from historical and physical evidence regarding the e xtent and mass of land and sea ice, and from the bleaching of coral reefs. 

The temperature 0°C is readily obtained and maintained with an ice water bath. The temperature is one at which thermometers are calibrated this aids measurement. A temperature that is easy to maintain and easy to measure makes a good standard temperature. 

Any instrument which can be used for measuring temperatures is called a thermometer. Thermometers may be, and are, constructed which utilise any property of a body such as those mentioned above. To evade the difficulty of comparison of scales, they are usually all referred to a gas thermometer, with Centigrade scale as standard. The ice and steam-points on the latter are taken as 0° and 100° respectively. 

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