Friday, March 28, 2014

Get A Quality Type K Thermocouple

By Jaclyn Hurley


How does one measure temperatures that are too hot for humans to be near? A traditional thermometer would be used for temperatures of around 200 degrees Fahrenheit and would destroy them if exposed to anything higher. Electronic thermometers can handle heat inside a computer but not a furnace at over 2000 degrees. The only option would be to use a type K thermocouple.

Thermocouples are used in many industries, such as Power generation, oil and gas and even in everyday appliances such as stoves and toasters. No matter what industry it is a thermocouple will be used. Thermocouples are a sensor comprising of two legs made of different wire. One end of these wires are connected together to form a junction were the temperatures is measured from.

By referencing the change in voltage produced by these wires the temperature can be determined. There are factors that can affect the performance of these wires, such as diameter the environment it will be put in and also if it needs to be shielded from corrosive elements. Shielding will need to be taken into account when measuring the changes in voltage as the conductors are not exposed directly to the elements. Luckily the monitoring device can compensate for this.

Common uses for these devices are found in almost any industry. Scientific research, gas and oil producers and even a simple oven in the home use these devices. They are even used in the nuclear applications were humans can't go at all. From industrial use such as furnaces to a simple hand held device with a probe. The use of these devices will always be needed to monitor and measure temperatures.

Some couples are designed to only be used in dry environments and thus any moisture can render the accuracy of the devices useless. There are limitations on the accuracy of the measurement as it gets closer to values of less than one degree Celsius. Thus it is difficult to measure accurately at these values. More sensitive monitoring devices would be required below this value.

The voltage is produced when heat or cold is applied to a thermo conducting metal. This conductor is subjected to a thermal gradient which then produces a voltage. By adding a second thermal metal on the same end with a varying degree of thermal gradient the difference between these two voltages can be detected and calculated.

These metals have predictable and repeatable values between temperature and voltage. Thus means that for different environments the correct type of conductor can be determined. These couples can age over time when exposed to extremely harsh environments. Due to them being cheaply produced they can easily be replace at little cost to the user.

Thermocouples have made a large impact on the steel production industry. By adding various metals into a mixture at varying temperatures new alloys can be created. The only way to check if the correct temperature has been reached before adding the next metal is through the use of these couples. The thermocouple itself will be the most likely one to be used for this application.




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