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THE BASICS OF THERMOCOUPLES

by Bob Perrin

Start ý A Tail of Two Metals ý Breaking the Loop ý Measuring Temperature ý Practical Matters ý Circuits ý Closing Time ý Sources and PDF

CLOSING TIME

In 1821, Thomas J. Seebeck discovered that if a junction of two dissimilar metals is heated, a voltage is produced. This voltage has since been dubbed the Seebeck voltage.

Thermocouples are found in everything from industrial furnaces to medical devices. At first glance, thermocouples may seem fraught with mystery. They are not. After all, how can a device thatýs built from two wires and has been around for 180 years be all that tough to figure out?

When designing with thermocouples, just keep these four concepts in mind and the project will go much smoother. First, thermocouples produce a voltage that is proportional to the difference in temperature between the hot junction and the reference junction.

Second, because thermocouples measure relative temperature differences, cold junction compensation is required if the system is to report absolute temperatures. Cold-junction compensation simply means knowing the absolute temperature of the cold junction and adjusting the reparted temperature value accordingly.

The third thing to remember is that thermocouples have a small Seebeck voltage coefficient, typically on the order of tens of microvolts per degree Celsius. And last, thermocouples are non-linear across their temperature range. Linearization, if needed, is best done in software.

Armed with these concepts, the circuits in this article, and a bit of time, you should have a good start on being able to design a thermocouple into your next project.

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