NAME OF THE EXPERIMENT:

CALIBRATION OF THERMOCOUPLES (J, K, and T TYPE) USING RESISTANCE

TEMPERATURE DETECTOR OR PT-100.

🔹Objectives: To calibrate the given thermocouples using resistance temperature

detector.

🔹Apparatus: Thermocouples of different type, Resistance Temperature Detector

(RTD), Digital temperature indicator, Water baths with provision to heat the water.

🔹Theory:
(A) Thermocouple: The temperature is measured by using a thermocouple.
When two different types of metal wires are joined at both ends, they form two
junctions. One which senses the desired unknown temperature is called the hot or
measuring junction, and the other junction maintained at a known fixed
temperature is called the cold or reference junction. By knowing the temperature
of one junction, the temperature of another junction may be easily calculated by
using the thermo elastic properties of the material. The thermo elastic effects of
the material are:
1. Seebeck effect: When two dissimilar metals are joined together, an
electromotive force (emf) will exist between the two junctions, which is
the primary function of the junction temperature. This phenomenon is
called the “Seebeck effect”.
2. Peltier effect: If two metals are connected to an external circuit in such a
way that a current is drawn, the emf may be altered slightly owing to the
phenomenon called the “Peltier effect”.
3. Thomson effect: Further, if a temperature gradient exists along either of
both the metals. The junction emf may undergo an additional slight
alteration. This is called the “Thomson effect”.
Hence, there are three emfs present in a thermoelectric circuit: (i) Seebeck emf
caused by dissimilar metals junction (ii) Peltier emf caused by the current flow in
the circuit, and (iii) Thomson emf, resulting from a temperature gradient in the
metals. Some of the materials are listed in the following table:

Sr. Type Metal Temperature Range

No. (°C)

1 J Iron - Constantan* [40% Ni, 60% Cu] -40 to +750

2 K Chromel [90% Cr, 10% Ni] -200 to +1350

Alumel [95% Ni, 2% Al, 2% Mn, 1% Si]

3 T Copper - Constantan -200 to +350

4 E Chromel - Constantan -200 to +850

5 S Platinum - Rhodium 0 to +1400

6 R Rhodium - Iridium 0 to +2100

*Constantan is a copper-nickel alloy

Type J (iron–constantan) has a more restricted range (−40 °C to +750 °C) than
type K but higher sensitivity of about 50 µV/°C. The Curie point of the iron (770
°C) causes a smooth change in the characteristic, which determines the upper
temperature limit.
Type K (chromel–alumel) is the most common general-purpose thermocouple
with a sensitivity of approximately 41 µV/°C. It is inexpensive, and a wide variety
of probes are available in its −200 °C to +1350 °C (−330 °F to +2460 °F) range.
Type K was specified at a time when metallurgy was less advanced than it is
today, and consequently, characteristics may vary considerably between samples.
One of the constituent metals, nickel, is magnetic; a characteristic of
thermocouples made with magnetic material is that they undergo a deviation in
output when the material reaches its Curie point, which occurs for type K
thermocouples at around 185 °C.
Type T (copper–constantan) thermocouples are suitable for temperature
measurements ranging from −200 to 350 °C. Since both conductors are
non-magnetic, there is no Curie point and thus no abrupt change in characteristics.
Type-T thermocouples have a sensitivity of about 43 µV/°C. Note that copper has
a much higher thermal conductivity than the alloys generally used in
thermocouple construction and so it is necessary to exercise extra care when
thermally anchoring type-T thermocouples.

(B) Resistance Temperature Detector (RTD) or PT-100: One of the most

accurate methods of temperature measurement is the electrical resistance
thermometer. It consists of some type of resistance element, which is exposed to
the temperature to be measured. The resistance of an element depends on the
temperature. The temperature is indicated through a measurement of the change in
resistance of the element. Usually, platinum, nickel, and copper are the most
commonly used materials. Although other materials like tungsten, silver, and iron
can also be used. One of the most commonly used RTDs is the PT-100, where PT
denotes that the sensor is made of Platinum (Pt) and 100 denotes that the sensor
has a resistance of 100 ohms (at 0°C).
🔹Experimental setup:

Fig. 1: Left: Photograph of the thermocouples showing probe (stainless steel sheath) and
connection wire. Right: The Digital Temperature Indicator (DTI).

Fig. 2: Photograph of the experimental setup. Right: Digital Temperature Indicator.

Left: Water bath with provision of water heater.
🔹Experimental Measurements (Data table):
Use the following table to note down experimental observations for all three types
of thermocouple provided.

Sr. Temperature Error %Error

No. Readings (°C) (Ta-Tm) (Ta-Tm)/Ta]x100

RTD Thermocouple
Temp. (Ta) Temp. (Tm)

..

🔹Procedure:
i) The experimental setup consists of one Digital Temperature Indicator (DTI) as
shown in Figure 1 (Right), two sets of water baths with provision of a water
heating coil, one Resistance Temperature Detector (RTD) coupled with white
coloured wire, Three types of thermocouples, J-type (red coloured cable), K-type
(yellow coloured cable), and T-Type (blue coloured cable).
ii) Turn the type selector on DTI to the desired position according to the type of
thermocouple you wish to calibrate (J-type or K-type or T-type).
iii) Connect the RTD connector and the given thermocouple to the DTI (please follow
the labeled connection points on the DTI).
iv) To start the calibration procedure, first place the RTD and Thermocouple probes
in a cold or room temperature water bath and power on the DTI. As the given
thermocouple is not calibrated, one may notice the difference in the temperature
 reading (seen on a digital meter) for both the thermocouple and the RTD. Try to
match the temperature reading of the given thermocouple to the RTD temperature
using the ZERO(min.) knob on the DTI.
v) Now, take out both the thermocouple and RTD probes from the cold water and put
them in another water bath with a heating coil. Turn on the water heater's power
supply and heat the water to around 100 °C (monitor with an RTD digital meter at
right). Once it reaches 100 °C, turn off the water heater, and try to match the
thermocouple temperature reading with the RTD using the CAL (max.) knob.
vi) Repeat the above steps (iv & v) two more times. Now the given thermocouple is
calibrated. In the next steps, we have to check how well the calibration is done.
vii) Begin heating the water and take readings every 5 °C until it reaches 100 °C. Note
Down the RTD temperature (Ta) and thermocouple temperature (Tm) in the data
table. Determine the error (Ta-Tm) as well as the percentage error [(Ta-Tm)/Ta] x
100. Plot the graph for Ta vs Tm for all three types of thermocouples and obtain
the calibration factor by using linear regression.
viii) The graphs for all three thermocouples may appear the same. The difference
can be seen above temperatures of 100 °C.

🔹Result: The given thermocouples are calibrated and the measurements are given in the
data table. The calibration factors for the different thermocouples obtained from the graph
using linear regression are:
(i) J- type = ----- (ii) K-type = ----- and (iii) T- type = ------.

🔹Precautions: The water bath with the heater gets really hot; do not touch it with your
bare hand.

🔹References: Some of the text in this manual is taken from the user manual provided
by Contech Micro Systems (the supplier of this instrument) and also from Wikipedia.

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