Experiment 6: Temperature Measurement by Electrical Effects

Experiment

Temperature
Measurement by
Electrical Effects

Objectives:
In this experiment you will learn how to:
Measure and calculate the unknown tempearature
by balancing the bridge.
Balancing the bridge by varying the given
resistance
Make basic calculation using Laview Virtual
Instrument.

Experiment 6: Temperature Measurement by Electrical Effects

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7

Objective
References
Theoretical Background
Pre Lab Assignment
System Hardware/Software Configuration
In-Lab Experimental Procedure
Outcomes
Appendix A: Pre-Lab Report
Appendix B: In-Lab Report

Experiment 6: Temperature Measurement by Electrical Effects

1.1 Objective
This experiment aims to measure the unknown temperature by balancing the electrical
bridge using Labview Virtual Instrument. This experiment will introduce the Labview
graphical software and basic software manipulation will be tested.

1.2 References
[1]. Ramon Pallas-Areny and John G. Webster, Sensors and Signal Conditioning, John
Wiley, New York, 1991.
[2]. Dan Sheingold, Editor, Transducer Interfacing Handbook, Analog Devices, Inc.,
1980.
[3]. Walt Kester, Editor, 1992 Amplifier Applications Guide, Section 2, 3,Analog
Devices, Inc., 1992.
[4]. Walt Kester, Editor, System Applications Guide, Section 1, 6, Analog Devices, Inc.,
1993.
[5]. Labview Basics I: Introduction Course Manual

1.3 Theoretical Background

Resistive elements are some of the most common sensors. They are inexpensive to
manufacture and relatively easy to interface with signal conditioning circuits. Resistive
elements can be made sensitive to temperature, strain (by pressure or by flex), and light.
Using these basic elements, many complex physical phenomena can be measured; such
as fluid or mass flow (by sensing the temperature difference between two calibrated
resistances) and dew-point humidity (by measuring two different temperature points), etc.
Sensor elements' resistances can range from less than 100W to several hundred kW,
depending on the sensor design and the physical environment to be measured. For
example, RTDs (Resistance Temperature Devices) are typically 100W or 1000W.
Thermistors are typically 3500W or higher.
1.3.1.

1.3.2.

Resistance of Popular Sensors

Strain Gages 120W, 350W, 3500W

Weigh-Scale Load Cells 350W - 3500W
Pressure Sensors 350W - 3500W
Relative Humidity 100kW - 10MW
Resistance Temperature Devices (RTDs) 100W , 1000W
Thermistors 100W - 10MW

Bridge Circuits

Resistive sensors such as RTDs and strain gages produce small percentage changes in
resistance in response to a change in a physical variable such as temperature or force.
Platinum RTDs have a temperature coefficient of about 0.385%/C. Thus, in order to
accurately resolve temperature to 1C, the measurement accuracy must be much better

Experiment 6: Temperature Measurement by Electrical Effects

than 0.385W for a 100W RTD. Strain gages present a significant measurement challenge
because the typical change in resistance over the entire operating range of a strain gage
may be less than 1% of the nominal resistance value. Accurately measuring small
resistance changes is therefore critical when applying resistive sensors.
One technique for measuring resistance is to force a constant current through the
resistive sensor and measure the voltage output. This requires both an accurate current
source and an accurate means of measuring the voltage. Any change in the current will
be interpreted as a resistance change. In addition, the power dissipation in the resistive
sensor must be small, in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations, so that
self-heating does not produce errors, therefore the drive current must be small.
Bridges offer an attractive alternative for measuring small resistance changes
accurately. The basic Wheatstone bridge (actually developed by S. H. Christie in 1833)
is shown in Figure 6.1. It consists of four resistors connected to form a quadrilateral, a
source of excitation (voltage or current) connected across one of the diagonals, and a
voltage detector connected across the other diagonal. The detector measures the
difference between the outputs of two voltage dividers connected across the excitation.

Fig.6.1 The Wheatstone Bridge

In the Wheatstone Bridge, usually it considers any of the bridge resistive element as
input and any other as the variable to balance the bridge. The basic temperature circuit
is shown in fig.6.2.
A bridge measures resistance indirectly by comparison with a similar resistance.
The two principle ways of operating a bridge are as a null detector or as a device that
reads a difference directly as voltage. When R1/R4 = R2/R3, the resistance bridge is at
a null, irrespective of the mode of excitation (current or voltage, AC or DC), the
magnitude of excitation, the mode of readout (current or voltage), or the impedance of
the detector. Therefore, if the ratio of R2/R3 is fixed at K, a null is achieved when R1
= KR4. If R1 is unknown and R4 is an accurately determined variable resistance, the
magnitude of R1 can be found by adjusting R4 until null is achieved. Conversely, in

Experiment 6: Temperature Measurement by Electrical Effects

sensor-type measurements, R4 may be a fixed reference, and a null occurs when the
magnitude of the external variable (strain, temperature, etc.) is such that R1 = KR4.
Null measurements are principally used in feedback systems involving
electromechanical and/or human elements. Such systems seek to force the
activeelement (strain gage, RTD, thermistor, etc.) to balance the bridge by influencing
the parameter being measured. For the majority of sensor applications employing
bridges, however, the deviation of one or more resistors in a bridge from an initial value
is measured as an indication of the magnitude (or a change) in the measured variable.
In this case, the output voltage change is an indication of the resistance change. Because
very small resistance changes are common, the output voltage change may be as small
as tens of millivolts, even with VB = 10V (a typical excitation voltage for a load cell
application).
In many bridge applications, there may be two, or even four elements which vary.
Figure 6.3 shows the four commonly used bridges suitable for sensor applications and
the corresponding equations which relate the bridge output voltage to the excitation
voltage and the bridge resistance values. In this case, we assume a constant voltage
drive, VB. Note that since the bridge output is directly proportional to VB, the
measurement accuracy can be no better than that of the accuracy of the excitation
voltage.

Experiment 6: Temperature Measurement by Electrical Effects

In each case, the value of the fixed bridge resistor, R, is chosen to be equal to the
nominal value of the variable resistor(s). The deviation of the variable resistor(s)
about the nominal value is proportional to the quantity being measured, such as strain
(in the case of a strain gage) or temperature ( in the case of an RTD). The sensitivity
of a bridge is the ratio of the maximum expected change in the output voltage to the
excitation voltage. For instance, if VB = 10V, and the full scale bridge output is
10mV, then the sensitivity is 1mV/V. The single-element varying bridge is most
suited for temperature sensing using RTDs or thermistors. This configuration is also
used with a single resistive strain gage. All the resistances are nominally equal, but
one of them (the sensor) is variable by an amount DR. As the equation indicates, the
relationship between the bridge output and DR is not linear. For example, if R = 100W
and DR = 0.1W (0.1%change in resistance), the output of the bridge is 2.49875mV
for VB = 10V. The error is 2.50000mV 2.49875mV, or 0.00125mV. Converting
this to a % of fullscale by dividing by 2.5mV yields an end-point linearity error in
percent of approximately 0.05%. (Bridge end-point linearity error is calculated as the
worst error in % FS from a straight line which connects the origin and the end point
at FS, i.e. the FS gain error is not included). If DR = 1W, (1% change in resistance),
the output of the bridge is 24.8756mV, representing an end-point linearity error of
approximately 0.5%. The end-point linearity error of the single-element bridge can
be expressed in equation form:
Single-Element Varying
Bridge End-Point Linearity Error % Change in Resistance 2
It should be noted that the above nonlinearity refers to the nonlinearity of the
bridge itself and not the sensor. In practice, most sensors exhibit a certain amount of
their own nonlinearity which must be accounted for in the final measurement. In some
applications, the bridge nonlinearity may be acceptable, but there are various methods
available to linearize bridges. Since there is a fixed relationship between the bridge
resistance change and its output (shown in the equations), software can be used to
remove the linearity error in digital systems. Circuit techniques can also be used to
linearize the bridge output directly, and these will be discussed shortly.
There are two possibilities to consider in the case of the two-element varying
bridge. In the first, Case (1), both elements change in the same direction, such as two
identical strain gages mounted adjacent to each other with their axes in parallel. The
nonlinearity is the same as that of the single-element varying bridge, however the gain
is twice that of the single-element varying bridge. The two-element varying bridge is
commonly found in pressure sensors and flow meter systems.
A second configuration of the two-element varying bridge, Case (2), requires
two identical elements that vary in opposite directions. This could correspond to two
identical strain gages: one mounted on top of a flexing surface, and one on the bottom.
Note that this configuration is linear, and like two-element Case (1), has twice the
gain of the single-element configuration. Another way to view this configuration is
to consider the terms R+DR and RDR as comprising the two sections of a centertapped potentiometer. The all-element varying bridge produces the most signal for a
given resistance change and is inherently linear. It is an industry-standard
configuration for load cells which are constructed from four identical strain gages.
Bridges may also be driven from constant current sources. Current drive, although
not as popular as voltage drive, has an advantage when the bridge is located remotely

Experiment 6: Temperature Measurement by Electrical Effects

from the source of excitation because the wiring resistance does not introduce errors
in the measurement. Note also that with constant current excitation, all configurations
are linear with the exception of the single-element varying case.

1.3.3.

Labview Software

LabVIEW programs are called virtual instruments, or VIs, because their appearance
and operation imitate physical instruments, such as oscilloscopes and multi-meters.
LabVIEW contains a comprehensive set of tools for acquiring, analyzing, displaying, and
storing data, as well as tools to help you troubleshoot your code.
LabVIEW VIs contain three componentsthe front panel, the block diagram, and the
icon and connector pane. In LabVIEW, you build a user interface, or front panel, with
controls and indicators. Controls are knobs, push buttons, dials, and other input devices.
Indicators are graphs, LEDs, and other displays. After you build the user interface, you

Experiment 6: Temperature Measurement by Electrical Effects

add code using VIs and structures to control the front panel objects. The block diagram
contains this code. In some ways, the block diagram resembles a flowchart.
Use LabVIEW to communicate with hardware such as data acquisition, vision, and
motion control devices. Using LabVIEW, you can create test and measurement, data
acquisitions, instrument control, data-logging, measurement analysis, and report
generation applications.
You build the front panel with controls and indicators, which are the interactive input
and output terminals of the VI, respectively. Controls are knobs, push buttons, dials, and
other input devices. Indicators are graphs, LEDs, and other displays. Controls simulate
instrument input devices and supply data to the block diagram of the VI. Indicators
simulate instrument output devices and display data the block diagram acquires or
generates. Controls and indicators have a data type. The data type can be Numeric,
Boolean, String etc. like in the case of any other programming language.

1.4 Pre Lab Assignment

Q1: What is meant by amplification?
Q2: What is meant by linearity and precision?
Q3: What is meant by offset error and gain error?
Q4: What are the different ways to measure ( List any three)?
Q5: Discuss the three wire measurement of temperature?
Q6: Define ratio metric technique.

1.5 System Hardware/Software Configuration

Make sure all the VIs listed below are placed in the same folder and run the VI called
Temperature Meaasurement.vi

1.6 In-Lab Experimental Procedure

1. Open Labview
2. Open the VI named temperaturemeasuremnt.vi by selecting to browse for a
file in the open module. You will see the Front Panel part of the Virtual
Instrument. This is the user interface.
3. Go to the first Tab named front panel as shown in the figure below.

Experiment 6: Temperature Measurement by Electrical Effects

4. Press CTRL + E in order to view the Block Diagram of this virtual

instrument. The block diagram is the area where we write our program
graphically in Labview. Make sure you have tempearturemeasuremt.vi
written on top. Familiarize yourself with the blocks used to make the
temperature measurement. Compare the block with the equation needed to
perform the explained in the theoretical background. If you press the question
mark at the top right corner (Context help) and move the mouse to any block,
it will give you an explanation on how the block will work.

Experiment 6: Temperature Measurement by Electrical Effects

5.

6.

7.

Experiment 6: Temperature Measurement by Electrical Effects

8.

9.

10.

Experiment 6: Temperature Measurement by Electrical Effects

11.

12.

1.7 Outcomes
By the end of this Experiment, students:
Understand the sensing of temperature and conversion in to analog scale
Understand the ways of balancing the bridge
Capable of doing other temperature measurement methods.

Experiment 6: Temperature Measurement by Electrical Effects

Appendix A
Experiment 6

Temperature Measurement
By Electrical Effects
Pre-Lab Report

Question 1:
Q1: What is meant by amplification?

Question 2:
Q2: What is meant by linearity and precision?

Question 3:
Q3: What is meant by offset error and gain error?

Question 4:
Q4: What are the different ways to measure ( List any three)?

Question 5:
Q5: Discuss the three wire measurement of temperature?

Experiment 6: Temperature Measurement by Electrical Effects

Question 6:
Q6: Define ratio metric technique.

Experiment 6: Temperature Measurement by Electrical Effects

Appendix B
Experiment 6

Temperature Measurement
By Electrical Effects
In-Lab Report

Q1: For a input temperature of 30 degrees what will be the resistance need to change in the
dial
Value
R1
R2
R3
R4

Q2: Fill the table as per instruction.

R1

R2

7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

4
10
101
100
011
010
001
000

R3

Input
Temperture

Dail
Reading

Q3: Repeat the experiment for three leads arrangement and upload in Taxila

Q4: Repeat the experiment for four lead arrangement and upload in Taxila.

Experiment 6: Temperature Measurement by Electrical Effects

Step 3: Write down the required values and comments for Q3 in the space below.

Step 4: Write down the required values and comments for Q 4 in the space below.

Step 5: Write down the required values and comments for step Q1 in the space below.

Conclusions and Observations.

Note : The demo of this video link is available in taxila under the Lab tab.