Temperature Measurements and Dynamic

Response
EME 109

JESSE BARNETT

OCTOBER 22, 2017

LAB SECTION: TUESDAY 2:10-3:30

TA: SARAH SHAFFER

ABSTRACT
The purpose of the experiment is to understand the time response of a sensor, to determine the
frequency response of an instrument, to understand what a thermocouple, thermistor, RTD and
thermometer are, to understand what a scale factor is, and understand how to calibrate
temperature date. In part 1, the calibration curves are found for the thermistor and RTD and the
thermocouple voltage is translated to temperature using the ITS-90 Table. In part 2, the time
constant was found for the thermometer and is 6.00 (s), and the time constant for the
thermocouple is 3.45 (s). Bode plots, both magnitude and phase, where generated for the
thermocouple and thermometer. The cutoff frequency for the thermometer is 0.15Hz, and the
cutoff frequency for the thermocouple is 0.3 Hz.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EXPERIMENT
Understanding the time response of sensors is crucial to selecting the proper sensor for a given
application. This transient response, is characterized by the time constant (). physically
represents the time for a system to rise from zero to 63.2 % of its final steady state value. is
also known as the lag coefficient. It is beneficial for engineers to understand that sensors have
a delay, lag time, for a sensors response to inputs.

OBJECTIVE
This labs objective is to understand the time response of four different temperature sensors,
thermocouple, thermistor, resistive temperature detector (RTD), and Thermometer, and how the
time response is used to find the frequency response of the sensors. The final objective is to
understand what a scale factor is and how to calibrate the sensors data.

Thermocouples work by converting temperature differences at an electric junction of two

different metals into electric voltage. This is known as the Pletier-Seebeck effect. By measuring
the voltage across the two junctions, this voltage difference can be related to the temperature.
The thermocouple used is a K-type and is made of nickel-chromium and Nickel-Aluminum.
They have a working temperature range of -270 to 1260 C. Thermocouples are cheap and do
not require a power supply to generate the voltage drop between the dissimilar metals; however,
their drawback is a limited accuracy of a degree or two.

Thermal resistive detectors (RTD) are constructed of wire, platinum, copper, or nickel, wrapped
around a core of ceramic or glass. RTDs can also be made from a metal film where the film has
a resistive pattern cut into it. As a RTD is subjected to temperature, the resistance of the coil of
wire changes and this change in resistance is a voltage drop across a Wheatstone Bridge. RTDs
are fragile and thus are protected by placing the sensor in a protective sleeve. A RTD is more
sensitive than a thermocouple and is often preferred in industry because of their higher
resolution. However, most RTDs cannot operate above 600 C. Finally, RTDs are not passive
devices and require a power source to operate.

Thermistors are resistors which change their resistance depending on their temperature. They are
made of a ceramic or polymer. A thermistor is smore sensitive to thermal change, compared to a
thermocouple and RTD, and results in a more sensitive temperature measuring device. However,
thermistors are limited by a narrower temperature range when compared to a RTD or
thermocouple.

The expansion and contraction of a fluid due to a change of that fluids temperature, is how a
thermometer works. As the volume of a fluid changes, a scale is created to map the change in
volume to a specific temperature. Thermometers are cheap but are very slow to react to
temperature change.

Each of the four devices, thermocouple, thermistor, RTD, and thermometer, have different
relationships between the input (temperature) and output (voltage or volume). This relationship
is known as a scale factor. To calibrate any of these temperature devices, this scale factor must
be found. By collecting data point of temperature and voltage, the thermocouple can be
calibrated using a corresponding table. For the RTD and thermistor, collecting data points of
temperature and resistance, and curve fitting the data, a calibration curve can be created.

EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
part 1 Temperature Devices and Calibration
The thermocouple and RTD voltage and resistance are translated into temperature.
Begin with the thermistor. First measure the temperature of ice using a thermometer and the
corresponding resistance of the thermistor with an ohm meter. Using a hot plate, heat water in a
beaker. For every increase of ten degrees in water temperature, record the thermistor resistance.
Do this until the water boils.
Next, repeat the same process for the thermocouple but instead record temperature and voltage,
instead of temperature and resistance.
Part 2 Time Response of Temperature Measurement Devices
For part 2 find the time constant for the thermocouple and thermometer.


= (1)

=
=
0 =

is found by subjecting the sensor to a step input. There are two step inputs that will be used, air
and water. For this experiment for the thermometer and thermocouple are desired. To find ,
first take the sensor from room temperature air and put it in boiling water and record how long it
takes the sensor to reach zero degrees C. Then take the sensor from room temperature to ice
water and record the time. This time, is 5 (see equation 2 where Tr will be 99.3% of T after
5).
= 5 = 0 + ( 0 )(1 5 ) (2)

OBSERVATIONS
For part 1, the water boiled at 97 degrees instead of 100. Also, the ice temperature, measured
with the thermometer, read -2 degrees. We expected the boiling water to reach a temperature of
100 degrees and the ice water to reach 0 degrees. These readings probably happened because the
alcohol in the thermometer has started to separate.

When collecting data for the thermocouple, the voltage data collected in lab did not line up with
the voltage data from the ITS-90 table. The voltmeter most likely creates this gain when measure
the thermocouple voltage.
RAW DATA FROM THE EXPERIMENT

Table 1.1 Thermistor

Resistance
Temp C
(K*ohms)
-2 9.72
26 2.73
30 2.207
40 1.5
50 1.005
60 0.683
70 0.482
80 0.346
90 0.249
95 0.215
97 0.203
Thermistor temperature and resistance data recorded from part 1.

Table 1.2 Thermocouple

Temp C Volts (mV)
-1 -1.2
8 -0.8
15 -0.5
35 0.3
40 0.5
50 0.9
60 1.3
70 1.8
85 2.3
90 2.5
99 2.9
Thermocouple temperature and voltage recorded from part 1.
 Table 1.3 RTD
Resistance
Temp C (k*ohms)
-1 110
23 113.4
32 128
35 131
40 132
45 134
59 138.5
60 139
66 140
75 141
80 142.3
85 142
90 145
95 147.6
100 145
RTD temperature and resistance recorded from part 1.

DATA REDUCTION

Thermistor Resistive Temperature Curve

12
y = 7.4383e-0.038x
10 R = 0.9942
Resistance k

0
-20 0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Temperature C

Calibration curve for the thermistor.

 K-Type Thermocouple
3.5
3
y = 0.0407x - 1.1283
R = 0.9995
2.5
2
Volts (mV)

1.5
1
0.5
0
-20 -0.5 0 20 40 60 80 100 120

-1
-1.5
Temperature C

Calibration curve for the K-type thermocouple. Note the negative voltage readings from the gain in voltmeter.

Thermocouple Temp
Table 1.4 conversion
Volts (mV) Temp C
-1.2
-0.8
-0.5
0.3 8
0.5 13
0.9 23
1.3 33
1.8 45
2.3 57
2.5 62
2.9 71

Thermocouple conversion (ITS-90 Table) from mV to temperature in degrees (C). Note that the temperature values
have been shifted from the voltmeter gain.
 RTD
160
140
120
Resistance

100
80
y = 0.353x + 114.45
60
R = 0.88
40
20
0
-20 0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Temperature C

Calibration curve for the RTD

Time response for thermocouple in air to boiling water.

 Room Temp Water to Ice Water
30

Temperature C 25 Instrument Reading

20

15

10

0
0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00 40.00 50.00 60.00 70.00
Time (s)
Time response for thermocouple in water to ice water.

30
Room Temp Air to Ice Water

25 Instrument Reading

20
Temperature (C)

15

10

0
0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00 40.00 50.00 60.00
-5
Time (s)

Time response for thermocouple in air to ice water.

ANALYSIS
The for the thermometer and thermocouple was found as outlined in part 2 of the experimental
setup and are summarized in Table 2.1.

Table 2.1 time (s) tau

Thermometer room temp air to boiling water 30 6.00
Thermometer room temp water to boiling water 46 9.2
Thermocouple room temp air to ice water 17.25 3.45
Thermocouple room temp water to ice water 12.7 2.54
The time constants for the thermometer and thermocouple are not the same. The
thermometer has a large time constant than the thermocouple. This means the
thermocouple responds to temperature change faster than the thermometer.

For the thermocouple, moving from air to water versus moving from water to water,
results in a different time constant. This makes sense. Air and water have different
convective heat transfer coefficients. Waters heat transfer coefficient is much larger
than airs, thus the thermocouples rate of cooling in water is larger than its rate of
cooling in air.

Bode Plot for Thermometer

1
() =
1 + 6

The cutoff frequency for the thermometer is at -3dB. This is approximately 0.15Hz. after this
cutoff frequency, the thermometer cannot respond quickly enough to provide reliable data.
 Bode Plot for Thermocouple
1
() =
1 + 3.45

The cutoff frequency for the thermocouple is at -3dB. This is approximately 0.3Hz. after this
cutoff frequency, the thermocouple cannot respond quickly enough to provide reliable data.

DISCUSSION
The time response for a sensor is important. It gives the user an understanding of how quickly
the sensor can react to changing temperature. The frequency response quantifies how quickly the
sensor can react to changing temperature. For the thermometer, the frequency response is 0.15
Hz and for the thermocouple the frequency response is 0.3 Hz. Both responses are slow and
would not be suitable for an application where the temperature is varying quickly.
1. Are the time constants the same? Why or why not?
The time constants for the thermometer and thermocouple are not the same. This makes
sense because they are different sensors that work off different physical principals. The
thermometer measures temperature change based on a fluid expanding whereas the
 thermocouple measures a potential difference between two dissimilar metals generated by
the Pletier-Seebeck effect.
2. Why does the time constant differ in a different medium?
The time constant depends on the convective heat transfer coefficient (h) between the
sensor and the fluid it is immersed in.

= (3)

In this lab, there were two different fluids the sensors were immersed in, air and water.
Water has a larger convective heat transfer coefficient than air. Therefore, the rate of heat
transfer between the sensor and water will be greater than the rate of heat transfer
between sensor and air. That is why the time constant is smaller for the thermocouple
when it is submersed in water (see equation 3 large h => small ).
Intermediate medium change can also influence the accuracy of the experiment. When
the sensor is wet and exposed to air, evaporative cooling can increase the rate of cooling
thus effecting the time constant. To mitigate the effects of evaporative cooling, a plastic
cover can be used.
3. Why is the time constant of a sensor important and when would you choose a slow device
over a fast one?
If an engineer is trying to use a sensor to regulate the temperature in a room, he or she
needs to know how quick the room changes temperature. If the room is heated with a
furnace the temperature will change gradually and a sensor with a large time constant is
acceptable. However, if an engineer needs to monitor the temperature of a IC chip, which
can change temperature rapidly, a sensor with a small time constant is need to ensure the
chip does not overheat.

CONCLUSION
The purpose of the experiment is to understand the time response of a sensor, to determine the
frequency response of an instrument, and to understand what a thermocouple, thermistor, RTD
and thermometer is. It is important to know how quickly a sensor responds to changing
temperature, that way an engineer can determine if a sensor is suitable for the desired
application. If an engineer needs to measure the temperate of a combustion engine cylinder, he or
she will need a sensor with a very small time constant. However, if an engineer needs to measure
the outside temperature over the course of a day, he or she can use a sensor with a large time
constant--both a thermometer and thermocouple would be suitable for this application. Some
sources of error for this lab are:
Poor electrical connection between thermocouple and voltmeter
Unknown gain caused by the voltmeter
Alcohol separating in thermometer
The experiment could be improved by using a new thermometer and using alligator clips which
would ensure better electrical connection to the thermocouple. Also, using a cold-junction
compensation on the thermocouple would compensate for the gain seen in the thermocouple
voltage temperature plot.