Electrical Engineering Technician AMAT/ SETAS

Course: EET-126
INSTRUMENTATION 1
Names: 1. ___Vraj Patel_________________________________________
Date: ___August 08, 2022______________________

LAB 8

Resistance Temperature Detector & Thermocouple Sensor

Objectives

 Use a table to convert RTD resistance into a temperature.

 Measure the resistance of an RTD with an ohmmeter to determine
temperature.
 Determine the reaction time of an RTD that is exposed to temperatures
at one extreme and then the other.
 Use a table to convert thermocouple voltage into a temperature.
 Measure an output voltage with a voltmeter to determine the temperature of a hot
liquid and a cold liquid.
 Compare the voltage readings of the thermocouple when readings are taken with
and without a cold junction reference.

Required Materials

(1) Stopwatch
(1) Thermometer
(1) RTD Probe, 100 Ω platinum, (Omega Part # PRTF-10-2-100-1/4-6-E)
3-wire construction. www.omega.com
(1) Coffee pot
(1) Ohmmeter
Ice and water
(2) Type J thermocouple probes, (Omega Part # JMTSS-125G-12) www.omega.com
(2) Sets of Type J thermocouple couplers and extension wire
(1) Wire nut
(1) Voltmeter
(1) Stopwatch

Introduction

The resistance of electrically conductive metals varies directly with

temperature. Therefore, metals have a positive temperature coefficient
(PTC). This means that as their temperature increases, their resistance
increases. Some types of metals are used in a temperature sensing device
called a resistance temperature detector (RTD). Over the temperature range

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 at which the RTD is capable of measuring, the resistance vs temperature
curve is very linear.
A thermocouple is an electrical temperature sensor that converts heat into voltage. The
amount of voltage developed is proportional to the amount of heat applied to it. The
voltage temperature characteristic of a thermocouple within a given temperature range
is relatively linear. Equal chances of temperature produce equal changes in voltage.
Thermocouples are made of dissimilar metal wires joined together. When exposed to
heat, a small number of electrons from one metal drift to the other metal at the junction
where they join, and a voltage develops across them.

Procedure

Part A

1- Fill the coffee pot with water and turn the heat switch to the High
position. Place ice in the water of a second container.
2- Assemble the equipment shown in Figure 16-1, putting the RTD probe
in the hot water container.
3- Place a thermometer in the hot water container. After the water
temperature has stabilized, record the thermometer reading on the top
line of Table 1.

Fig. 1

Table 1

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 RTD Hot Cold
Actual Temperature +85 ºC +2 ºC
(Thermometer
Reading)
Ohmmeter Reading 131.7 Ω 101.2 Ω
Temperature from the +80 ºC +5 ºC
Manufacturer’s Table
Temperature Settling 37 seconds 36 seconds
Time

4- Place the thermometer into the ice water container.

5- A few minutes after placing the RTD in the hot water container, use an
ohmmeter to measure its resistance and record the reading on the
second line of Table 1.
6- Place the RTD probe in the container with ice water, starting the
stopwatch as soon as the probe enters. Stop the watch when the
ohmmeter reading stabilizes. Record the temperature settling time
shown by the stopwatch on the bottom line of Table 1.
7- Record the temperature of the ice water measured by the thermometer
in Table 16-1, and the resistance of the RTD measured by the
ohmmeter.
8- Using the hot and cold resistance measurements recorded on line 2 of
Table 1, reference Table 2 to record the corresponding temperature.
Place these values on line 3 of Table 1.

Table 2
Question
Do the temperature measured by the thermometer and the temperature
shown in the manufacturer’s table match? (yes, no)

Experiment Questions

1. RTDs have a __________ temperature coefficient.

A. negative
B. positive
2. The resistance vs temperature characteristics of an RTD is _________.
A. linear

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 B. non-linear
3. Using Table 2, determine the temperature of an RTD if the resistance
reading is 67.87 ohms.
____-20_______ degrees Celsius

NOTE: For RTD Reference information including wire colour code visit:

http://www.omega.com/toc_asp/frameset.html?
book=Temperature&file=RTD_Gen_Specs_Ref

PART B
Procedure
1- Fill the coffee pot with water and turn the heat switch to the HIGH position. Place
ice in the water of the second container.
2- Assemble the equipment shown in Figure 2.
3- Place the thermometer and the thermocouple in the hot water container. After the
water temperature has increased and stabilized, record the thermometer reading
on the top line of Table 3.
4- Place the thermometer in the ice water container.

FIG. 2

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 RTD Hot Cold
Actual Temperature +86 ºC +1 ºC
(Thermometer
Reading)
mV Reading 3.6 mV 0.21 mV
(Voltmeter Reading)
Temperature from the +75 ºC +5 ºC
Manufacturer’s Table
Temperature Settling 41 seconds 40 seconds
Time

TABLE 3

5- Using a voltmeter, take the hot water temperature measurement by reading the
millivolts produced by the thermocouple and record the reading on the 2nd ln
Table 3. (NOTE ON THERMOCOUPLE WIRES CODE: WHITE IS +, RED IS -)
6- Place the thermocouple in the container with ice water, starting the stopwatch as
soon as the probe enters. Stop the watch when the voltmeter reading stabilizes.
Record the time shown by the stopwatch on the 4th line of Table 1, representing
the temperature settling time.
7- Record the temperature of the ice water measured by the thermometer on the
top line of Table 1, and the millivolts produced by the thermocouple on the next
line.
Note: The thermocouple manufacturer provides a table (Table 2) that shows the
relationship between the temperature measured, and the voltage produced.

TABLE 4 THERMOCOUPLE OUTPUT IN MILLIVOLTS.

8- Using the hot and cold voltage measurements in Table 3, consult Table 4 to find
the corresponding temperature. Place these values on the third line of Table 3.
Question
Do the actual measured temperatures by the thermometer and the temperature
shown in the manufacturer’s table match? _____NO_________ (no, yes)

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 PART B

Background Information—Cold Junction Compensation

When the voltmeter is used to read the millivoltage produced by the thermocouple, the
second junction of dissimilar metals is formed where the thermocouple wire is
connected to the copper wire of the meter leads. This junction produces a small voltage
in opposition to the original voltage produced at the thermocouple junction. This
situation will cause an inaccurate reading. One way to solve this problem is to control
the voltage of one of the meter-thermocouple junctions. This junction, referred to as a
reference, will produce 0 volts if it is exposed to 32°F or 0°C. This condition is achieved
by placing the reference junction in the ice water container shown in Figure 3(a). This
junction is also referred to as the cold junction.

FIG 3

1- Assemble the equipment shown in Figure 3(b).

2- Place a thermometer in the hot water container. After the instrument stabilizes,
record its temperature on the top line of Table 3.
3- Place the thermometer in the ice water container.
4- Using a voltmeter, measure the millivolts produced by the thermocouple reading
the hot temperature and record the value on line 2 of Table 3.
5- Place the thermocouple (from the hot container) in the ice water container
starting the stopwatch as soon as the probe enters (both thermocouples are now
in the ice water container). Stop the watch when the voltmeter reading stabilizes.
Record the time shown by the stopwatch on line 4 of Table 3, representing the
temperature settling time.
6- Record in Table 3 the temperature of the ice water as measured by the
thermometer and the millivolts produced by the thermocouple.

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 TABLE 3

7- Using the hot and cold voltages recorded in Table 3, consult Table 2 to obtain the
corresponding temperatures they represent. Place these values on the 3rd line of
Table 3.

Question
Compare the temperatures as measured by the thermometer in Tables 3 and 4 to the
temperatures shown in the manufacturer’s table. Were the measurement temperatures
more accurate using a cold junction reference? ______________ (no, yes).

Questions

1. The thermocouple junctions formed by their leads and the copper meter probes
____add to______ (add to, subtract from) the voltage produced by the junction
measuring the actual temperature.
2. The thermocouple measurements are made ___less_____ (less, more) accurate
when using a cold junction.
3. According to Table 2, the voltage value of 5.46 mV represents __105___ degrees
Celsius.

Conclusions:

The accuracy of various measurements was compared in this lab using several
types of temperature measuring equipment. Two cups, one filled with boiled water
and the other with ice, were available for temperature measurements. The primary
working concept of a resistance temperature detector is that material resistance
changes with temperature, the hotter the material, the greater its resistance. RTD
readings were more precise and more closely resembled thermocouple readings of
temperature. The junction ends of two distinct metal wires are joined to form
thermocouples. The working theory is based on the Thompson Effect, which claims
that when two dissimilar metals come together and form two joints, the voltage
caused by the temperature change causes the total conductor length to change.

Following Evaluation of Safety Conclusion Total

Procedure Experiment s Mark 7
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Marks 6 6 2 6 20
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