MECH 220 MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY I

Experiment C
Temperature Measurement
OBJECTIVE
To most people temperature is a measurement that tells how hot or how cold an
object is. However, from the engineering point of view temperature is a more important
property since it is related to heat according to the second law of thermodynamics. In this
experiment, several different methods of the temperature measurement will be introduced
and the results obtained by them will be compared.
THEORY
Temperature Scales
There are several different scales used for temperature measurements. However, the
most common ones are Celsius scale, Fahrenheit scale and Kelvin scale. The Kelvin scale is
based on the idea of absolute zero, the theoretical temperature at which all molecular motion
stops. Figure 1 shows the comparison of Kelvin, Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature scales.
Following relationships apply among these scales:
K = 273.15 +
= 32 + 1.8

Figure 1. Comparison of temperature scales.

Ideal Gas Thermometer

According to the ideal gas equation ( = ), the temperature is a function of
the pressure for a certain amount of gas in a fixed volume. The gas thermometer is one of the
most important devices used to realize the thermodynamic temperature scale over a very
wide temperature range almost down to absolute zero.
Bimetallic Thermometer
Bimetallic thermometers exploit the differential expansion of two different materials
(with different thermal expansion coefficients) to indicate the temperature. Two layers of
different materials are bonded together. In general, one end of the bimetallic strip is firmly
anchored; the other end is coupled to a transmission gear or directly to a display device.
Temperature Measurement by Electrical Effects
The electrical resistance of the majority of materials varies significantly with
temperature. Although this effect is regarded as a problem in many areas, it is exploited as a
temperature measuring principle. The cause of this temperature dependency in metallic
conductors is the unattached bonding electrons in the metal lattice: as the temperature
drops, the electrical resistance also drops.
Three different methods will be introduced for measuring the temperature by
electrical effects:
a) Resistor Thermometers
Using electrical resistors as thermometers is a quite accurate method. By exposing
some type of resistive element to heat and observing the changes in its resistivity the
temperature can be measured.
b) NTC Thermistors
The NTC or negative temperature coefficient thermistor is a semiconductor device
that has a negative temperature coefficient unlike many metals.
c) Thermocouples
The most common measurement method using electrical effects is the thermocouple.
When two dissimilar metals are joined together, an electromotive force (emf) is created
between them which is primarily a function of the junction temperature. This phenomenon
is called Seebeck effect. The electromotive force generated at the junction of two dissimilar
metals is a function of temperature and can be used for the measurement of temperature.
The sensitivity of the thermocouple is the algebraic sum of the thermal electromotive
forces of the two conductors. The sensitivity is very high if the thermal electromotive forces
are distinctly different, and this difference is converted into a temperature and enables the
user to measure temperature.
There are different types of thermocouples which are standardized and distinguished
with the given code letters. In this experiment the thermocouple Type K will be used which is
a combination of chromium nickel and nickel (NiCr-Ni).

EXPERIMENTATION
Test Set-up
Experimental setup consists of seven different temperature measurement devices, a
multimeter, a heater and a vacuum flask. In this experiment, Pt100, thermistor, thermocouple
and gas/bimetallic thermometers will be used. The schematic of the test setup is given in
Figure 2.

Figure 2. Schematic of the experimental setup.

In Figure 2, the numbered stations or equipment are as follows,

1. Power-regulated socket
2. Laboratory heater for water
3. Psychrometer
4. Gas pressure thermometer
5. Bimetal thermometer
6. Vacuum flask
7. Mercury thermometer
8. Digital display, thermocouple Type K
9. Digital display, thermistor (NTC)
10. Digital display, Pt100
11. Multimeter

Table 1 shows some important parameters of the test set-up that are needed in the analysis.
Table 1. Some parameters about the test set-up.
Parameter
Value
Uncertainty in multimeter
0.005
Uncertainty in gas/bimetallic thermometer
0.01
Procedure
This experiment targets to relate the electrical output (volt) obtained by various
temperature measurement devices with absolute temperature measured by gas/bimetallic
thermometers.
1. Measure the ambient temperature by the gas/bimetallic thermometer.
2. Measure the ambient temperature with Pt100, thermistor and thermocouple with the
help of multimeter in terms of voltage.
3. Measure the temperature of the hot water 1 by the gas/bimetallic thermometer.
4. Measure the temperature of the hot water 1 with Pt100, thermistor and
thermocouple with the help of multimeter in terms of voltage.
5. Measure the temperature of the hot water 2 by the gas/bimetallic thermometer.
6. Measure the temperature of the hot water 2 with Pt100, thermistor and
thermocouple with the help of multimeter in terms of voltage.
7. Measure the temperature of the cold water by the gas/bimetallic thermometer.
8. Measure the temperature of the cold water with Pt100, thermistor and
thermocouple with the help of multimeter in terms of voltage.
Analysis
a) Construction of calibration curves
In order to find the relation between voltage and temperature readings, calibration
curves for each temperature measurement device (Pt100, Thermistor NTC, Thermocouple
Type K) will be constructed by plotting voltage vs. temperature data measured in the
experiment. Show the uncertainties as error bars on the graphs.
b) Estimation of temperature
Estimate the temperature associated with the voltage values of 2, 3 and 4 V.
CAUTION!
The experiment will be conducted in the Heat Transfer Laboratory in the Lab Building.
You will have only 40 minutes to complete the experiment.

Name:

Group No:

Date:

MECH 220 MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY I

EXPERIMENT C
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT Data Sheet
Table 2. Recorded values during experimentation.

Gas/Bimetallic
Thermometer
(C)
Ambient Temperature

Hot Water Temperature 1

Hot Water Temperature 2

Cold Water Temperature

Pt100
(V)

Thermistor (NTC)
(V)

Thermocouple
(V)