Design of Cold-Junction Compensation and Disconnection Detection Circuits of Various Thermocouples and Implementation of Multi-Channel Interfaces Using Them-A Secondary Publication

Cold-junction compensation(CJC)and disconnection detection circuit design of various thermocouples(TC)and multi-channel TC interface circuits were designed.The CJC and disconnection detection circuit consists of a CJC semiconductor device,an instrumentation amplifier(IA),two resistors,and a diode for disconnection detection.Based on the basic circuit,a multi-channel interface circuit was also implemented.The CJC was implemented using compensation semiconductor and IA,and disconnection detection was detected by using two resistors and a diode so that IA input voltage became-0.42 V.As a result of the experiment using R-type TC,the error of the designed circuit was reduced from 0.14 mV to 3μV after CJC in the temperature range of 0°C to 1400°C.In addition,it was confirmed that the output voltage of IA was saturated from 88 mV to-14.2 V when TC was disconnected from normal.The output voltage of the designed circuit was 0 V to 10 V in the temperature range of 0°C to 1400°C.The results of the 4-channel interface experiment using R-type TC were almost identical to the CJC and disconnection detection results for each channel.The implemented multi-channel interface has a feature that can be applied equally to E,J,K,T,R,and S-type TCs by changing the terminals of CJC semiconductor devices and adjusting the IA gain.

Irregular initial solidification by mold thermal monitoring in the continuous casting of steels:A review

Occasional irregular initial solidification phenomena,including stickers,deep oscillation marks,depressions,and surface cracks of strand shells in continuous casting molds,are important limitations for developing the high-efficiency continuous casting of steels.The application of mold thermal monitoring(MTM) systems,which use thermocouples to detect and respond to temperature variations in molds,has become an effective method to address irregular initial solidification phenomena.Such systems are widely applied in numerous steel companies for sticker breakout prediction.However,monitoring the surface defects of strands remains immature.Hence,indepth research is necessary to utilize the potential advantages and comprehensive monitoring of MTM systems.This paper summarizes what is included in the irregular initial solidification phenomena and systematically reviews the current state of research on these phenomena by the MTM systems.Furthermore,the influences of mold slag behavior on monitoring these phenomena are analyzed.Finally,the remaining problems of the formation mechanisms and investigations of irregular initial solidification phenomena are discussed,and future research directions are proposed.

A Thermometer Based on Diverse Types Thermocouples and Resistance Temperature Detectors

A universal and low-cost temperature thermometer is realized via a special circuit,integrated circuit chip with microprocessor and analog to digital converter,and digital bus interface.Various thermocouples and resistance temperature detectors used for temperature sensing may be connected to same thermometer.A special signal condition circuitry is designed and a matching algorithm is proposed.A novel calibration method named disassembled calibration is proposed in order to enhance efficiency and flexibility for the whole system.Additionally,it presents a combination method of low order polynomial fitting and piecewise linearity for the nonlinearity calibration of the thermocouple and the resistance temperature detector.A cold junction compensation based on digital way is described.And the matching algorithm and calibration method may eliminate errors stemming from excitation voltage source and reference voltage source,and can weaken quantization error of analog to digital converter and drift of components,too.Furthermore,the 400 times oversampling is completed by sequential and equal interval sampling to upgrade accuracy of analog to digital converter from original 12 to 15 bits and to raise signal-to-noise ratio.Finally,during a long time monitoring,experiment results show that errors at each static point are less than±0.2°C for the thermocouple system and less than±0.1°C for the resistance temperature detector system.

Flexible temperature sensor with high sensitivity ranging from liquid nitrogen temperature to 1200℃

Flexible temperature sensors have been extensively investigated due to their prospect of wide application in various flexible electronic products.However,most of the current flexible temperature sensors only work well in a narrow temperature range,with their application at high or low temperatures still being a big challenge.This work proposes a flexible thermocouple temperature sensor based on aerogel blanket substrate,the temperature-sensitive layer of which uses the screen-printing technology to prepare indium oxide and indium tin oxide.It has good temperature sensitivity,with the test sensitivity reaching 226.7μV℃^(−1).Most importantly,it can work in a wide temperature range,from extremely low temperatures down to liquid nitrogen temperature to high temperatures up to 1200℃,which is difficult to be achieved by other existing flexible temperature sensors.This temperature sensor has huge application potential in biomedicine,aerospace and other fields.

Improvement of a temperature response function for divertor heat flux monitoring in fusion devices

Temperature response functions have been developed to investigate sensor design and divertor heat flux estimation in magnetically confined plasmas. The time-dependent heat flux can be derived by fitting the response function to experimental thermocouple(TC) data. Because the TC signals have a time delay to transit events such as discharge start or confinement transition, the time delay is taken into account in a temperature response function. Such a function accurately describes the signal from each TC channel with time delay in a sensor test using a neutral beam injection. Measurement for commercial TCs shows that the time delay is caused by the finite heat capacity of TC wire and contact heat resistance between TC and target surface.

CUTTING TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT IN HIGH-SPEED END MILLING

A computer aided measurement system is used to measure the cutting temperature directly in high-speed machining by natural thermocouples and standard thermocouples. In this system the tool/workpiece interface temperature is measured by the tool/workpiece natural thermocouple, while the temperature distribution on the workpiece surface and that of interior are measured by some standard thermocouples prearranged at proper positions. The system can be used to measure cutting temperature in the machining with the rotary cutting tools, such as vertical drill and end milling cutter. It is practically used for the research on high-speed milling with hardened steel.

Research on measuring time constant of NANMAC thermocouple

The theory for measuring the time constant of thermocouple was introduced, and the method for measuring the time constant of NANMAC thermocouple by using dynamic calibration system of transient surface temperature sensor was proposed. In this system, static and dynamic calibrations were conducted for infrared detectors and thermocouples, and then both temperature-time curves were obtained. Since the frequency response of infrared detector is superior to that of calibrat- ed thermocouple, the values measured by infrared detectors are taken as true values. Through dividing the values measured with thermocouples by those with infrared detectors, a normalized curve was obtained, based on which the time constant of thermocouple was measured. With this method, the experiments were carried out with NANMAC thermocouple to obtain its time constant. The results show that the method for measuring the time constant is feasible and the dynamic calibration of thermocouples can be achieved at microsecond and millisecond level. This research has a certain reference value for research and application of NANMAC thermocouple temperature sensor.

Research on dynamic error compensation for an armored K type thermocouple

A new method was proposed, in which a high-power CO2 laser modulated by high frequency was used as the driv- ing source to heat up a surface-temperature sensor. The continual beam and the pulsed beam sent out by the same laser could be used in the same system to carry on the static calibration of the radiation thermometer and the dynamic calibration of the temperature sensor to be checked. The frequency-response characteristics of high-speed radiation thermometer surpassed that of the temperature sensor, therefore it could be used as the reference value to calibrate the latter and let system error be cor- rected. Differences in the environment of the sensor installing and the error caused by the change of thermo-physical proper- ty could be avoided. Thus, the difficult problem of traceable dynamic calibration of temperature was solved. In experiment, to obtain the frequency characteristics of the thermocouple and the dynamic performance of the K type thermocouple, which could compensate the dynamic characteristics of the sensor, the sensor was dynamically corrected by using the method, and then the mathematical model was established.

Analysis of performance and optimum configuration of two-stage semiconductor thermoelectric module

In this paper, the theoretical analysis and simulating calculation were conducted for a basic two-stage semiconductor thermoelectric module, which contains one thermocouple in the second stage and several thermocouples in the first stage. The study focused on the configuration of the two-stage semiconductor thermoelectric cooler, especially investigating the influences of some parameters, such as the current I1 of the first stage, the area A1 of every thermocouple and the number n of thermocouples in the first stage, on the cooling performance of the module. The obtained results of analysis indicate that changing the current I1 of the first stage, the area A1 of thermocouples and the number n of thermocouples in the first stage can improve the cooling performance of the module. These results can be used to optimize the configuration of the two-stage semiconductor thermoelectric module and provide guides for the design and application of thermoelectric cooler.

Signal de-noising method based on wavelet decomposition

A noise reduction method for infrared detector output signal is studied during dynamic calibration of thermocou- pie. Firstly, the deficiency of the classical filter method is analyzed and the application of the wavelet analysis is introduced for signal de-noising during the dynamic testing. Secondly, the theoretical basis of wavelet analysis, the choice of wavelet base and the determination of decomposed series and threshold are analyzed. Finally, the de-noising experiment for infrared detector signal is carried out on the Matlab platform. The results indicate the proposed wavelet de-noising method is effective to remove fixed frequency and high-frequency noise; furthermore, good synchronization is achieved between the de-noised signal and the useful signal components in the original signal, which is of great significance to thermocouple modeling analys- is.

Experimental Study of Heat Transfer Enhancement in Solar Tower Receiver Using Internal Fins

The receiver is an important element in solar energy plants.The principal receiver’s tubes in power plants are devised to work under extremely severe conditions,including excessive heat fluxes.Half of the tube’s circumference is heated whilst the other half is insulated.This study aims to improve the heat transfer process and reinforce the tubes’structure by designing a new receiver;by including longitudinal fins of triangular,circular and square shapes.The research is conducted experimentally using Reynolds numbers ranging from 28,000 to 78,000.Triangular fins have demonstrated the best improvement for heat transfer.For Reynolds number value near 43,000 Nusselt number(Nu)is higher by 3.5%and 7.5%,sequentially,compared to circular and square tube fins,but varies up to 6.5%near Re=61000.The lowest friction factor is seen in a triangular fin receiver;where it deviates from circular fins by 4.6%,and square fin tubes by 3.2%.Adding fins makes the temperature decrease gradually,and in the case of no fins,the temperature gradient between the hot tube and water drops sharply in the planed tube by 7%.

Development and Introduction of Monitoring System of Refractory Lining Wear in Blast Furnace Hearth

To diagnose the lining condition of the blast furnace hearth during its campaign, are widely used methods based on the analysis of the temperature characteristics of the refractory lining. Measurement of the temperature characteristics is performed by means of a few hundred thermocouples placed inside the refractory lining. The peculiarity of proposed and used mathematical models is a fully three-dimensional assessment of the refractory lining, presence mechanisms of adaptation to the actual thermal conductivity of refractories and optimization calculations to the work in the on-line mode. The new monitoring systems of the lining wear of the blast furnace hearth are established on 5 blast furnaces of integrated iron-and-steel works of China： No.4 by volume 3,200 m3 of “Jinan Iron ＆ Steel Company” in Jinan （683 thermocouples）, No.2 by volume 1,080 m3 of “Henan Jiyuan Iron ＆ Steel （Group） Company” in Jiyuan （212 thermocouples）, No.4 by volume 2,500 m3 of “Guangxi Liuzhou Iron ＆ Steel （Group） Company” in Liuzhou （383 thermocouples）, No.3 by volume 1,750 m3 of “Jinan Iron ＆ Steel Company” in Jinan （524 thermocouples）; No.1 by volume 1,750 m3 of “Jinan Iron ＆ Steel Company” in Jinan （524 thermocouples）.

Thermal analysis of different tips for various operating modes of phacoemulsification system

Cataract is an opacity that develops in the crystalline lens of the eye, due to alteration in some of its protein fibers, with the consequent impairment of visual acuity. The most effective and common treatment is to surgically remove the cloudy lens. In this process the crystalline lens are removed and the eye’s refraction power is restored by inserting an artificial lens. Pha- coemulsification refers to modern cataract surgery in which the eye’s internal lens is emulsified with an ultrasonic hand piece, and aspirated from the eye. Aspirated fluids are replaced with irrigation of balanced salt solution, thus maintaining the anterior chamber, as well as cooling the hand piece. The patient can be released soon after the operation. The problem of this procedure in some cases is thermal damage. This research addresses the aforementioned problem through an important parameter, different operating modes of the system. The proposed in-vitro approach has been investigated in details.

Dynamic Calibration of the Cutting Temperature Sensor of NiCr/NiSi Thin-film Thermocouple

In high-speed cutting, natural thermocouple, artificial thermocouple and infrared radiation temperature measurement are usually adopted for measuring cutting temperature, but these methods have difficulty in measuring transient temperature accurately of cutting area on account of low response speed and limited cutting condition. In this paper, NiCr/NiSi thin-film thermocouples（TFTCs） are fabricated according to temperature characteristic of cutting area in high-speed cutting by means of advanced twinned microwave electro cyclotron resonance（MW-ECR） plasma source enhanced radio frequency（RF） reaction non-balance magnetron sputtering technique, and can be used for transient cutting temperature measurement. The time constants of the TFTCs with different thermo-junction film width are measured at four kinds of sampling frequency by using Ultra-CFR short pulsed laser system that established. One-dimensional unsteady heat conduction model is constructed and the dynamic performance is analyzed theoretically. It can be seen from the analysis results that the NiCr/NiSi TFTCs are suitable for measuring transient temperature which varies quickly, the response speed of TFTCs can be obviously improved by reducing the thickness of thin-film, and the area of thermo-junction has little influence on dynamic response time. The dynamic calibration experiments are made on the constructed dynamic calibration system, and the experimental results confirm that sampling frequency should be larger than 50 kHz in dynamic measurement for stable response time, and the shortest response time is 0.042 ms. Measurement methods and devices of cutting heat and cutting temperature measurement are developed and improved by this research, which provide practical methods and instruments in monitoring cutting heat and cutting temperature for research and production in high-speed machining.

Nose-Tip Transition Control by Surface Roughness on a Hypersonic Sphere

The surface heat flux on a 100 mm diameter hypersonic sphere was reduced through surface roughness on its forebody. The test model was subjected to a hypersonic freestream of Mach 8.8 and Reynolds number 1.98 million/m, in a shock tunnel. Forebody surface heat transfer rates measured on smooth and rough spheres, under the same free-stream conditions, were compared. The comparison of heat flux indicated an overall reduction in surface heating rates on the rough model, which could be attributed to the delayed nose tip transition. The surface roughness on the forebody of the model generated miniature cavities. Stability of the free shear layer over the miniature cavities and entrapment of the destabilizing vortices in the cavities, make the flow over the rough test model more stable than the attached boundary layer over the smooth model, under transitional conditions.

LabVIEW based temperature transmitter-a simple and realizable approachfor experimental cum application study in the laboratory

In this paper,we have presented a simple approach for experimental and application study on LabVIEW based temperature transmitter with NI myRIO device in the laboratory.In this work,to study the small range of temperature(40-100℃)although different temperature sensors can be used still,we have used here a K-type thermocouple as the measuring temperature sensor.The analog output voltage of thermocouple is amplified by instrumentation amplifier and the amplified signal is fed to the analog input of NI myRIO device which converts the analog input voltage signal as per the algorithm developed with virtual instrumentation based programming and provides the corresponding 4-20 mA output current signal in the analog output terminal of the device.Results show that input-output i.e.temperature-current relationship is linear.This low cost developed transmitter is very simple and it can be recommended for academic,scientific and industrial development of data acquisition systems,control and analysis of instruments.

Improving the Quality of Thermocouple Wire Made of Platinum-rhodium Alloys

For the manufacture of S-type thermocouple the so-called thermocouple wire of platinum and platinum-rhodium alloy is used.One of the main technical requirements for the quality of the wire,according to State Standard of Russia(GOST 10821),is the uniformity of its largest thermoelectric force(Thermo-emf) in the length different sections.It was found that a determining impact on the uniformity of the wire thermo-emf is the distribution of rhodium along the length of the wire.The impact of platinum-rhodium melt crystallization conditions on the inhomogeneity of wire manufactured from it.It was suggested that the chemical inhomogeneity of the wire is related to the liquation phase of platinum-rhodium alloy.

EMF CHANGES MADE BY COLD DRAWING AND HEATING TREATMENT IN TYPE K HEAVY-GAUGE SHEATHED THERMOCOUPLE CABLES

The electromotive force (EMF) changes in type K heavy gauge sheathed thermocouple cables was investigated. To cope with this discrepancy owing to EMF steep reduction and understand the difference between type K heavy gauge sheathed thermocouple cables and small ones, the affects of EMF from sheath pipe, drawing times, annealing temperature, annealing time and annealing way were mainly studied and appropriately analyzed. The results show the change in the thermal EMF is related with the residual stress and crystal defects, which are imparted by cold work during manufacture. The affects of cold work can be removed by annealing. Finally, a feasible way of fabricating heavy gauge sheathed thermocouples was suggested according to practical situation.

The Researches on Performance and Technology of Strengthened Pure Platinum Wire

This paper discusses about the purity of strengthened pure platinum wire and the development method of platinum micro wire, in order to solve the difficulties of low tensile strength, easy to break, and low rate of micro wire. And it contrasts some performance of strengthened pure platinum wire and sponge Pt wire. The researches draw a conclusion that the thermoelectric properties of strengthened pure platinum micro wire was in accordance with national standards and satisfied users' requirements.

Design of Experimental System of USB Data Acquisition Card-based Temperature Acquisition

In order to design a more efficient and more convenient temperature acquisition system, an approach combining USB data acquisition card with K type thermocouple temperature sensor is proposed under the circumstance of LabVIEW 2012 programming software. Firstly, the LabVIEW 2012 programming software is used to complete a temperature acquisition control program. Secondly, K type thermocouple temperature sensor is employed to transfer the temperature information. Thirdly, Then the USB data acquisition card can collect the voltage of K type thermocouple temperature sensor and convert it to a temperature scale. And, the simplification of experimental procedure can reduce the cost of development greatly. Finally, the experimental results illustrate that the range of measurement temperature is more wide and the temperature scale is more accurate.