What is a Thermocouple
A thermocouple is a durable and cost-effective temperature sensor used in various ranges of temperature measurement applications. It comprised of two dissimilar metal wires that are joined at one end. When properly material used, thermocouples can provide measurements over a wide range of temperatures.
Thermocouples are known for their universal use as a temperature sensor, thermocouples are manufactured in many styles, such as thermocouple probes with a metal sheath, thermocouple probes with plug connectors, transition thermocouple probes, thermocouples with protection tubes, Thermocouples with thermowells, bare wire thermocouple or even just thermocouple wire.
They are commonly used in a wide range of applications. Due to their wide range of models and technical specifications, it is extremely important to understand its basic structure, functionality, ranges as to better determine the right type and material of thermocouple for an application.
Thermocouple Junctions are made in three styles
Ungrounded Junction – Have a slower response time to temperature change, but the advantage is that the loop will not have the transient noise on the circuit , like a grounded thermocouple.
Grounded Junction – Have a response time faster than ungrounded junctions and also have good shielding properties for most process applications. This junction is widely used for the oil and gas industries and process industries because of a good response.
Exposed Junction – Have a direct exposed tip the area or media being measured. You can expect that probe life to be reduced in this style. The benefit of using an exposed tip thermocouple is a very high response time.
