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  • A Basic Guide to Thermocouple Measurements

    • SBAA274A September   2018  – March 2023 ADS1118 , ADS1119 , ADS1120 , ADS112C04 , ADS112U04 , ADS1146 , ADS1147 , ADS1148 , ADS114S06 , ADS114S06B , ADS114S08 , ADS114S08B , ADS1219 , ADS1220 , ADS122C04 , ADS122U04 , ADS1246 , ADS1247 , ADS1248 , ADS124S06 , ADS124S08 , ADS125H02 , ADS1260 , ADS1261 , ADS1262 , ADS1263

       

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  • A Basic Guide to Thermocouple Measurements
  1.   A Basic Guide to Thermocouple Measurements
  2.   Trademarks
  3. 1Thermocouple Overview
    1. 1.1 Seebeck Voltage
    2. 1.2 Thermocouple Types
      1. 1.2.1 Common Thermocouple Metals
      2. 1.2.2 Thermocouple Measurement Sensitivity
        1. 1.2.2.1 Calculating Thermoelectric Voltage from Temperature
        2. 1.2.2.2 Calculating Temperature From Thermoelectric Voltage
      3. 1.2.3 Thermocouple Construction
      4. 1.2.4 Tolerance Standards
    3. 1.3 Thermocouple Measurement and Cold-Junction Compensation (CJC)
    4. 1.4 Design Notes
      1. 1.4.1 Identify the Range of Thermocouple Operation
      2. 1.4.2 Biasing the Thermocouple
      3. 1.4.3 Thermocouple Voltage Measurement
      4. 1.4.4 Cold-Junction Compensation
      5. 1.4.5 Conversion to Temperature
      6. 1.4.6 Burn-out Detection
  4. 2Thermocouple Measurement Circuits
    1. 2.1 Thermocouple Measurement With Pullup and Pulldown Bias Resistors
      1. 2.1.1 Schematic
      2. 2.1.2 Pros and Cons
      3. 2.1.3 Design Notes
      4. 2.1.4 Measurement Conversion
      5. 2.1.5 Generic Register Settings
    2. 2.2 Thermocouple Measurement With Biasing Resistors Attached to the Negative Lead
      1. 2.2.1 Schematic
      2. 2.2.2 Pros and Cons
      3. 2.2.3 Design Notes
      4. 2.2.4 Measurement Conversion
      5. 2.2.5 Generic Register Settings
    3. 2.3 Thermocouple Measurement With VBIAS for Sensor Biasing and Pullup Resistor
      1. 2.3.1 Schematic
      2. 2.3.2 Pros and Cons
      3. 2.3.3 Design Notes
      4. 2.3.4 Measurement Conversion
      5. 2.3.5 Generic Register Settings
    4. 2.4 Thermocouple Measurement With VBIAS For Sensor Biasing and BOCS
      1. 2.4.1 Schematic
      2. 2.4.2 Pros and Cons
      3. 2.4.3 Design Notes
      4. 2.4.4 Measurement Conversion
      5. 2.4.5 Generic Register Settings
    5. 2.5 Thermocouple Measurement With REFOUT Biasing and Pullup Resistor
      1. 2.5.1 Schematic
      2. 2.5.2 Pros and Cons
      3. 2.5.3 Design Notes
      4. 2.5.4 Measurement Conversion
      5. 2.5.5 Generic Register Settings
    6. 2.6 Thermocouple Measurement With REFOUT Biasing and BOCS
      1. 2.6.1 Schematic
      2. 2.6.2 Pros and Cons
      3. 2.6.3 Design Notes
      4. 2.6.4 Measurement Conversion
      5. 2.6.5 Generic Register Settings
    7. 2.7 Thermocouple Measurement With Bipolar Supplies And Ground Biasing
      1. 2.7.1 Schematic
      2. 2.7.2 Pros and Cons
      3. 2.7.3 Design Notes
      4. 2.7.4 Measurement Conversion
      5. 2.7.5 Generic Register Settings
    8. 2.8 Cold-Junction Compensation Circuits
      1. 2.8.1 RTD Cold-Junction Compensation
        1. 2.8.1.1 Schematic
          1. 2.8.1.1.1 Design Notes
          2. 2.8.1.1.2 Measurement Conversion
          3. 2.8.1.1.3 Generic Register Settings
      2. 2.8.2 Thermistor Cold-Junction Compensation
        1. 2.8.2.1 Schematic
        2. 2.8.2.2 Design Notes
        3. 2.8.2.3 Measurement Conversion
        4. 2.8.2.4 Generic Register Settings
      3. 2.8.3 Temperature Sensor Cold-Junction Compensation
        1. 2.8.3.1 Schematic
        2. 2.8.3.2 Design Notes
        3. 2.8.3.3 Measurement Conversion
        4. 2.8.3.4 Generic Register Settings
  5. 3Summary
  6. 4Revision History
  7. IMPORTANT NOTICE
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APPLICATION NOTE

A Basic Guide to Thermocouple Measurements

1 A Basic Guide to Thermocouple Measurements

Thermocouples are common temperature sensors used in a wide variety of commercial and industrial applications. While slightly less accurate than resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), thermocouples cover a wide temperature range, are self-powered, and have a fast response time. Their simple construction make them inexpensive and durable. Because of the small sensor voltage and low noise requirements, delta-sigma analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) are ideal data converters for measuring thermocouples. This application report gives an overview of thermocouples, discussing theory of operation, functionality, and methods in temperature measurement. Many circuits are presented showing thermocouple connections to precision ADCs. Different topologies focus on biasing thermocouples for the ADC input and for burn-out measurements.

Trademarks

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

1 Thermocouple Overview

Thermocouples are temperature measurement sensors that generate a voltage that changes over temperature. Thermocouples are constructed from two wire leads made from different metals. The wire leads are welded together to create a junction. As the temperature changes from the junction to the ends of the wire leads, a voltage develops across the junction.

Combinations of different metals create a variety of voltage responses. This leads to different types of thermocouples used for different temperature ranges and accuracies. Choosing a thermocouple often is a function of the measurement temperature range required in the application. Other considerations include the temperature accuracy, durability, conditions of use, and the expected service life.

 
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