12.5.7 Thermocouple sensors
Thermocouples are connected as shown in Fig. 12.14b. The sensing junction and
the reference junction are connected in series. When the junctions are at the
same temperature the voltage output from the junctions is zero, and the output
from the amplifier is zero. When the junctions are at different temperatures,
there is a differential voltage at the input to the amplifier that is amplified and
converted to a temperature reading. To make this an absolute reading the temperature
of the reference junction is required. This can be achieved by placing
the junction in a constant temperature enclosure, or the temperature of the reference
junction can be measured and a correction applied to the output reading
of the thermocouple’s sensing amplifier. The amount of conditioning required by
a thermocouple will depend on its temperature measuring range (see Table 8.6).
Its accuracy is 1 to 2 percent over a limited temperature range but needs conditioning
(linearizing) if used over its full operating range. The set zero conditioning
is a part of the reference temperature correction. Thermocouple voltages
can also be sensed directly by the controller using an internal amplifier and then
conditioned internally; this is discussed in Chap. 13.