Pyrometers Temperature measurement instruments can be divided into contact and noncontact types.

Sensors used in contact-type instruments include thermocouples, resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), thermistors, and semiconductor temperature sensors. Since contact sensors measure their own temperature they require physical contact with the measured object to brin the sensor body to the object!s temperature. "n some applications this contact creates problems# The measured object or media may be located at a distance or in a ha$ardous environment with no easy access. %easurements o& movin objects are also di&&icult. ' small object!s temperature may be altered when a relatively lar e sensor touches it and acts as a heat sin(. )oncontact in&rared ("R) thermometers, i& used properly, o&&er convenient solutions &or these and many other measurement applications. *owever, you should select the measurin instrument and measurement techniques to be compatible with the application. +yrometer is derived &rom the ,ree( root pyro, meanin &ire. The term pyrometer was ori inally used to denote a device capable o& measurin temperatures o& objects above incandescence, objects bri ht to the human eye. The terms pyrometer and radiation thermometer are used interchan eably by many re&erences. Radiation Pyrometer Principle of Operation *eat is trans&erred &rom one body to another throu h conduction, convection, or radiation. Radiation is a process where heat ener y in a &orm o& electroma netic waves is emitted by a hot object and absorbed by a colder object. %ost o& this radiation is in the in&rared ("R) re ion o& the electroma netic spectrum, but some also spreads into the visible li ht band. The "R wavelen th band stretches &rom -.. to /--- microns, however practical "R measurement systems use only certain wavelen th bands between -.. and /0 microns because the radiation is the stron est in this ran e. "& an object is e1posed to "R ener y radiated by a heat source, such as an electric heater, li ht bulb, sun, or other source, the ener y reachin the object is called incident ener y. +art o& this ener y is re&lected o&& the object sur&ace. Theoretically, the object!s coe&&icient o& re&lectivity can vary &rom - (no re&lection) to /.- (/--2 re&lection). Rou h, matt sur&aces have low re&lectivity. +olished and lossy sur&aces, especially metals, have hi h re&lectivity. Dependin on the object material, thic(ness, and the radiation wavelen th, part o& the radiation can o throu h the object or be transmitted. The coe&&icient o& transmission can vary &rom - (no ener y transmitted throu h object) to /.- (/--2 ener y transmitted throu h

object). *i h transmittance e1amples include lass, quart$, plastic &ilm, and various asses. %aterials opaque in the "R spectrum have close to $ero transmission coe&&icients. The remainin ener y is absorbed by the object and raises its temperature. ' hypothetical body that has no re&lection or transmission and absorbs all incident ener y across the entire spectrum has a coe&&icient o& absorption equal to /.- and is called a blac(body. Real-li&e objects, re&erred to as ray bodies, have coe&&icients o& absorption that &all between - and /.-. "ncident ener y, 3", is de&ined as# 3" 4 3R 5 3T 5 3' 3here# 3" 4 incident ener y received by the object, 3 3R 4 ener y re&lected o&& the object!s sur&ace, 3 3T 4 ener y transmitted by the object, 3 3' 4 ener y absorbed by the object, 3

's the object absorbs ener y and heats, it also emits ener y. 3hen an object is in a state o& thermal equilibrium, the amount o& ener y it absorbs (3') equals the amount o& ener y it emits (36)# 3' 4 36. 3hen an object absorbs more ener y and its temperature increases, the amount o& radiation it emits also increases. "R thermometry is based on the &act that any body (solid, liquid, or aseous) that has a temperature above absolute $ero (-o7 or -8.9o:) emits radiant ener y. This ener y is proportional to the &orth power o& the body temperature, and the body!s ability to absorb and emit "R ener y is called emissivity. 6ner y radiated by a body can be e1pressed as &ollows# 3 4 6 ; T0 ' 3here# 3 4 ener y, 3 6 4 emissivity ; 4 Ste&an-<olt$mann :onstant 4 =.>.-9 /--?, 3@m870

T 4 absolute temperature, o7 ' 4 emittin area, m8

6missivity can ran e &rom - to / &or various bodies. ' hypothetical blac(body emits and absorbs all ener y and thus has an emissivity equal to /. Real-li&e objects have an emissivity between - and /. 3hen an "R thermometer measures an object!s temperature, consider the ener y that actually enters the lens. That is, in addition to emittin ener y related to its own temperature, the object may re&lect ener y comin &rom another source, or transmit ener y passin throu h it &rom a source behind it. Aor accurate measurements, survey the surroundin area &or possible sources o& e1traneous "R radiation and choose the thermometer position and aimin an le to minimi$e the e&&ects o& those sources.

Components of IR Thermometers "n&rared temperature measurement instrument desi n varies &rom simple hand-held thermometers that can be purchased &or less than a hundred to comple1 special-purpose instruments that cost hundreds and even thousands. *owever, some buildin bloc(s are common &or most desi ns. ' typical in&rared thermometer consists o& /. 8. 9. 0. Bptical components, "R detector, 6lectronics, and ' display or inter&ace output sta e.

Bptical parts &ocus radiation ener y onto the "R detector and &ilter out radiation outside the desired wavelen th band. These components include collectin optics, lenses, &iber optics, and spectral optical &ilters. <ased on the principle o& operation, "R detectors &all into one o& two cate ories# /. Thermal detectors and 8. +hoto detectors (photodiodes).

Thermal "R detectors absorb the incident ener y, raise the sensin element temperature, and chan e the detector!s electrical properties# thermopiles enerate thermoelectric volta e, bolometers chan e resistance, and pyroelectric devices chan e their polari$ation. "n eneral, they are slower than photo detectors. Thermal IR detectors ' thermopile is made by connectin several thermocouples in series and placin their hot junctions in contact with a blac( body that absorbs the incident "R ener y and heats the hot junctions. The cold junctions are placed in the area o& the detector with adequate heat sin(in . These detectors have &ast response, broad band, lar e dynamic ran e, and are &requently used in eneral-purpose, automotive, air conditionin , and human-body thermometers. <olometers use a slab o& material that chan es its resistance in response to a chan e o& temperature. The circuit converts resistance chan e to a volta e chan e, which is &urther processed by the instrument. <olometers are &requently used &or measurin low-level "R ener y, o&ten as an attachment to a telescope. +yroelectric devices become electrically char ed when their body temperature chan es. To produce a usable si nal, the incident "R ener y has to CpulseD. The output pea(-to-pea( ': si nal is proportional to the pulse ener y. Since ener y emitted by measured objects is usually steady, thermometers that use pyroelectric detectors have a mechanical or optical chopper in &ront o& the sensor. These sensors are used in many home security systems. Photo detectors +hoto detectors are built on a silicon substrate with an "R sensitive area that releases &ree electrons when impacted by the photons. The &low o& electrons produces electrical si nals proportional to the incident ener y. These detectors are o&ten used as arrays in thermal ima in systems. Electronics & Accessories ' detector needs protection &rom the environment, and the selected window material must allow the correct wavelen th band to pass throu h with minimum attenuation. ' $inc sul&ide or ermanium window is best &or the lon -wavelen th detectors, lass is suitable &or shortwavelen th detectors, and quart$ &or the mid-wavelen th spectrum. Some instruments use a &iber-optic li ht uide to direct the radiation to the detector. Since all types o& "R detectors produce si nals in the microvolt ran e, a hi h- ain ampli&ier should &ollow the detector. Detector output vs. temperature curves are not linear and &luctuate reatly with a chan e in ambient temperature. To remedy this, a si nal-conditionin circuit stabili$es the temperature and lineari$es the si nal. %any applications require an analo to-di ital converter ('D:) to convert the temperature readin to a di ital &ormat.

*and-held and many other instrument types have a built-in display, while other devices connect to a computer, data acquisition system, or temperature control system via an RS898 or RS-0?= cable. Some instruments simulate a thermocouple output, others have a - E 8- m' or 0 E 8- m' current loop, or volta e output. Two-Color Radiation Thermometers 'lso called as ratio radiation thermometer, these devices measure the radiated ener y o& an object between two narrow wavelen th bands, and calculate the ratio o& the two ener ies, which is a &unction o& the temperature o& the object. Bri inally, these were called two color pyrometers, because the two wavelen ths corresponded to di&&erent colors in the visible spectrum (&or e1ample, red and reen). %any people still use the term two-color pyrometers today, broadenin the term to include wavelen ths in the in&rared.

The temperature measurement is dependent only on the ratio o& the two ener ies measured, and not their absolute values. 'ny parameter, such as tar et si$e, which a&&ects the amount o& ener y in each band by an equal percenta e, has no e&&ect on the temperature indication. This ma(es a ratio thermometer inherently more accurate. (*owever, some accuracy is lost when youFre measurin small di&&erences in lar e si nals). The ratio technique may eliminate, or reduce, errors in temperature measurement caused by chan es in emissivity, sur&ace &inish, and ener y absorbin materials, such as water vapor, between the thermometer and the tar et. These dynamic chan es must be seen identically by the detector at the two wavelen ths bein used. Some ratio thermometers use more than two wavelen ths. Two color or multi-wavelen th thermometers should be seriously considered &or applications where accuracy, and not just repeatability, is critical, or i& the tar et object is under oin a physical or chemical chan e. Ratio thermometers cover wide temperature ran es. Typical commercially available ran es are />=8 to =098G A (H-- to 9---I:) and /8- to >>H8IA (=- to 9.--I:). Typical accuracy is -.=2 o& readin on narrow spans, to 82 o& &ull scale.

8-colour pyrometers are used &or di&&icult measurin tas(s. J J J J *i h temperatures <loc(ed views or inter&erence in the atmosphere (&or e1ample, smo(e, suspended matter) The object is smaller than the spot si$e (down to /-2 o& the spot si$e) :han in , low, or un(nown emissivity (&or e1ample, molten metal).

Merits of Radiation Pyrometers J J J J J J )o contact or inter&erence with process )o upper temperature limit as thermometer does not touch hot body 'ccurate and stable over a lon period i& correctly maintained Kuic( response (/ ms to / s, accordin to type) Lon li&e *i h sensitivity.

Selection of IR pyrometers The critical considerations &or any in&rared pyrometer include &ield o& view (tar et si$e and distance), type o& sur&ace bein measured (emissivity considerations), spectral response (&or atmospheric e&&ects or transmission throu h sur&aces), temperature ran e and %ountin (handheld portable or &i1ed mount).

Bther considerations include response time, environment, mountin limitations, viewin port or window applications, and desired si nal processin . Field of iew The &ield o& view is the an le o& vision at which the instrument operates, and is determined by the optics o& the unit. To obtain an accurate temperature readin , the tar et bein measured should completely &ill the &ield o& view o& the instrument. Since the in&rared device determines the avera e temperature o& all sur&aces within the &ield o& view, i& the bac( round temperature is di&&erent &rom the object temperature, a measurement error can occur.

Emissi!ity 6missivity is de&ined as the ratio o& the ener y radiated by an object at a iven temperature to the ener y emitted by a per&ect radiator, or blac(body, at the same temperature. The emissivity o& a blac(body is /.-. 'll values o& emissivity &all between -.- and /.-. The total ener y, the sum o& emissivity, transmissivity and re&lectivity is equal to /# 6 5 T 5 R 4 /.The ideal sur&ace &or in&rared measurements is a per&ect radiator, or a blac(body with an emissivity o& /.-. %ost objects, however, are not per&ect radiators, but will re&lect and@or transmit a portion o& the ener y. %ost instruments have the ability to compensate &or di&&erent emissivity values, &or di&&erent materials. "n eneral, the hi her the emissivity o& an object, the easier it is to obtain an accurate temperature measurement usin in&rared. Bbjects with very low emissivities (below -.8) can be di&&icult applications. Some polished, shiny metallic sur&aces, such as aluminum, are so re&lective in the in&rared that accurate temperature measurements are not always possible. Spectral Response The spectral response o& the unit is the width o& the in&rared spectrum covered. %ost eneral purpose units (&or temperatures below /---IA) use a wideband &ilter in the ? to /0 micron ran e. This ran e is pre&erred &or most measurements, as it will allow measurements to be ta(en without the atmospheric inter&erence (where the atmospheric temperature a&&ects the readin s o& the instrument).

Some units use wider &ilters such as ? to 8- microns, which can be used &or close measurements, but are MMdistance-sensitive!! a ainst lon er distances. Aor special purposes, very narrow bands may be chosen. Mo"ntin# The pyrometer can be o& two types, either &i1ed-mount or portable. Ai1ed mount units are enerally installed in one location to continuously monitor a iven process. They usually operate on line power, and are aimed at a sin le point. The output &rom this type o& instrument can be a local or remote display, alon with an analo output that can be used &or another display or control loop. <attery powered, portable in&rared MM uns!! are also availableN these units have all the &eatures o& the &i1ed mount devices, usually without the analo output &or control purposes. ,enerally these units are utili$ed in maintenance, dia nostics, quality control, and spot measurements o& critical processes. Response Time Airst, the instrument must respond quic(ly enou h to process chan es &or accurate temperature recordin or control. Typical response times &or in&rared thermometers are in the -./ to / second ran e. )e1t, the unit must be able to &unction within the environment, at the ambient temperature. Optical pyrometer $asic Principle of optical pyrometer% The principle o& temperature measurement by bri htness comparision is used in optical pyrometer. ' colour variation with the rowth in temperature is ta(en as an inde1 o& temperature. This optical pyrometer compares the bri htness o& ima e produced by temperature source with that o& re&erence temperature lamp. The current in the lamp is adjusted until the bri htness o& the lamp is equal to the bri htness o& the ima e produced by the temperature source. Since the intensity o& li ht o& any wave len th depends on the temperature o& the radiatin object, the current passin throu h the lamp becomes a measure o& the temperature o& the temperature source when calibrated. Constr"ction of optical pyrometer% The main parts o& an optical pyrometer are as &ollows# /. 'n eye piece at one end 8. 'n objective lens at the other end.

9. 0. =. >.

' power source (battery), Rheostat %illivoltmeter (to measure current) connected to a re&erence temperature bulb. 'n absorption screen is placed in between the objective lens and re&erence temperature lamp. The absorption screen is used to increase the ran e o& the temperature which can be measured by the instrument. .. The red &ilter between the eye piece and the lamp allows only a narrow band o& wavelen th o& around -.>=mui

Operation of optical pyrometer% 3hen a temperature source is to be measured, the radiation &rom the source is &ocused onto the &ilament o& the re&erence temperature lamp usin the objective lens. )ow the eye piece is adjusted so that the &ilament o& the re&erence temperature lamp is in sharp &ocus and the &ilament is seen super imposed on the ima e o& the temperature source. )ow the observer starts controllin the lamp current and The &ilament will appear dar( i& the &ilament is cooler than the temperature source, The &ilament will appear bri ht i& the &ilament is hotter than the temperature source, The &ilament will not be seen i& the &ilament and temperature source are in the same temperature.

*ence the observer should control the lamp current until the &ilament and the temperature source have the same bri htness which will be noticed when the &ilament disappears in the superimposed ima e o& the temperature source Othat is the bri htness o& the lamp and the temperature source are sameP. 't the instance, the current &lowin throu h the lamp which is indicated by the millivoltmeter connected to the lamp becomes a measure o& the temperature o& the temperature source when calibrated.

Applications of optical pyrometer% Bptical pyrometers are used to measure temperature o& molten metals or heated materials. Bptical pyrometers are used to measure temperature o& &urnace and hot bodies.

Ad!anta#es of optical pyrometer% +hysical contact o& the instrument is not required to measure temperature o& the temperature source. 'ccuracy is hi h 5 or E =!:. +rovided a proper si$ed ima e o& the temperature source is obtained in the instrument, the distance between the instrument and the temperature source doesn!t matter. The instrument is easy to operate.

&imitations of the Optical pyrometer% Temperature o& more than .--!: can only be measured since illumination o& the temperature source is a must &or measurement. Since it is manually operated, it cannot be used &or the continuous monitorin and controlling purpose.