The July Technology Evening was hosted by Endress+Hauser, with Chris Gimson who presented on how to order a temperature measurement probe.
Eric Carter (right) presents Chris Gimson with the SAIMC certificate.
Many methods have been developed for measuring temperature. Most of these rely on measuring some physical property of a working material that varies with temperature. There are many devices that are used to measure temperature such as thermocouples, thermistors and resistance temperature detectors. Non-contact temperature devices are pyrometers and Langmuir probes for electron temperature measurement of plasma.
Chris limited his presentation to the process industry and took us through some practical aspects behind the selection of temperature measurement probes. Despite temperature being one of the most measured process parameters, it is seen and treated as a commodity product where price is the driver.
Even in the case of critical measurements, inadequate spares are often held by the user. Breakdowns become critical and then delivery is the driver. Purchase is left to the procurement department who do not have the technical competence to help a supplier by clarifying the requirements. Inadequate or incorrect specifications also hamper correct supply. The result is that often temperature sensors are quoted and supplied without any real reference to their application leading to incorrect supply and reliability issues. Often any corrections made post order are not updated in the user specifications and so the problem is repeated next time.
Topics covered by Chris included general purpose and high performance sensors, compact thermometers; temperature sensor selection, RTD vs. thermocouple, temperature sensor performance, calibration and sensor/transmitter matching for improved accuracy
The branch thanks Chris for his valued and informative presentation.
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