AN APPARATUS FOR COMPARISON OF THERMOCOUPLES
This paper describes a semiautomatic apparatus for routine or precision comparisons of thermocouples of the same type in the temperature range 0–1100 °C. The couples being compared are welded together at the tips and placed in a tube furnace which is heated at rates varying from 10 to 100 °C./min. Measurements of carefully annealed thermocouples show that in the temperature range 300–1100 °C. platinum – platinum 10% rhodium thermocouple comparisons may be made to accuracies of ± 0.3 μv. (± 0.03 °C.) at heating velocities as great as 15 °C./min. while accuracies of ± 1.5 μv. at velocities of 100 °C./min. are feasible. The furnace temperature is varied by means of a motor-driven variac with automatic reversal at peak temperature. In addition to this standard comparison procedure, provision is made for comparing corresponding elements of the couples, for suppression of all or part of the measured e.m.f., and for measuring the whole e.m.f. of all couples when a comparison of different types is desired. The system can be adapted to XY recording with total e.m.f. plotted against e.m.f. differences.