Introduction to Mechatronics Because temperature is such an

#Introduction to Mechatronics#

Because temperature is such an important variable in many engineering systems,describe one sensor you would like to use in your project design, give the reasons to support your answer.

Solution

Thermocouple:

A thermocouple is an electrical device consisting of two different conductors forming electrical junctions at differing temperatures. A thermocouple produces a temperature-dependent voltage as a result of the thermoelectric effect, and this voltage can be interpreted to measure temperature. Thermocouples are a widely used type of temperature sensor.

Principle of operation:

When different metals are joined at the ends and there is a temperature difference between the joints a magnetic field is observed. At the time Seebeck referred to this as thermo-magnetism, the magnetic field he observed was later shown to be due to thermo-electric current. In practical use the voltage generated at a single junction of two different types of wire is what is of interest as this can be used to measure temperature at very high and low temperatures. The magnitude of the voltage depends on the types of wire used. Generally, the voltage is in the microvolt range and care must be taken to obtain a usable measurement.

Thermocouples are widely used in science and industry; applications include temperature measurement for kilns, gas turbine exhaust, diesel engines, and other industrial processes.