What type of electricity production is measured by a thermocouple?
A thermocouple uses two dissimilar electrical conductors to generate a thermoelectric voltage proportional to the temperature difference between the two end junctions.
What type of signal does a thermocouple produce?
temperature-dependent voltage
A thermocouple produces a temperature-dependent voltage as a result of the Seebeck effect, and this voltage can be interpreted to measure temperature. Thermocouples are widely used as temperature sensors.
Where does the current produced by thermocouples come from?
The thermocouple voltage is not produced in the junction but rather over the full length of the wires between the junction end and the cold junction end at the instrument. In other words thermocouples are measuring a thermal gradient along the wires. I see no useful value to consider putting a “load” across the thermocouple wires at the instrument.
How is the voltage of a thermocouple dependent on temperature?
The voltage produced by thermocouple junctions is strictly dependent upon temperature. Any current in a thermocouple circuit is a function of circuit resistance in opposition to this voltage (I=E/R).
How is the emf of a thermocouple related to its EMF?
The IC then produces a voltage that is proportional to the voltage produced by a thermocouple with its hot junction at ambient and its cold junction at 0°C. This voltage is added to the EMF produced by the thermocouple. The net effect is the same as if the cold junction were physically held at 0°C.
How many amps can be generated from a thermocouple junction?
With heavy enough thermocouple conductors, currents upwards of hundreds of amps can be generated from a single pair of thermocouple junctions! (I’ve actually seen this in a laboratory experiment, using heavy bars of copper and copper/nickel alloy to form the junctions and the circuit conductors.)