An Automated Thermocouple Calibration System

Abstract

An Automated Thermocouple Calibration System (ATCS) was developed for the unattended calibration of type K thermocouples. This system operates from room temperature to 650 C and has been used for calibration of thermocouples in an eight-zone furnace system which may employ as many as 60 thermocouples simultaneously. It is highly efficient, allowing for the calibration of large numbers of thermocouples in significantly less time than required for manual calibrations. The system consists of a personal computer, a data acquisition/control unit, and a laboratory calibration furnace. The calibration furnace is a microprocessor-controlled multipurpose temperature calibrator with an accuracy of +/- 0.7 C. The accuracy of the calibration furnace is traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The computer software is menu-based to give the user flexibility and ease of use. The user needs no programming experience to operate the systems. This system was specifically developed for use in the Microgravity Materials Science Laboratory (MMSL) at the NASA LeRC.