Thermocouple Measuring Busbar Temperature

[BradyJr]

Apologies as this may be a stupid question :

I want to use a thermocouple to measure the temperature of a piece of busbar. My concern is the busbar will be charged with 120 V. Attaching a K type thermocouple directly to the busbar would cause problems for the temperature reading, no?

Thank you for your time.

 

[waross]

That depends on the instrument that the TC is connected to.

Take a look st this thread. There are some similar issues.

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=419502

Pay particular attention to this advice from Skogsgurra in regards to bare TCs:
DO NOT BOND TCs TO ANYTHING THAT CARRIES CURRENT

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

 

[ScottyUK]

Bear in mind that most arc-flash tests are initiated with an ignition wire not much thicker than thermocouple wire. You might want to have a look at You-Tube to see just how badly things can go wrong, then decide if this is a good idea.

Can you use a non-contact laser thermometer instead?

 

[itsmoked]

Just use a NON-CONTACT tempgun or a thermal-imager.


Oh and Scotty, didn't he say "120V"?

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[ScottyUK]

Well at least we agree about non-contact measurement!

I can honestly say that the week I spent at the IPH test facility in Berlin was an eye-opener about arc flash. I'm not sure that an arc is sustainable with 120V at typical busbar separation distances but why take the chance if the risk is avoidable through choosing a better measurement technique?

 

[danw2]

fiber optic temperature measurement

It appears that the probe end that connects to the electronic box has a SS transition and some sort of electrical connector, but the probe looks like fiber optic glass.

1Hz update rates.

And you'd have to deal with Profibus DP.

No clue what the pricing is.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

This sounds like an ideal job for a pyrometer... non-contact, relatively inexpensive, etc.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[itsmoked]

There are contactless thermocouples that work really well.

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com