Temperature measurement. Chain choice criteria and measurement method

This summary article is an introduction to the Thermometry section, and as such, frequent references will be made to the various articles in this section, where the specific methods for each sensor are detailed.

In this article, the sensors and methods of use will be briefly described, with reference to the specialist articles in this Measurement & Control treatise.

The complexity of choosing a measurement chain is obviously linked to the number of constraints imposed by the environment in which it will be used. The nature of the information required and the measurement method will also be important selection criteria. Each individual case will have its own answer, and it is not possible to consider all cases here. Many selection criteria may seem incongruous at first glance, such as sensor weight, color, etc., but in some cases they may be of importance. We'll try here to review the most common criteria in response to the questions posed above. The answer will often be a compromise whose relevance can only be judged by the experimenter.

A few points to consider have already been covered in the article "Measuring temperatures. Questions to ask before measuring" [R 2516] .