Developing self-validating thermocouples with ESA
thermocouple
The aim of this project between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NPL was to demonstrate performance of miniature high-temperature fixed points (HTFPs) for in-situ validation of W-Re thermocouples up to 2300 °C. This work builds on previous leading research on high temperature measurements at NPL.
Implementation of self-validating thermocouples in-situ has been shown to be essential for user confidence when employing Type C thermocouples above 1300 °C. The HTFPs have been shown to provide suitable immersion for clear observation of the melting and freezing transitions and to be reliable under the conditions of these tests.
Furthermore, a HTFP containing two fixed-point materials was also shown to perform excellently - providing the opportunity for validation of the thermocouple output over an increased temperature range.
We would like to thank Omega Engineering Ltd (UK) for their support in the construction of the W-Re thermocouples used for these measurements.
Opening workshop
The project was begun with a workshop, held at ESA-estec (Noordwijk, Netherlands) on 9 March 2011. Sixteen companies were represented and ten presentations were made to highlight the needs of related industries.
The workshop flyer is available here 
The presentations and discussion summary are available to all participants here
Closing presentation
The project was closed with a further meeting at ESA-estec (Noordwijk, Netherlands) on 13 July 2012. The final presentation of the results and conclusions will be available here shortly.
A public version of the final project report is available here
The closing presentation is available here
Contact
For further information, please contact Jonathan Pearce or Claire Elliott