Thermocouple Vs Thermopile sensor | Difference between Thermocouple and Thermopile sensor
This page compares Thermocouple vs Thermopile sensor and mentions difference between Thermocouple and Thermopile sensor.
Thermocouple and its types
The electrical device made of two dissimilar conductors forming
electrical junctions at different temperatures is known as thermocouple.
It produces voltage which is dependent on temperature.
Due to this thermoelectric effect, it is known as thermoelectric transducer.
Refer difference between thermocouple types>> which include type-J, type-K, type-T, type-N, type-E, type-B, type-R and type-S.
and also difference between Thermocouple vs RTD vs Thermistor>> including
their functions, advantages and disadvantages in order to compare them.
Thermopile sensor
Thermopile is composed of pair of thermocouples or more arranged in series or parallel.
It produces higher voltage output compare to single thermocouple.
Moreover unlike thermocouple which is contact based temperature sensor, thermopile is
non contact based temperature sensor device. It uses infrared radiation for temperature
measurement along with IR Absorber device.
Refer Thermopile sensor basics and its working operation>>.
Following table mentions comparison between thermocouple and thermopile sensor types.
| Features | Thermocouple | Thermopile |
|---|---|---|
| Size | It is thinner and has pointed end | It is bigger and thicker |
| Voltage output | Lower, between 8 mV to 30 mV | Higher, in 10s or 100s of mVs |
| Structure | Two dissimilar conductors i.e. made of single pair of wires | More than one thermocouples arranged in series/parallel along with IR absorber membrane |
| Mathematical Equation | Vout = S*(Tx-TREF) | Vout = N*S*(Tx-TREF) Where, N is number of thermocouples used in a thermopile |
| Application | It is used for contact based temperature measurement | It is used for non-contact based temperature measurement due to use of IR (infrared radiation) mechanism employed. |
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