Temperature Calibrators: The Ultimate Guide to Accurate and Reliable Calibration

Temperature calibration is a vital aspect of many industries to ascertain the realization of accurate and dependable readings from temperature measuring instruments. A temperature calibrator is a high-precision device available to check and calibrate temperature sensors, thermometers, and other temperature-measuring instruments. A stable reference temperature is established using these instruments, allowing the user to compare and calibrate his instruments accordingly.

Industries like pharmaceuticals, aeronautics, automobiles, manufacturing, and environmental monitoring utilize temperature calibrators to achieve accuracy, enhance process efficiency, and conform to stringent quality standards. The performance of a research lab or even industrial applications depends greatly on the reliability of a temperature calibrator for either it can conform fully to regulations.

Tempsens. offers its comprehensive range of CALsys temperature calibration equipment for contact as well as non-contact temperature sensors. Characterized by consistency, reliability, and efficiency in industrial temperature calibration, these precision calibrators do full justice to the above definition.

Types of Temperature Calibrators

Temperature calibrators are categorically of two types on the basis of method of calibration: Contact Type Calibrators and Non-Contact Type Calibrators.

Contact-Type Temperature Calibrators

Contact-type calibrators need direct physical contact between the calibrator and sensor for calibration. They normally employ a temperature medium with controlled temperature like a liquid bath or dry block.

1. Dry Block Temperature Calibrators
   

   Dry block calibrators are extensively used in industrial processes for testing and calibrating contact-type temperature sensors such as thermocouples and RTDs. They consist of a solid metal block with holes (or inserts) precisely machined to insert sensors for calibration purposes.

Key Features of Dry Block Calibrators:

• Provide a wide operating temperature range between typically -180°C to 1700°C.
• Produce a controlled and stable heat/cool environment without the use of liquids.
• Use heating elements or Peltier modules for temperature control.
• Offer rapid heat-up and cool-down times, leading to reduced down-time in calibrations.
• Field and laboratory applications.
• Provide high accuracy with excellent stability for temperature measurement.
• Changeable inserts for different sensor sizes.
• Dry block calibrators are used in environments where clean and dry calibration becomes necessary, including pharmaceutical industry, aerospace, and food processing.

    2.  Liquid Bath Temperature Calibrators

Liquid bath calibrators employ a thermally stable liquid medium to achieve a very uniform temperature environment for calibration. They are perfectly suited for processes that need the highest stability and precision.

• Employ various liquids based on the temperature range (e.g., methanol for sub-zero temperatures, water for middle-range temperatures, and silicone oil for high temperatures).
• Provide a wide temperature range, usually from -80°C to 250°C.
• Accept multiple sensors simultaneously, thus proving to be convenient for batch calibration.
• Reduce thermal gradients to improve calibration precision.
• Recommended for low-temperature applications as well as fragile sensors.

Liquid bath calibrators are extremely common in all industries that necessitate accurate control of temperature, including pharmaceutical validation, medical device testing, and environmental monitoring.

Non-Contact Type Temperature Calibrators

Calibration is done without temperature contact measuring up to the devices such as infrared thermometers and thermal camera systems. They are stable and known references of temperature by infrared radiation.

1. Black Body Calibrators
   

   Most widely used non-contact temperature calibrators are blackbody calibrators. They emit predetermined infrared radiation at a temperature and serve to calibrate infrared thermometers and thermal cameras with respect to a standard.

Key Features of Black Body Calibrators:

• Provide a very steady infrared radiation source for calibration purposes
• Have temperature ranges of -40°C to 3000 °C
• Built with a high emissive surface for accurate reference temperature
• Measured in medical, industrial, and aerospace industries out for calibration of non-contact temperature sensors
• Calibrate thermal cameras for security, industrial inspection, and medical thermography applications.

These black body calibrators are among the essential instruments that find application in areas where infrared temperature measurement is most critical. These include medical thermometry, process monitoring in industries, and aerospace engineering.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Why is temperature calibration important?

Calibration is important in the temperature-sensitive industries such as pharmaceuticals, aerospace, and manufacturing, where slight errors could create serious repercussions or non-compliance.

• What does emissivity here mean with respect to black body calibrators?

Emissivity is the effectiveness of a surface to emit infrared radiation; black body calibrators have a high emissivity (~0.98), which means they can even be considered reflected by them for all practical purposes.

• Can I automate temperature calibration?

Many calibrators allow you to do automation and record results through RS-232, USB, or Ethernet connections.

• Why Tempsens temperature calibrators?

Tempsens creates calibration solutions that are very precise and reliable and provides industry certification backed by over 45 years of expertise.

Read more at: https://tempsens.com/ct/temperature-calibration-and-services/calibration-equipments/