CHAPTER5LIQUID-IN-GLASSTHERMOMETERS.pptVIP

Chapter 5  LIQUID - IN - GLASS  THERMOMETERS “… the degree of their scales agree with one another, and their variations are within limits …” Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1706 ) * * 5. 1 Principles and Definitions A liquid -in -glass thermometer [ 1 ] , [ 2 ] is a temperature-measuring instrument consisting of a thin-walled glass bulb ( the reservoir for the thermometer liquid ) attached to a glass stem ( the capillary tube through which the meniscus of the liquid moves with a change in temperature ), with the bulb and stem system sealed against its environment. The portion of the bulb-stem space that is not occupied with the thermometer liquid usually is filled with a dry inert gas under sufficient pressure to prevent separation of the thermometer liquid. A scale is provided to indicate the height to which the liquid column rises in the stem, and this reading is made to indicate closely the temperature of the bulb. A contraction chamber (an enlargement of the capillary) often is provided below the main capillary to avoid the need for a long length of capillary or to prevent contraction of the liquid column into the bulb. An expansion chamber ( an enlargement of the capillary ) often is provided above the main capillary to protect the thermometer in case of overheating. A reference point (usually marking the height of the thermometer fluid in the stem when the bulb is at the ice point) should be provided as a check against changes in the bulb volume. The operation of a liquid-in-glass thermometer thus depends on the coefficient of expansion of the liquid being greater than that of the containing glass bulb. Any increase in the bulb temperature causes the liquid to expand and rise in the stem, with the difference in volume between the bulb and the stem serving to magnify the change in volume of the liquid.  In establishing a thermometer scale, certain conditi