The Radiation Temperature Laboratory provides SI-traceable calibration infrastructure for high-temperature measurements. It ensures the traceability of radiation and contact temperature measurements at and above the silver freezing point (961.78 °C).
Overview
The main purpose of the laboratory is the establishment, maintenance, and dissemination of the National Radiation Temperature Scale at the primary level. It also ensures the traceability of radiation and contact temperature measurements to SI units for temperatures above the silver freezing point of 961.78 °C.
Radiation temperature is a temperature value obtained by measuring the thermal radiation (according to Planck's law) emitted from the surface of an object. Since radiation temperature measurements are performed remotely and without contact, they are of critical importance in many fields. Particularly in situations where high temperatures need to be measured and contact measurement is difficult or impossible, radiation temperature is extremely useful for measuring the temperature of moving objects.
This method provides safe measurement in hazardous environments where direct contact is not possible, such as high-temperature furnaces, molten metals, motors or chemical reactions. In industrial applications, it is widely used in areas such as metalworking, glass production, and cement and paper production industries to optimize production processes and ensure quality control.
It is widely used in the food industry due to being contactless and hygienic. Contactless human body temperature measurements became a focal point for all humanity, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, forehead and skin thermometers (and thermal cameras) have become indispensable today for fast, personalized, and high-accuracy measurement of body temperature (fever) based on human body thermal radiation.
Research
Measurement and calibration of thermal radiation emitted from surfaces based on Planck's radiation law.
Traceable calibration services to ITS-90 in temperature ranges at and above the silver freezing point (961.78 °C).
Contact and non-contact temperature measurements in high-temperature industrial processes such as metalworking, glass, and cement production.
Traceable calibration of thermal cameras and infrared thermometers used in medical and industrial applications.
Calibration of thermocouples and resistance thermometers to SI units traceable to ITS-90 in the high-temperature range.
Experimental determination of spectral and total emissivity coefficients of materials and investigation of their effect on high-temperature measurements.
Equipment
The laboratory performs ITS-90 traceable calibrations and high-temperature measurements using infrared pyrometers, thermal cameras, optical pyrometers, thermocouples, and fixed-point cells.
Instruments providing non-contact temperature detection by measuring thermal radiation emitted from surfaces. Precise calibration is performed over wide temperature ranges.
Cameras imaging two-dimensional temperature distribution. Traceable calibration is performed for devices used in medical, industrial, and security fields.
Reference systems providing primary traceability to the ITS-90 scale using silver (961.78 °C) and other pure metal freezing/melting points.
High-accuracy calibration of Type-S, Type-R, and Type-B thermocouples used at temperatures of 1000 °C and above.
Blackbody furnaces with high emissivity coefficients used as reference sources in traceable calibration studies.
Infrastructure
| No | Equipment / System | Brand | Model | Range / Capacity | Purpose / Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radiation Thermometer (Pyrometer) | Land Instruments | System 4 / Marathon MR | 600 °C – 3000 °C | Primary radiation temperature reference instrument |
| 2 | Fixed-Point Cell (Silver) | TuBiTak UME | Ag-FP Cell | 961.78 °C | ITS-90 primary reference fixed point |
| 3 | High-Temperature Blackbody Furnace | Fluke / Isothermal | 4181 / CS2000 | 600 °C – 2000 °C | Reference source calibration environment |
| 4 | Thermal Camera | FLIR Systems | A655sc / T1020 | -20 °C – 2000 °C | 2D temperature distribution imaging and calibration |
| 5 | Type-S Thermocouple (Reference) | Omega / Heraeus | SPRR-250 / W-Re | 0 °C – 1600 °C | High-temperature contact measurement reference |
| 6 | Temperature Controller | Eurotherm / Yokogawa | 3508 / UT35A | 0 °C – 2000 °C | Precise furnace temperature control and regulation |
| 7 | Data Acquisition System (DAQ) | Agilent / Keysight | 34970A / 34980A | Digital / Analog output | Automatic thermoelectric and voltage data recording |
Accuracy
The expanded uncertainties (k=2) of calibration measurements performed in the laboratory are determined within the framework of traceability to the ITS-90 reference scale.
| Temperature Range | Expanded Uncertainty (U) | Confidence Level |
|---|---|---|
| 961.78 °C (Ag Freezing Point) | 0.1 °C | k=2 (approx. 95% confidence interval) |
| 1000 °C – 1500 °C | 0.3 °C | k=2 (approx. 95% confidence interval) |
| 1500 °C – 2000 °C | 1.0 °C | k=2 (approx. 95% confidence interval) |
* Uncertainty values are calculated using a coverage factor k=2 and correspond to an approximately 95% confidence interval.
Calibration
Traceable calibration to ITS-90 of infrared pyrometers and temperature meters used in industrial and medical applications.
Traceable calibration of two-dimensional temperature imaging systems, particularly medical and industrial thermal cameras.
Primary method calibration of Type-S, R, and B thermocouples in temperature ranges of 961 °C and above.
Determination of thermocouples and resistance thermometers in the primary calibration chain using the silver fixed point.
Services
Radiation and contact temperature calibration traceable to SI units and the ITS-90 scale.
High-temperature measurement services for industrial furnaces, medical devices, and research systems.
Technical training on radiation temperature measurement, emissivity coefficient, and uncertainty calculations.
Support for R&D projects in the field of high-temperature metrology and radiation thermometer technology.
Expert support on pyrometer selection, calibration method determination, and measurement uncertainty calculations.
Comparison measurements of high-temperature radiation thermometers with national metrology institutes.
Application Areas
The Radiation Temperature Laboratory provides calibration, measurement and consultancy services to institutions and organizations in the following sectors.