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In the world of industrial temperature measurement, the thermocouple is an indispensable sensor. Rugged, cost-effective, and capable of withstanding extreme temperatures, it is used in everything from industrial furnaces to state-of-the-art facilities. However, behind its apparent simplicity—two different metal wires connected together—lies a major technical challenge: cold junction compensation (CJC).
Without this technological solution, your temperature measurements would be inaccurate at the slightest change in ambient conditions. Let’s explore together how this phenomenon works and why it ensures the accuracy of your processes.
The Secret of the Thermocouple: The Seebeck Effect
To understand cold junctions, we need to go back to the basics. A thermocouple does not directly measure the absolute temperature at point A or point B. It measures the temperature difference between two points using the Seebeck effect.
A complete thermocouple circuit consists of two junctions:
The thermocouple generates an electrical voltage (in microvolts) proportional to the temperature difference between these two junctions.
The Problem of Variable Cold Welding
Universal conversion tables (such as those in the NIST ITS-90 Thermocouple Database) allow microvolts to be converted to degrees Celsius. However, these standardized reference tables assume that the cold junction is maintained at exactly 0 °C (in a bath of melting ice).
In the laboratory, the ice bath works very well. But in a factory or in the field, it is impossible to keep the connection terminals at 0 °C. If the ambient temperature in your electrical cabinet rises from 20 °C to 35 °C, the voltage generated by the thermocouple will drop, completely skewing your PLC’s interpretation.
This is where CJC (Cold Junction Compensation) comes into play.
How does modern clearing work?
Since we cannot force a cold joint to remain at 0 °C, modern measuring devices use electronic or software compensation:
Corrected voltage (reference at 0°C) = Measured voltage + Compensation voltage (cold junction)
Thanks to this algorithmic approach, the overall accuracy can reach ±0.5 °C or better, even in the face of thermal fluctuations in an industrial environment.
Best Practices for Avoiding Deviation
Even with the best hardware or built-in compensation components, certain human or installation errors can interfere with the measurement:
At the time whenRome, under the first auspices, was rising to worldly glory—
—and while Rome was destined to endure as long as mankind exists, so that it might grow with sublime progress, Virtus and Fortuna, who are most often at odds, entered into a covenant of eternal peace; had either one been absent, Rome would not have reached the pinnacle of perfection.
From this, some conclude that one can entrust oneself to eternity
They value statues so highly that they ardently seek them, as if they were to gain more reward from these senseless bronze figments than from the knowledge that they have acted honestly and rightly; and they seek to have them gilded with gold—a practice first introduced by Acilius Glabrio when he had defeated King Antiochus through strategy and arms. But how beautiful it is, as the poet Ascraeus recalls, to spurn these trifles and to strive toward the true glory through long and arduous paths, Censorius Cato demonstrated this. When asked why, among so many… he did not have a statue, he replied that he would rather be accused of mistaking the good for the bad than of not deserving it—and that it was more serious to remain silent about why he had achieved it.
This region of Arabia is united with it, and on the other side borders the Nabataeans
Abundant in trade and dotted with strongholds and fortresses—which the foresight of our ancestors, ever vigilant against the raids of neighboring tribes, had erected in strategic passes and well-guarded locations—this province also includes among its cities certain immense ones: Bostra, Gerasa, and Philadelphia, whose walls are exceptionally strong. Trajan, having subdued this province—which had been given a name and a governor—and brought it into compliance with our laws, frequently struck down the rebellion of the inhabitants while, with glorious military might, he pressed on against Media and the Parthians.
At the time whenRome, under the first auspices, was rising to worldly glory—
—and while Rome was destined to endure as long as mankind exists, so that it might grow with sublime progress, Virtus and Fortuna, who are most often at odds, entered into a covenant of eternal peace; had either one been absent, Rome would not have reached the pinnacle of perfection.
From this, some conclude that one can entrust oneself to eternity
They value statues so highly that they ardently seek them, as if they were to gain more reward from these senseless bronze figments than from the knowledge that they have acted honestly and rightly; and they seek to have them gilded with gold—a practice first introduced by Acilius Glabrio when he had defeated King Antiochus through strategy and arms. But how beautiful it is, as the poet Ascraeus recalls, to spurn these trifles and to strive toward the true glory through long and arduous paths, Censorius Cato demonstrated this. When asked why, among so many… he did not have a statue, he replied that he would rather be accused of mistaking the good for the bad than of not deserving it—and that it was more serious to remain silent about why he had achieved it.
This region of Arabia is united with it, and on the other side borders the Nabataeans
Abundant in trade and dotted with strongholds and fortresses—which the foresight of our ancestors, ever vigilant against the raids of neighboring tribes, had erected in strategic passes and well-guarded locations—this province also includes among its cities certain immense ones: Bostra, Gerasa, and Philadelphia, whose walls are exceptionally strong. Trajan, having subdued this province—which had been given a name and a governor—and brought it into compliance with our laws, frequently struck down the rebellion of the inhabitants while, with glorious military might, he pressed on against Media and the Parthians.
At the time whenRome, under the first auspices, was rising to worldly glory—
—and while Rome was destined to endure as long as mankind exists, so that it might grow with sublime progress, Virtus and Fortuna, who are most often at odds, entered into a covenant of eternal peace; had either one been absent, Rome would not have reached the pinnacle of perfection.
From this, some conclude that one can entrust oneself to eternity
They value statues so highly that they ardently seek them, as if they were to gain more reward from these senseless bronze figments than from the knowledge that they have acted honestly and rightly; and they seek to have them gilded with gold—a practice first introduced by Acilius Glabrio when he had defeated King Antiochus through strategy and arms. But how beautiful it is, as the poet Ascraeus recalls, to spurn these trifles and to strive toward the true glory through long and arduous paths, Censorius Cato demonstrated this. When asked why, among so many… he did not have a statue, he replied that he would rather be accused of mistaking the good for the bad than of not deserving it—and that it was more serious to remain silent about why he had achieved it.
This region of Arabia is united with it, and on the other side borders the Nabataeans
Abundant in trade and dotted with strongholds and fortresses—which the foresight of our ancestors, ever vigilant against the raids of neighboring tribes, had erected in strategic passes and well-guarded locations—this province also includes among its cities certain immense ones: Bostra, Gerasa, and Philadelphia, whose walls are exceptionally strong. Trajan, having subdued this province—which had been given a name and a governor—and brought it into compliance with our laws, frequently struck down the rebellion of the inhabitants while, with glorious military might, he pressed on against Media and the Parthians.
At the time whenRome, under the first auspices, was rising to worldly glory—
—and while Rome was destined to endure as long as mankind exists, so that it might grow with sublime progress, Virtus and Fortuna, who are most often at odds, entered into a covenant of eternal peace; had either one been absent, Rome would not have reached the pinnacle of perfection.
From this, some conclude that one can entrust oneself to eternity
They value statues so highly that they ardently seek them, as if they were to gain more reward from these senseless bronze figments than from the knowledge that they have acted honestly and rightly; and they seek to have them gilded with gold—a practice first introduced by Acilius Glabrio when he had defeated King Antiochus through strategy and arms. But how beautiful it is, as the poet Ascraeus recalls, to spurn these trifles and to strive toward the true glory through long and arduous paths, Censorius Cato demonstrated this. When asked why, among so many… he did not have a statue, he replied that he would rather be accused of mistaking the good for the bad than of not deserving it—and that it was more serious to remain silent about why he had achieved it.
This region of Arabia is united with it, and on the other side borders the Nabataeans
Abundant in trade and dotted with strongholds and fortresses—which the foresight of our ancestors, ever vigilant against the raids of neighboring tribes, had erected in strategic passes and well-guarded locations—this province also includes among its cities certain immense ones: Bostra, Gerasa, and Philadelphia, whose walls are exceptionally strong. Trajan, having subdued this province—which had been given a name and a governor—and brought it into compliance with our laws, frequently struck down the rebellion of the inhabitants while, with glorious military might, he pressed on against Media and the Parthians.
