Thermowells
Introduction:
Thermowells are tubular housings in which temperature sensors are installed in industrial
processes. It is made up of a tube which is drilled and machined from a solid bar stock which is
closed at one end and mounted in process stream. Sensors such as Thermocouples and RTD’s
are inserted through the open end of the thermowell and are placed at the tip of the closed
end. The open end is usually outside the process piping. The heat from the Process fluid is
transferred to the Thermowell walls and then to the sensor, so the thermowell is heated up
before the sensor. Due to this increase in thermal mass the response of the sensor is slowed
down. The construction and specifications of the Thermowell are governed by an International
Standard made my ASME (American Society for Mechanical Engineers) called PTC 19.3 TW.
What is PTC 19.3TW:
PTC means Performance Test Codes, these are some standard experimented series of tests and
calculations which are carried out to determine the reliability and workability of a product. PTC
19.3 TW is a standard which is defined for Mechanical designing of a thermowell. This standard
simulates various possible scenarios in which a thermowell is subjected, and according to those
applications it states possible Thermowell designs which will satisfy the needs without any
failure. Currently PTC 19.3 TW 2016 version is used which is a revision from PTC 19.3 TW 2010.
Types of Thermowell:
• On the basis of Shank design.
Straight Shank Thermowell: These type of
thermowells have a constant shank diameter
throughout. They have high mechanical
strength as there are no altercations made to
solid structure of the bar stock. They also possess a decent Response but is still
less than the other types.
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Tapered Thermowell: These type of
thermowells have a uniformly tapered shank
diameter from Root to the Tip, giving least
diameter at the Tip. The lower thermal mass
at the tip provides a faster response than the Straight Shank.
Step Shank Thermowell: These type of
thermowells have a stepped design with
2 diameters between the Root and the
Tip, with lower diameter at the tip
portion. These provide the fastest
response among all the types. But in terms of mechanical strength these have
the lowest strength as due to the addition of a step we have increased the
number of failure points.
• On the basis of mounting.
Threaded Thermowell: In this type of
thermowell, Male threads are provided
above the root which is directly
mounted with the female threads on the process connection.
Flanged Thermowell: In this type of
thermowell, a flange is welded or machined
above the root of the thermowell. This
flange contains mounting holes or threads
which are used to mount the thermowell to
the process.
Socket Weld Thermowell: This type of
thermowell is mounted using a weld collar
which is welded on to the thermowell as
well as the process connection.
Welded Thermowell: In this type the
thermowell is directly welded on to the
process connection.
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E-mail: [email protected]
Lap Joint (Van Stone) Thermowell: This
type of thermowell is specially used in Pipe
standoffs where a mounting flange is already
present on the process connection. A small
collar is machined on the thermowell by which
the thermowell is placed on the flange, and
then a counter flange is bolted from above to
rigidly mount the thermowell.
• Special Thermowells:
Thermowells with Velocity Collars: When mounting
a thermowell through a pipe standoff the insertion
length is increased due to the extended Nipple from the
pipe, due to which the thermowell does not pass
according to normal standards. So to decrease the
unsupported length collars are provided on the
thermowell which has to be closed fit with the pipe
standoff. By doing this we decrease the unsupported
length which increases the stability of thermowell inside
the flow stream. Sometimes more than one collar is
required according to the length of standoff.
Thermowells with Helical Strakes: In some cases helical strakes can be
machined on the thermowell at the insertion length. These helical strakes
obstruct the formation of vortices behind the thermowell which decreases the
stresses caused due to vortex shedding. This style of design is usually found in
Long Chimneys due to the presence of high velocity air currents on higher
altitude. Similar concept can be implemented on to Thermowells.
Web: www.tempsens.com
E-mail: [email protected]
Dimensional Specifications Acc. to ASME PTC 19.3 TW 2016:
For Straight & Tapered Thermowells:
For Step Shank Thermowells:
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