Construction and Characterization of a Large Aperture Blackbody for Infrared Radiometer Calibration

A large aperture blackbody (LABB) with a diameter of 1 m has been successfully constructed for calibrating radiation thermometers and infrared radiometers with a wide field of view in the temperature range between 10 °C and 90 °C. The blackbody is a 1 m long cylindro-conical cavity with a diameter of 1.1 m. Its conical bottom has an apex angle of 120°. To achieve good temperature stability and uniformity, the cavity is integrated to a water-bath to which the pressurized water is supplied from a reservoir. To reduce the convection heat loss from the cavity to the ambient, the cavity is purged of the dried air that passes through a coiled tube immersed in the reservoir. For an uncertainty evaluation of the LABB, its temperature stability was measured by using a reference radiation thermometer (RRT) and a platinum resistance thermometer (PRT), and its radiance temperature distributions on the aperture plane were measured by using a thermal camera. Measuring the spectral emissivity of the coating material, the effective emissivity of the blackbody was calculated to be 0.9955 from 1 ??m to 15 ??m. The expanded uncertainty of the radiance temperature scale was evaluated based on the PRT readings, which vary from 0.3 °C to 0.5 °C (k = 2) in the temperature range. The temperature scale is validated by comparing with the RRT of which the temperature scale is realized by a multiple fixed-point calibration.     

Triple-Fixed-Point Blackbody for the Calibration of Radiation Thermometers

A new triple-fixed-point blackbody containing the fixed-point materials aluminum (freezing point 660.323°C), zinc (FP 419.527°C), and tin (FP 231.928°C) in one device has been developed at the Ilmenau University of Technology. It enables calibration of a radiation thermometer with direct reference to the ITS-90 at three fixed points after a single adjustment of the calibration object. The setup significantly reduces the technical effort and the time for the calibration procedure. Measurements of the phase-transition temperature and the time-dependent blackbody temperature made with a transfer radiation thermometer, the Linearpyrometer LP5 of the IKE Stuttgart, are presented in the article.     

常温黑体光谱发射率校准技术研究

为了能够实现常温状态下的黑体光谱发射率的准确测量,基于连续可调激光器,搭建了一套中红外波段黑体光谱发射率测量装置。采用自行设计10 mA恒流源对MCT探测器进行驱动,测量结果的动态范围从7.29×10⁴提高到4.32×10⁵,有效提升了探测系统的动态范围。该装置实现了覆盖光谱范围7.5～10.6μm,发射率测量量值范围0.01～0.999 9的高精度测量,最优不确定度为4.0×10^-5(k=2)。     

Development of a New InGaAs Radiation Thermometer at NMIJ

The first InGaAs radiation thermometer at NMIJ was developed more than ten years ago as a standard radiation thermometer operating from 150 to 1,100°C. Its size-of-source effect (SSE) was as large as 1% from 6 mm in diameter to 50 mm in diameter. The new thermometer has an SSE of 0.3%. The reason for the error in measuring the SSE of InGaAs thermometers was also found. The new thermometer at first suffered from nonlinearity and the distance effect (DE). These deficiencies arose from the misalignment of optics inside the thermometer and were solved by increasing the detector size from 1 mm in diameter to 2 mm in diameter. Unfortunately, the detector of 2 mm diameter had a smaller S/N ratio than that of the 1 mm one at the indium (In) point. The final design uses a detector of 1 mm diameter, but the radiation is focussed on a smaller area of the detector. The new thermometer is smaller and lighter than preceding designs and other standard InGaAs radiation thermometers. The temperature of the main part of the instrument, including the filter, the detector, and the preamplifier board, is controlled at 30°C. In addition to the calibration with the six fixed points of copper (Cu), silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), zinc (Zn), tin (Sn), and indium (In), the linearity from the In point to the Cu point, the SSE, the DE, and the spectral responsivity were measured.     

H500型红外遥感定标高精度真空黑体辐射源的研制

对中国计量科学研究院研制的温度范围覆盖-93~220℃的H500型红外遥感定标高精度真空黑体辐射源进行了介绍。采用圆柱圆锥黑体腔和双层4段PID控温,在真空低背景(液氮冷却)环境下对该黑体进行了性能测试,在大气室温环境下,利用控制环境辐射反射比发射率测量方法测量了黑体空腔发射率和利用红外标准辐射温度计测量空腔底部温度均匀性等指标。实验结果表明,该黑体辐射源升温速率为1℃/min下,控制到温度点的稳定时间优于50 min,并且10 min内的温度稳定性在0.01℃以内;黑体温度设置在20℃、30℃和50℃下空腔发射率的测量结果分别为0.9965、0.9966和0.9963;其黑体底部温度均匀性优于0.03℃;在整个温度区域内扩展不确定度优于0.1℃(k=2)。     

The Influence of Distance and Focus on the Calibration of Infrared Radiation Thermometers

If a radiation thermometer is calibrated by measuring the temperatures of two cavities having different geometries, sometimes discrepancies arise between them, even though their emissivities are close to that of a blackbody. The origin of such discrepancies may result from the size-of-source effect, and in the distance-to-target effect for those thermometers that offer focusing capability. Examples include: (a) out-of-focus image changes the reading: different focus settings produce different results and (b) measurements taken at different distances produce different results. These effects are discussed, their contribution to the measurement uncertainty is evaluated, and some recommendations are made for practical blackbody cavities or radiators to reduce such effects.     

基于高温黑体炉的钨铼热电偶校准方法研究

基于中国计量科学研究院的高温黑体炉设计了一种适用于钨铼偶等高温热电偶的校准方法。优化设计的均温块测温孔轴向均匀性20mm范围内小于0.5℃,优选的测温孔与中心孔的辐射温度差异可达到小于0.5℃。经铂铑10-铂热电偶验证了基于高温黑体炉的校准方法,在800~1300℃与S型热电偶标准热电势间差异小于0.5℃,不确定度评估为0.8~1.5℃,k=2。在800~1900℃范围内,测试了多只不同来源的C型钨铼偶热电势并考核了偶丝校准前后的均匀性,实验结果表明,钨铼偶丝与国际标准钨铼偶热电势的差异基本保持在1%以内,校准不确定度为3.7~13.0℃,相对不确定度为0.7%t (t为温度),k=2。     

Radiative Properties of Blackbody Calibration Sources:Recent Advances in Computer Modeling

The radiative characteristics (spectral effective emissivity, spectral radiance, and radiance temperature) of blackbody calibration sources widely used in radiation thermometry are an important subject for advanced computer modeling by the Monte Carlo method. An algorithm and code for stochastic modeling of the radiant heat transfer inside cavities has been developed on the basis of the reciprocity principle and backward ray tracing. The importance sampling technique has been applied to generate the reflected rays according to the surface reflection model that can be a linear combination of the following primary models: Lambertian, Specular, and TETRA (a microfacet model of random tetrahedral pits that mimics reflections from a rough surface). A wide range of axisymmetrical cavities, cylindrical cavities with an inclined flat bottom, and a rectilinear grooved radiator of polygonal profile have been implemented. Various conditions of observation can be modeled to compute appropriate radiation characteristics. A number of different temperature distributions can be assigned to the same node set on the cavity surface, so several related tasks can be modeled in a single run. The results obtained for the radiative properties of isothermal and non-isothermal non-diffuse blackbodies used for the calibration of infrared radiation thermometers are presented and discussed.     

便携式黑体计量炉的设计和研究

本文设计了一款基于半导体片加热制冷的便携式黑体计量炉,温度范围为(-20^+150)℃,采用微型水冷散热系统,迅速带走半导体片背面热量,从而达到升温速率优于13℃/min,降温速率优于18℃/min。对黑体计量炉的设计原理和三个关键技术及相应的解决方法进行了阐述。最后,通过对样机测试,证明其控温精度,温度均匀性和稳定性符合技术指标,并对研究的成果做了总结。     

黑体式光电高温计调理电路设计

针对黑体式光电高温计中输出光电流范围较宽,并与温度呈近似指数关系、不易处理的问题,提出了基于精密对数放大器LOG100设计的调理电路,将宽范围的光电流转化为0～5V电压,便于进行A/D转换,提高了测温灵敏度,拓宽了测温范围,比传统的分立元件电路简单、可靠.实验表明:该方法测量灵敏度高,可以满足高温计最大测温偏差0.5%的要求.     

Calibration of an Absolute Radiation Thermometer for Accurate Determination of Fixed-Point Temperatures

For accurate determinations of thermodynamic temperature, NPL has developed its absolute radiation thermometer (ART), which is calibrated traceably against a cryogenic radiometer. This article reviews some of the potential sources of systematic uncertainty present in the calibration and use of ART. In particular, this article is concerned with the evaluation of the size-of-source effect and the lens transmittance, as well as potential differences in the responsivity of a transfer trap detector when calibrated in terms of radiant power and used in irradiance mode.     

Optimization of a Graphite Tube Blackbody Heater for a Thermogage Furnace

Design modifications are presented for a 289-mm long, 25.4-mm inner diameter blackbody heater element of a 48 kW Thermogage blackbody furnace, based on (i) cutting a small “heater zone” into the ends of the tube and (ii) using a mixture of He and Ar or N₂ to “tune” the heat losses and, hence, gradients in the furnace. A simple numerical model for the heater tube is used to model and optimize these design changes, and experimental measurements of the modified temperature profile are presented. The convenience of the Thermogage graphite-tube furnace, commonly used in many NMIs as a blackbody source for radiation–thermometer calibration and as a spectral irradiance standard, is limited by its effective emissivity, typically between 99.5% and 99.9%. The design simplicity of the furnace is that the blackbody cavity, heater, and electrical and mechanical connections are achieved through a single piece of machined graphite. As the heater also performs a mechanical function, the required material thickness leads to significant axial heat flux and resulting temperature gradients. For operation at a single temperature, changes to the tube profile could be used to optimize the gradient. However, it is desired to use the furnace over a wide temperature range (1,000–2,900°C), and the temperature-dependence of the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity, and that of the insulation, makes this approach much more complex; for example, insulation losses are proportional to T ⁴, whereas conduction losses are proportional to T. In the results presented here, a slightly thinner graphite region near each end of the tube was used to “inject heat” to compensate for the axial conduction losses, and the depth, width, and position of this region was adjusted to achieve a compromise in performance over a wide temperature range. To assist with this optimization, the insulation purging gas was changed from N₂ to He at the lower temperatures to change the thermal conductivity of the felt insulation, and the effectiveness of this approach has been experimentally confirmed.     

黑体辐射源的多波长有效亮度温度校准和不同溯源方式特点分析

介绍了中国计量科学研究院建立的标准变温黑体辐射源和有效亮度温度比较装置;阐述了黑体辐射源多波长有效亮度温度校准的2种方法,给出典型校准结果并分析了辐射源特性。比较分析了3种溯源方式的性能特点及其应用的影响因素。提出控温复现性的概念,它是以往未被重视的辐射源关键性能参数。多波长有效亮度温度校准是可减小或消除有效发射率和接触测温测点温差影响的溯源方案,与传统溯源方式特性互补,可用于评价辐射源的有效发射率和测点温差,对控温复现性好的辐射源效果最优。     

Optical Diffraction Corrections in Radiometric Thermodynamic Temperature Determination

One of the main components of uncertainty in high-temperature thermometry arises because of the size-of-source effect (SSE). This effect makes the temperature measurement sensitive to the geometry of the radiating environment. It is caused by optical diffraction and especially by light scattering off/from, and inter-reflections between, optical components inside the pyrometer. The LNE-INM/CNAM is involved in extending the thermometry temperature scale to very high temperatures (T > 2000 °C) and has developed eutectic-based fixed points (Sadli et al. (in: Zvizdic (ed.) Proceedings of TEMPMEKO 2004, 9th International Symposium on Temperature and Thermal Measurements in Industry and Science, 2004)) and a thermodynamic temperature measurement capability based on absolute radiometric methods (Briaudeau et al. (in: D. Zvizdic (ed.) Proceedings of TEMPMEKO 2004, 9th International Symposium on Temperature and Thermal Measurements in Industry and Science 2004)). A new measurement technique that uses an optical fiber has been developed and tested, allowing the determination of the SSE at any defocusing plane, with high resolution. A model based on optical diffraction has been developed to simulate the SSE in a real situation, considering the contribution to the pyrometer signal of the whole “3D” optical scene inside the blackbody furnace. Using the same approach, it has been demonstrated that optical scattering in a simple radiance meter can be estimated from accurate optical diffraction measurement.     

影响辐射测温用黑体辐射源应用的因素分析

介绍并分析了影响黑体辐射源应用的关键因素,包括口径、有效发射率、测点温差及控温复现性。通过分析关键因素与黑体辐射源三种溯源方式的关系,给出了关于黑体辐射源选型以及溯源方式的建议。     

大口径平行光管实时检焦系统

大口径平行光管作为实验室测试和标定必不可少的设备,已经普遍应用于各种光学设备的标定与检测中。但是光管因为震动、温度的梯度变化和空气扰动等影响因素出现离焦现象时,会导致平行光管出射光发散角增大,测量结果可信度降低。针对以上问题,本文提出了一种利用五棱镜作为光反馈元件的小型焦面监测装置,采用CCD作为图像采集装置,利用软件实现系统离焦量的计算,可对大口径平行光管的焦面进行长时间高精度的监测。经过计算机仿真与试验表明:本系统检焦分辨力可以达到45μm以内,满足实验室检测设备精度要求     

较低温度条件下SSE影响红外温度计校准的实验研究

讨论了光源尺寸效应（SSE）现象,并应用SSE系数对红外温度计的SSE特性进行估计。介绍了用于较低温度条件下测量SSE的实验装置,应用该装置对几种红外温度计进行了测试。测试结果表明,当黑体辐射源的光阑孔径大于40 mm时,可以不考虑SSE的影响。该结论适用于大多数工业用温度计的校准。     

A Third Generation Water Bath Based Blackbody Source

A third generation water bath based black-body source has been designed and constructed in the Radiometric Physics Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD. The goal of this work was to design a large aperture blackbody source with improved temporal stability and reproducibility compared with earlier designs, as well as improved ease of use. These blackbody sources operate in the 278 K to 353 K range with water temperature combined standard uncertainties of 3.5 mK to 7.8 mK. The calculated emissivity of these sources is 0.9997 with a relative standard uncertainty of 0.0003. With a 50 mm limiting aperture at the cavity; entrance, the emissivity increases to 0.99997.     

Spatial Scatter Effects in the Calibration of IR Pyrometers and Imagers

Differences in the calibration conditions and the real-life applications of infrared pyrometers, radiometers, or imagers can contribute to significant measurement errors due to the presence of scattered light from the areas surrounding the reference source during the calibration process or the measured object in the field measurements. This out-of-field scatter (also known as size-of-source effect, SSE) has to be analyzed separately for each artifact to ensure applicability of the calibration results to the scene of actual measurement. This article discusses SSE characterization methods and specific requirements for calibrating single-element radiometers in the near- and mid-IR parts of the optical radiation spectrum. Two new SSE tools developed at National Institute of Standards and Technology to support routine calibration of IR pyrometers, radiometers, and imagers at the recently developed Advanced Infrared Radiometry and Imaging (AIRI) facility are described. The results of characterization of different commonly used radiometers, including an industrial-grade pyrometer, a high-accuracy pyrometer, two different infrared spectrometers, and an infrared imager, are presented.     

Radiative Calibration of Heat-Flux Sensors at NIST: Facilities and Techniques

We present an overview of the National Institute of Standards and Technology high temperature blackbodies, both in operation and in development, suitable for heat-flux sensor calibration. Typical results of calibrations using the transfer technique in the 25 mm Variable-Temperature Blackbody are presented to demonstrate the long-term repeatability of the calibration technique. A comparative study of the absolute and transfer calibrations of a Gardon gage in a spherical blackbody with a cooled enclosure surrounding the gage housing was conducted. Results of this study demonstrated the influence of convection associated with absolute calibration of sensors in a cooled enclosure. Plans for further development of the transfer technique to higher heat-flux levels and the associated technical issues are discussed.