ZHANG Zhengang, FENG Qing

(Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi 333001, China)

Abstract: Gas pump thermocouples have contributed significantly to precise kiln temperature measurement, temperature measurement error reduction, and fired product quality improvement. One of the important issues to be addressed in the research and development of new measuring devices for thermal equipment is how to optimize the heat shield structure to improve the precision of temperature measurement. With the help of FLUENT6.0, the operation of a gas pump thermocouple is simulated, and the effects of the changes to its heat shield's structure, such as the reduction of its nozzle length, the increase of the heat shield length and the decrease of the heat shield diameter, are observed through the simulation. Results show the optimization of the heat shield structure can reduce the temperature measurement error. This study provides theoretical and numerical reference for further scientific study and industrial production of this device.

Key words: gas pump thermocouple; temperature measurement error; simulation; structure optimization