NEYVELI

(AFFLIATED TO C.B.S.E)

SESSION : 2014-2015

SUBMITTED TO SUBMITTED BY
N.R.ARUN KAUSHIK
MR.K.VIJAYA KUMAR
C.BATHRINATH

CLASS 12 PHYSICS S.BALAJI

TEACHER R.M.LALIT KUMAR
This is to certify that the project work titled “Study
on validity of SEEBECK EFFECT for copper aluminium
thermocouple” submitted by N.R.ARUN
KAUSHIK/C.BATHRINATH/S.BALAJI/ R.M.LALIT
KUMAR (class XIIth –Section A - PCM group) in partial
fulfilment of the credit for the physics project evaluation
from “JAWAHAR HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL, NEYVELI” ,
is the bonafide work of the student done under the
guidance and supervision of
Mr.K.VIJAYAKUMAR , Physics Teacher,JHSS during
session 2014-2015, as a project report.
NAME: SUBJECT:
REGISTRATION NO. : CLASS:
DATE: PLACE:

INTERNAL EXAMINER EXTERNAL EXAMINER

PRINCIPAL
 Acknowledgement is the most beautiful page in any project’s
final pages. More than a formality, this appears to us the best
opportunity to express our gratitude.

Our project can never begin without you, dear GOD. Rather than
saying “thank you” to you, you know that we feel like saying ‘I love
you’, to you, always. We must say thanks to our parents who provided
us sufficient money and help in making of this project.
Mr.K.Vijaya Kumar, you are the real foundation of the project
done by us. Our project would never have been possible without your
guidance. Thank you very much. Special thanks to our Principal, our
Vice Principal and our physics teachers, Mr. B.Soma Sankara Rao
and Mrs. V.Vijayalakshmi who gave support to us and library which
provides all useful books related to this project.
Next on our thank list are our friends, teachers who really
showered constructive feedbacks and suggestions without which this
project would not have been in present form.

N.R.ARUN KAUSHIK

R.M.LALIT KUMAR

C.BATHRINATH

S.BALAJI
We hereby declare that the project work entitled

“Study on validity of SEEBECK EFFECT for

copper aluminium thermocouple” submitted to the

“JAWAHAR HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL, NEYVELI”

is a record of original work done by us,

except for quotations and summaries which have

been duly acknowledged, under the guidance of

"Mr. K.Vijaya Kumar, Physics Teacher, JHSS ". The

project has not been accepted for any credits based on

investigatory projects previously.

SL. PAGE
NO. TOPIC NO.

1 1

2 2

3 5
4 6

5 7

6 9

7 10

8 11
 The objective of this project is

HISTORY
The Seebeck effect is the conversion of temperature differences
directly into electricity and is named after the Baltic
German physicist Thomas Johann Seebeck.

Seebeck, in 1821, discovered that a compass needle would be

deflected by a closed loop formed by two different metals joined
in two places, with a temperature difference between the
junctions. This was because the metals responded to the
temperature difference in different ways, creating a current
loop and a magnetic field.

Seebeck did not recognize there was an electric current

involved, so he called the phenomenon as thermomagnetic
effect. Danish physicist Hans Christian Øersted rectified the
mistake and coined the term "thermoelectricity".

The Seebeck effect is a classic example of an electromotive

force (emf) and leads to measurable currents or voltages in the
same way as any other emf. Electromotive forces modify Ohm's
law by generating currents even in the absence of voltage
differences (or vice versa)

Seebeck EFFECT

The Figure shows two metallic strips, made of different metals

and joined at the ends to form a loop. If the junctions are kept
at different temperatures, there is an electric current in the
loop.The magnitude and the direction of the emf depend on the
metals and the temperatures of the hot and cold junctions.
 Such a combination of two metals is called a thermocouple.
The following graph shows the free energy variations of a
thermocouple in Seebeck experiment.

EXPLANATION FOR Seebeck EFFECT

The production of Seebeck emf can be explained as under:

All metals contain large number of free electrons. The density
of free electrons is different in different metals and depends
upon the temperature. When two different metals are connected
to form two junctions and these junctions are kept at different
temperatures free electrons will diffuse into one another metal
at the junctions.

Net flow is from higher electron pressure to the metal of lower

electron pressure. If the junctions are at the same temperature
the emf at one junction will be equeal and opposite to that in
the other junction. Hence the emf is zero.
Thermoelectric Series.

For given temperatures of hot and cold junctions, the

direction of the current in a thermocouple depends on the
metals chosen. Metals are arranged in a particular sequence
which may be used to predict the direction of the current in the
temperature range 0’ C to 100’C. This sequence known as the
thermoelectric series, is as follows:

Antimony, nichrome, iron , zinc, copper, gold, silver, lead,

alumi9nium, mercury, platinum-rhodium, platinum, nickel,
constantan, bismuth.

At the cold junction, the current is from the metal coming

earlier in the series to the metal coming latter in the series. For
example, in a copper-aluminium thermocouple, the current will
be from aluminium to copper at the cold junction.

Also, the series gives an idea of the relative magnitude of emf

for different thermocouples, Farther apart two metals lie in the
series, larger is the emf produced.
The aim of this project is
to
 MULTIMETER

COPPER AND CANDLE STICKS

ALUMINIUM WIRES

ICE CUBES THERMALLY INSULATED

LABORATORY BEAKER
Let us consider a thermocouple of two metals Fe and Cu. Their junctions are kept
cold and hot. If a galvanometer G is connected in the circuit the galvanometer
deflection is observed which corresponds to thermoelectric current. If the
temperature of the hot junction be continuously increased, thermoelectric current
increases until maximum value is reached. The temperature of the hot junction at
which maximum current flows is constant for a given thermocouple. It is
independent of the temperature of cold junction and is called the neutral
temparture, for the couple. On further increasing the temperature of hot junction
the current decreases to zero and is then reversed. The temperature at which the
current is zero and its reversal begins is called inversion temperature. It depends
on the temperature of cold junction and the chosen couple. It is always as much
above the neutral temperature as the cold junction is below it. Thus
Ti – Tn =Tn –Tc
Here, Ti = inversion temperature
Tn = neutral temperature and
Tc = cold junction temperature.

The graph between the emf and the temperature difference of the two junction
is of the parabolic form of majority of couples. Thus, emf can be given as,
e = a + bt + ct²
 Take two copper wires AB and CD and an aluminium wire EF.

 Connect the wires AB and CD though a multimeter.

 The ends A and D are tied with the ends E and F of aluminium
wire.

 The tied wires are kept in hot and cold junction. Candles and Ice
cubes act as heat source, heat sink respectively.

 Now the multimeter shows deflection.

 From the experiment, we observe that a
milli-volt potential difference was created
between the hot and cold junctions. So there
was a small current flowing through the
thermocouple(measured through a sensitive
multimeter). Like this, there are quite a few
thermocouples which can show Seebeck
effect. Thus we have experimentally verified
and validated the Seebeck effect.
Reference books:
 NCERT CLASS 12 PHYSICS
BOOKS - PART I, II
 CONCEPTS OF PHYSICS -BY H.C.VERMA
 NCERT LABORATORY MANUAL -
CLASS 12 PHYSICS
 UNDERSTANDING PHYSICS- BY
D.C.PANDEY

Reference websites:
 www.google.co.in
 en.wikipedia.org