What is a pyrometer and how does it work

What is the solar total radiation?

The solar total radiation refers to the portion of solar radiation that reaches the Earth's atmosphere. It covers a wavelength range of 0.15 to 4.0 μm and is also known as shortwave radiation. The total radiation includes direct solar radiation from the Sun, as well as scattered radiation. It is measured using horizontal-installed pyranometers.

Solar radiation plays a crucial role in the development and changes of most things on Earth, as everything relies on the sun for growth. Therefore, measuring solar radiation is important in various fields.

What are the applications of measuring solar total radiation?

1. Solar energy: Measuring solar total radiation helps determine the efficiency of solar panels in converting sunlight into electricity and when they need cleaning. Sensors for this purpose typically measure radiation in the plane of solar panel arrays.

2. Utility companies: Solar radiation measurements are used to predict natural gas and electricity energy usage.

3. Research: Solar total radiation serves as a parameter for studying and predicting plant growth or production.

Monitoring, recording, and analyzing solar total radiation as an important component of meteorological observations can significantly contribute to research in solar energy, meteorology, environmental sciences, oceanography, agricultural ecology, and building materials.

Today, we mainly introduce the solar total radiation sensor(pyranometer) in the field of radiation sensing.

Product Introduction: Solar Total Radiation Sensor(pyranometer)

The pyranometer is primarily used to measure the total radiation within the wavelength range of 0.3 to 3 μm. When placed horizontally, it measures the reflected radiation; when inclined, it measures the incident radiation on the inclined surface. With the addition of a scattering shading ring, it can measure scattered radiation.

How it works of Pyranometer(Solar Total Radiation Sensor):

The TBQ pyranometer consists of a double-layer quartz glass dome, sensing element, shading plate, body, desiccant, etc. The sensing element, which is the core part of the pyranometer, consists of a fast-responding wire-wound thermopile. The sensing surface is coated with 3M matte black paint and serves as a hot junction. When exposed to sunlight, the temperature rises, creating a temperature difference with the cold junction on the other side, thereby generating an electromotive force proportional to the solar radiation intensity.

The double-layer glass dome reduces the influence of air convection on the pyranometer. The inner dome is designed to block the infrared radiation from the outer dome itself.

The NBL-W-HPRS solar total radiation sensor is designed based on the principle of thermopile. The sensing element is made by winding a thermopile with multiple contact points. To reduce the impact of environmental temperature, a temperature compensation circuit is designed to minimize the effect of temperature on the product performance.

The output radiation (W/m2) is calculated as follows: Radiation Output Voltage Signal (μV) / Sensitivity Coefficient (μV/W.m-2). Each sensor is provided with a calibrated sensitivity coefficient.

Pyranometer Product Features: Compliant with WMO standards, suitable for harsh environments, equipped with a leveling bubble, high sensitivity, double-layer transmissive glass, visible desiccant window, easy installation.

Pyranometer Applications:

The total radiation sensor can be widely used in meteorological detection, solar energy and photovoltaic power generation, agriculture and forestry monitoring, crop growth monitoring, meteorological stations, atmospheric environmental monitoring, climate observations, solar energy utilization, agriculture, physical research in buildings, and other measurements of solar radiation energy.