What is a Thermopile ?

What is a  Thermopile ?

Thermopile Definition

A thermopile is a device that converts heat into electricity using the thermoelectric effect, leveraging temperature differences across different metals.

Functioning Principle

Thermopiles generate voltage through the direct conversion of temperature differences into electric voltage, a principle discovered by Thomas Seebeck.

Voltage Production

The voltage output of a thermopile is proportional to the temperature difference and the number of thermocouple pairs, modulated by the Seebeck coefficient.

Types of Thermopile Sensors

• Single-element thermopile sensor

• Multi-element thermopile sensor

• Array thermopile sensor

• Pyroelectric thermopile sensor

Applications

• Medical devices

• Industrial processes

• Environmental monitoring

• Consumer electronics

Testing Method

To ensure proper functionality, thermopiles are tested using a digital multimeter set to DC millivolts to measure voltage output, which indicates operational integrity.