The Model TSP-400 Total Solar Pyranometer is a precision meteorological instrument that measures global (direct and diffuse) total solar radiation. It is ruggedly designed for long-term field use and available in either non-ventilated or ventilated configurations (Model TSP-400V). When properly characterized the Model TSP-400V meets or exceeds the World Meteorological Organization's requirements for high quality pyranometers (formerly called a secondary standard).
The TSP-400's innovative design preserves the basic principle of total solar radiation measurement, that is, relating the incident irradiance to the temperature difference between a radiation receiver and a shielded thermal reference. However, the TSP-400 uses a rugged metal solar radiation-receiving surface, thermally bonded to a modern bismuth telluride thermopile, to make the temperature measurement.
The radiation receiving surface is protected by two domes, which block long-wave radiation and prevent conductive cooling of the radiation sensing element. The double-domed configuration also keeps the instrument weather-tight.
Instrument Development
The TSP-400 represents a major advancement in the field of total solar radiation measurement. Historically, total solar pyranometers have relied on thermopiles (bundles of copper-constantan thermocouples) to measure the temperature difference between a radiation-receiving surface and a shielded thermal mass. The output voltage of a single thermocouple used in a conventional pyranometer is approximately 22 m V/°C, so many junctions connected in series are required to produce a usable output voltage.
| Yankee Environmental Systems, Inc. | |
|---|---|
| Product Category | Weather Instruments |
| Product Number | TSP-400 |
| Product Name | Total Solar Pyranometer |
| Device Classification | Sensor Only |
| Weather Component Sensed | Measures solar Radiation |
| Wavelength Range Measured | 300 to 3000 nm (3000 to 30000 Å) |
| Min. Wavelength Sensitivity | 48 (µV(or A)/Wm-2) |
