Nicrosil
Encyclopedia
Nicrosil is a nickel
alloy
containing 14.4% chromium
, 1.4% silicon
, and 0.1% magnesium
.
Nicrosil is used as the positive leg of type N thermocouple
s. In this application another nickel alloy, Nisil
, is used as the negative leg.
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
containing 14.4% chromium
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
, 1.4% silicon
Silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, it is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon, the nonmetal directly above it in the periodic table, but more reactive than germanium, the metalloid directly below it in the table...
, and 0.1% magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
.
Nicrosil is used as the positive leg of type N thermocouple
Thermocouple
A thermocouple is a device consisting of two different conductors that produce a voltage proportional to a temperature difference between either end of the pair of conductors. Thermocouples are a widely used type of temperature sensor for measurement and control and can also be used to convert a...
s. In this application another nickel alloy, Nisil
Nisil
Nisil is an alloy of nickel and silicon. Typically, the alloy is mostly nickel alloyed with 4.4% silicon.Nisil melts at 1341 °C and has a density of 8.55 g/cm³....
, is used as the negative leg.