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region is nearly 1). The emitted heat is extracted from the body (by
conduction in the dome), from the air (by wind) and from the inner dome
(through infrared radiation). The inner dome is cooling down too and will
extract heat from the body by conduction and from the sensor by the net
infrared radiation again. The latter heat flow is opposite to the heat flow from
absorbed solar radiation and causes the well known zero depression at
night. This negative zero offset is also present on a clear day, however,
hidden in the solar radiation signal. Because the temperature difference
between the body and the (clear) sky is higher during day time, the zero-
offset will also be higher.
During indoor measurements with a solar simulator, the inner dome can
become warmer than the pyranometer body due to net thermal radiation
from the lamp housing. A positive zero offset type A is the result.
Zero offset type A can be checked by placing a light and IR reflecting cap
over the pyranometer. The response to solar radiation will decay
with a time constant (1/e) of 5 s, but the dome temperature will go to
equilibrium with a time constant of several minutes. So after half a
minute the remaining signal represents mainly zero offset type A.
Good ventilation of domes and body is the solution to reducing zero offsets
even further. Kipp & Zonen advises the CV 2 for optimal ventilation and
suppression of zero offset type A.
1.2.3 Directional error
The directional error is an individual feature and depends on imperfections of
the glass domes, angular reflection properties of the black paint and
tolerances on the pyranometer construction. The directional error is a
combination of the error in zenith and azimuth directions.
This Kipp & Zonen CM 21 pyranometer is manufactured with great care.
Each pyranometer is constructed with selected glass domes. The glass
domes are matched and positioned with high precision.