Experiment 1 PRT Calibration

OBJECTIVE:

• To show how the platinum resistance thermometer works and how to connect it correctly.
• To show the linearity of the platinum resistance thermometer (PRT).
• To prove that the platinum resistance thermometer is good for use as a reference
temperature sensor for all the other experiments .

Resistance Thermometers (RTDs or PRTs)

• The equipment includes two resistance thermometers (sometimes
called resistance temperature detectors or RTDs)

• Both are type PT100 - 100 Ohm at 0°C. One is the reference
temperature sensor and has a special plug to connect to the reference
sensor socket.

• It uses the four-wire constant current connection for accuracy.

• The other is an identical thermometer but has four accessible wires

for use with the low voltage connections to help show how the
thermometer works.

• The resistance thermometers use a known change of electrical

resistance in a metal for a known temperature.

• The resistance thermometers in this equipment use a thin platinum

wire or film, so they are also called Platinum Resistance Thermometers
(PRTs).

• They have a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) because their

resistance increases with temperature.
• A sealed metal tube with insulation contains the thermometer for
protection against the conductive or corrosive properties of any liquids
that you put the thermometer into.

Procedure

1. Connect the reference sensor to its socket and connect the PRT to
the millivolt meter and the constant current source as shown Note
that the PRT is connected as a four-wire device.

2. Setup the heater and icebox as shown in Initial Setup

3. Put the reference sensor and the PRT into the icebox (through the
holes in its lid). Wait a few minutes for the readings to stabilize and
record them (the reference temperature should be between 0°C and
1°C).

4. Now put both devices into the heater tank (through the holes in its lid).
Switch on the heater and note the reference temperature.

5. Create a blank results table, similar to:

 Reference Measured Calculated Resistance Standard Resistance Deviation Error (%)
Temperature (°C) Voltage (mV) (Ω) from specifications (Ω) (Ω)
0 101.2 0.1012 100 99.8988 0.998988
5 103 0.103 101.95 101.847 0.99899
10 105.1 0.1051 103.9 103.7949 0.998988
15 107 0.107 105.85 105.743 0.998989
20 108.3 0.1083 107.79 107.6817 0.998995
25 109.3 0.1093 109.73 109.6207 0.999004
30 110.7 0.1107 111.67 111.5593 0.999009
35 111.9 0.1119 113.61 113.4981 0.999015
40 113 0.113 115.54 115.427 0.999022
45 116.6 0.1166 117.47 117.3534 0.999007
50 120.2 0.1202 119.4 119.2798 0.998993
55 122.2 0.1222 121.32 121.1978 0.998993
60 124.1 0.1241 123.24 123.1159 0.998993
65 126.3 0.1263 125.16 125.0337 0.998991
70 128.2 0.1282 127.07 126.9418 0.998991
75 130 0.13 128.99 128.86 0.998992
80 132.1 0.1321 130.9 130.7679 0.998991
85 134.3 0.1343 132.8 132.6657 0.998989
90 136.2 0.1362 134.71 134.5738 0.998989
95 138.1 0.1381 136.61 136.4719 0.998989
100 140 0.14 138.51 138.37 0.998989

temp
120
linear
100

80

60

40

20

0
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.12 0.14 0.16
R