8/28/23, 4:37 PM Pt100 Sensor Explained | Working Principles - RealPars

Pt100 Sensor
Explained |
Working
Principles
Learn about the working principles
of the Pt100 RTD and how it's used
in industrial measurement.

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8/28/23, 4:37 PM Pt100 Sensor Explained | Working Principles - RealPars

Platinum 100, or Pt100, resistance temperature detectors are

an important part of many process control installations.

Accurate and repeatable measurement of temperature is a

requirement for many processes, including heating and
cooling, chemical reactions, pasteurization, and many others.

Pt100 Sensor Explained | Working Principles

In this article, we will:

– Introduce you to the working principles of a Platinum

100 resistance temperature sensor,

– Describe the physical properties of a Pt100 sensor that

make it valuable for process control,

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– Describe the ways Pt100 RTD sensors can be integrated

into a measurement and control system.

Resistance temperature detectors, or RTDs, are a class of

sensors that change resistance when the temperature of the
medium they are inserted into changes.

This change of resistance is proportional to temperature and

varies in a somewhat linear fashion with temperature.

This means that as the temperature increases, the resistance

of the RTD also increases. So, if we are able to measure the
RTD’s resistance, we can determine the temperature. Why is
this? It is due entirely to the physical properties of the
material from which the RTD is constructed.

While RTDs can be manufactured from many metals, including

nickel and copper, platinum exhibits physical properties that
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make it ideal for use in RTD temperature sensors.

Let’s take a look at the physical properties of platinum. First,

platinum is a basic element, with the chemical symbol Pt. That
is the first part of the designation of the Pt100 RTD.

Platinum has a molecular weight of 195, which makes it a

rather heavy metal with free electrons to make it a good
conductor of electricity, although not as good as copper or
silver.

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Platinum exhibits an electrical resistance that varies in a

nearly linear fashion with temperature and has a resistance of
exactly 100.00 ohms at zero degrees Celsius. This is where the
second part of the designation Pt100 comes from.

Another property of platinum that makes it highly valuable to

temperature measurement is that it is quite inert. It does not
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react with other compounds to any great extent.

So how much does the resistance of a platinum change with

temperature? The purity of the platinum used affects the
change in resistance when the temperature changes.

The most common Pt100 RTD used in industry is one that

changes resistance at the rate of about 0.385 ohms for every
degree Celsius rise in temperature.

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We know the resistance of a Pt100 sensor at zero degrees

Celsius is 100 ohms, so the resistance we would expect at 100
degrees Celsius would be 138.5 ohms.

The 385 factor comes from the equation that approximates

the resistance of an RTD based on its physical properties.

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The equation relates the resistance of the RTD at the

temperature being measured to the resistance at zero
degrees Celsius. The coefficient alpha in this equation
describes the rate of change of resistance with temperature.

For the Pt100 RTD, we have been describing if we substitute

the resistance values of the Pt100 RTD at zero and at 100
degrees Celsius, we find that the value of alpha is 0.00385.

Knowing alpha, we can calculate the approximate resistance

the RTD will exhibit at any temperature within its range.

The Pt100 RTD is often referred to as the Pt100 (385) RTD.

There are platinum RTD’s that exhibit different values of
alpha, and those would be designated with their respective
alpha values, such as with the Pt100 (391) sensor.

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The equation is only approximate, so to know the true

temperature at any measured resistance, we will need to
consult a published standard table of resistance for a Pt100
(385) sensor, like the one shown here.

A Pt100 RTD is typically constructed by winding a thin

platinum wire around a non-conductive core which helps
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support the thin wire. The entire assembly is encased in a

sheath to protect the sensor and to give it stability.

In industrial applications, RTDs are commonly placed inside

protective metal tubes called thermowell. The length of the
RTD and the design of the thermowell are design parameters
determined by the instrument engineer.

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PT100 RTDs can be constructed from a single platinum wire,

giving a sensor with two leads.

These leads can be connected to a special I/O card designed

to accept RTD inputs, or the leads can be connected to a
temperature transmitter, which will output a standard 4-20
milliamp signal.

In either case, the I/O card or the transmitter will have

firmware that will determine the temperature read by the
RTD from the measured resistance.

The table we showed you before is programmed into the

transmitter and the RTD analog input card.

In order to determine the resistance of the RTD, a special

bridge circuit is used, called a Wheatstone bridge.

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In this diagram, there are four resistors. Resistors A, B, and C

are of equal value. The fourth resistor is the RTD itself and its
resistance can be deduced from the voltage measured across
the two legs of the bridge.

This 2-wire RTD design is not very accurate because the

platinum leads themselves have an electrical resistance due
to the length of the wire and the connection points, in
addition to the resistance from the temperature detected at
the point of measurement.

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To compensate for this added resistance, a second platinum

wire is added to the sensor at a third lead.

This third lead is used to determine the resistance of the lead

itself, and the resistance is subtracted from the overall
measure resistance to give the true resistance due to the
change in temperature alone.

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These 3-wire RTDs are the most widely used in the industry.
Although more expensive than a 2-wire RTD, the added
stability and accuracy are well worth the added cost.

In this article, we introduced you to the working principles of

the Platinum 100 resistance temperature sensor, its physical
properties, and how Pt100 sensors are used in industrial
measurement and control systems.

We demonstrated the linear relationship between

temperature and resistance for platinum. This property of
Pt100 sensors makes these sensors reliable, accurate, and
affordable for most places that temperature measurements
are required.

So, the next time you come across a Pt100 (385) RTD in the
field, you will have a much better understanding of how the
sensor works.

If you have any questions about the Pt100 Sensor, or about

sensors in general, add them in the comments below and we
will get back to you in less than 24 hours.

Got a friend, client, or colleague who could use some of this

information? Please share this article.

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Scott Sommer
Automation Engineer
Posted on Sep 13th, 2021

Scott Sommer
Automation Engineer

Posted on Sep 13th, 2021

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