Industrial Process Control

Temperature Sensor

Dr. Farah Haroon

Types of temperature sensors
 RTD (Resistance Temperature Detector)
 Thermistor
 Thermocouple
 RTD, the basics

 How it works:
◦ Utilizes the fact that
resistance of a metal
changes with temperature.
 Make up:
◦ Traditionally made up of
platinum, nickel, iron or
copper wound around an
insulator.
 Temperature range:
◦ From about -196°C to
482°C.

Thin Film RTD

RTD Advantages and Disadvantages

 Advantages:  Disadvantages:
◦ Stable ◦ Expensive
◦ Very accurate ◦ Current source
◦ Change in resistance is required
linear ◦ Small change in
resistance
◦ Self heating
◦ Less rugged than
thermocouples.
 In a resistance thermometer the variation of
resistance with temperature is given by

 What is the resistance of a platinum resistor

at 250°C, if its resistance at 20°C is 1050 Ω?
 Thermistor, the basics of

 How it works:
◦ Like the RTD a thermistor
uses the fact that resistance
of a metal changes with
temperature.
 Make up:
◦ Generally made up of metal
oxide semiconductor
materials
 Temperature Range:
◦ About -45°C to 300°C

Thermistor
 Thermistor Advantages and Disadvantages

 Advantages:  Disadvantages:
◦ Very sensitive (has the ◦ Output is a non-linear
largest output change function
from input ◦ Limited temperature range.
temperature) ◦ Require a current source
◦ Quick response ◦ Self heating
◦ More accurate than ◦ Fragile
RTD and
Thermocouples
 Thermistor materials have a temperature
coefficient of resistance (α) given by

 where ΔR is the change in resistance due to

a temperature change ΔT and RS the
material resistance at the reference
temperature.
 Thermocouple, some more basics

 How it works:
◦ Made up of two different
metals joined at one end to
produce a small voltage at a
given temperature.
 Make up:
◦ Made of up two different
metals. Ex: A type J is made up
of Iron and Constantan.
 Large Temperature Range

A few Thermocouples
Thermocouple Advantages and Disadvantages

 Advantages:  Disadvantages:
◦ Self Powered (does ◦ Extremely Low Voltage
not require a current output (mV)
or voltage source) ◦ Not very stable
◦ Rugged ◦ Needs a reference
◦ Inexpensive point
◦ Simple
 Seebeck effect. It states that the voltage produced in
a thermocouple is proportional to the temperature
between the two junctions.
Cold Junction Compensation
Thermocouple emf versus temperature for various types.