Application Note: RTD, Thermocouple or Thermistor?

Resistance Temperature Detectors (RTD's) An RTD sensing element consists of a wire coil or deposited film of pure metal. The element's resistance increases with temperature in a known and repeatable manner. RTD's exhibit excellent accuracy over a wide temperature range and represent the fastest growing segment among industrial temperature sensors. Their advantages include:

Temperature range: -260 to 850C (-436 to 1582F) Repeatability and stability: The platinum resistance thermometer is the primary interpolation instrument used by the National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST)from -260 to 962C. Laboratory models stable within 0.0025C are available. Even ordinary RTD's typically drift less than 0.1C/year. Sensitivity: The voltage drop across an RTD provides a much larger output than a thermocouple. Linearity: Platinum and copper RTDs produce a more linear response than thermocouples or thermistors. RTD non-linearities can be corrected through proper design of resistive bridge networks. Low cost system: RTD's use ordinary copper extension leads and require no cold junction compensation Standardization: Manufacturers offer RTDs to industry standard curves, most commonly 100 platinum to IEC 751.

Thermocouples A thermocouple consists of two wires of dissimilar metals welded together into a junction. At the other end of the signal wires, usually as part of the input instrument, is another junction called the reference junction. Heating the sensing junction generates a thermoelectric potential (emf) proportional to the temperature difference between the two junctions. This millivolt-level emf, when compensated for the known temperature of the reference junction, indicates the temperature at the sensing tip. Published millivolt tables assume the reference junction is at 0C. Thermocouples are simple and familiar. Designing them into systems however is complicated by the need for special extension wires and reference junction compensation. Thermocouples advantages include:

Extremely high temperature capability: Thermocouples with precious metal junctions may be rated as high as 1800C(3272F). Ruggedness: The inherent simplicity of thermocouples makes them resistant to shock and vibration. Small size/fast response: A fine-wire thermocouple junction takes up little space and has low mass, making it suitable for point sensing and fast response. Note,

however, that many Minco RTDs have time constants faster than equivalent thermocouples. Thermocouple Data Loggers Thermistors A thermistor is a resistive device composed of metal oxides formed into a bead and encapsulate in epoxy or glass. A typical thermistor shows a large negative temperature coefficient. Resistance drops dramatically and non-linearly with temperature. Sensitivity is many times that of RTD's but useful temperature range is limited. Some manufacturers offer thermistors with positive coefficients. Linearized models are also available. There are wide variations of performance and price between thermistors from different sources. Typical benefits are: Low sensor cost: Basic thermistors are quite inexpensive. However, models with tighter interchangeability or extended temperature ranges often cost more than RTD's. High sensitivity: A thermistor may change resistance by tens of ohms per degree temperature change, versus a fraction of an ohm for RTD's. Point sensing: A thermistor bead can be made the size of a pin head for small area sensing. Sensor Comparison Chart RTD Temperature range Sensor Cost System Cost Stability Sensitivity Linearity Specify for: -260 to 850C Moderate Moderate Best Moderate Best General purpose sensing Highest accuracy Temperature averaging Thermocouple -270 to 1800C Low High Low Low Moderate Highest temperatures Thermistor -80 to 150C (typical) Low Moderate Moderate Best Poor Best sensitivity Narrow ranges(e.g. medical) Point sensing

Difference Between RTD and Thermocouple

RTD vs Thermocouple Heat and temperature form an integral part of our daily life. Sometimes we might think that heat and temperature are the same. Heat is the energy transferred from one body to another, following an irregular moment of atoms or molecules. Temperature describes kinetic or motion energy in a body, along with parameters like specific heat and mass. According to the International System of Units, the basic measurement of temperature (T) is identified as Kelvin (K). The Kelvin scale is measured at 0k (absolute 0). In this state, molecules have no thermal energy, as the molecules are in a resting state. Since a lower state of energy cannot be achieved, there is no space for negative temperature. In the famous Celsius scale, which is being widely used by all, waters solidification point is its zero measure. This is because, in practice, it is easy to reproduce. 0 degrees Celsius is not the last measurement point of temperature with the Celsius scale. The scale measurement can help in tracing the lowest temperature point where there is no movement of molecules. We require temperature measurement for almost every application, like processing food, controlling building processes, steel manufacturing, petro chemical production, and many more, which are essential for our existence. These applications require sensors using different technology to suit the varied industrial physical structure requirement. Since the commercial and industrial requirement is different from the control point, the temperature measurement needs to be processed. Resistance Temperature Detectors (RTD) and thermocouples are used to avoid the tedious process of conversion, and get remote electrical signal with ease. The starring difference between RTD and thermocouple is their operation principle and manufacturing. Resistance Temperature Detectors operate based on the rationale that the impedance of certain metals alters in a certain way based on the temperature fall and rise measurement. The two measurement tools each have their own advantages and disadvantages. RTD provides reliable output over a period. The calibration of RTD outcome is much easier than other measurements. They also offer an accurate reading for narrowed temperature twains. The few notable disadvantages of RTD is the overall temperature range, which is small, and RTDs starting cost, which is much higher when compared to thermocouples. RTDs are fragile, and play tough for rugged industrial usage.

Thermocouple is a thermometer consisting of two wires made from two different metals, which are joined at the end. This will help to generate the different contact point leading to the measurement of temperature. The thermocouple offers a wide range of measurement, ranging between three hundred Fahrenheit and twenty three thousand fahrehheit. The speed of measurement is much faster, and it comes with less investment, and high durability. The thermocouple is best suited for rugged applications. The notable disadvantage for the use of the thermocouple is the wide range of accuracy, particularly at elevated temperatures. This is also difficult to recalibrate, depending upon the environmental conditions. They might be expensive as long wires are used in the thermocouple. Summary: 1. The starring difference between RTD and thermocouple is the operation principle and manufacturing. 2. RTD provides reliable output over a period. The calibration of the RTD outcome is much easier than other measurements. 3. Thermocouple offers a wide range of accuracy, particularly at elevated temperatures, making it difficult for a reliable output.

RTDs vs. thermocouples: Measuring industrial temperatures

Resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) and thermocouples each have their own distinct place in industrial temperature measurements. Thermocouples will almost always make air or gas temperature measurements because of the self-heating error inherent in temperature measurement with RTDs. As of 2002, thermocouples measured 50% to 60% of all industrial temperature, RTDs 30% to 40%, and thermistors and optical pyrometers measured lower and higher temperatures respectively. The share of RTDs versus thermocouples has been growing steadily over the past three decades as people perceive RTDs as better than thermocouples in most applications. In applications where high accuracy is the main concern, RTDs are almost always a better choice than thermocouples if temperature is in the range of the RTD operation. RTDs can be calibrated to yield accuracies of as good as a few tenths of a degree, while thermocouples cannot be trusted to produce accuracies of better than a degree, especially at high temperatures. Researchers have made much progress in developing new process instrumentation systems over the past three decades. This includes the advent of smart temperature sensors and digital electronics to condition the sensor signals and provide digital read out,

computer control, and the like. Still, thermocouples and RTDs reign supreme in the conventional industrial temperature arena. In theory, you can use RTDs for measuring temperatures up to about 1000C, but in practice, it is difficult to get accurate measurements if the temperature is greater than 400C. Similarly, you can use thermocouples up to about 3000C or more, but accurate measurements beyond 1000C are a challenge. Fortunately, a majority of industrial temperature measurements often fall between 200C to 400Cwhere RTDs and thermocouples yield great performance. The main problem these two sensors have with high-temperature measurements is limited material properties to construct sensors. Most material can degrade or change at high temperatures and cause the sensor to produce erroneous readings. The insulation material in industrial temperature sensors cannot normally tolerate temperatures near 1000C for any significant period of time. RTDs can consist of platinum, copper, nickel, and other wires that have a large temperature coefficient of resistance. Nickel has the best sensitivity but is the least linear, and copper has good linearity but a small temperature range. Today, almost all industrial RTDs use platinum wire. In the past forty years, platinum cost more than copper or nickel. Today it does not cost much more than an overall temperature measurement channel in an industrial process. The same argument applies to thermocouples.

SELF-HEATING PROBLEM IN RTDS

You should use a small electric current (about 1 mA) to measure the resistance of an RTD. This current, although small, causes the platinum element in the RTD to heat up above the temperature of the RTD environment. This methodJoule heatingis proportional to the electric power (P= IR2) in the RTD and the heat transfer between the RTD sensing element and environment. If the RTD is in a poor heat transfer medium such as air, it will heat up more than if it is in a fluid such as water. Yet RTDs are not always the best choice for temperature measurement in poor heat transfer media such as gaseous process media, because Joule heating causes an error (self-heating error) in RTD temperature measurement. It is inherent in all RTDs. For these applications, thermocouples are often better, provided other process conditions support using a thermocouple. The self-heating error of an RTD is normally less than a tenth of a degree in a fluid, but it could be as much as a degree or more in air or gaseous processes. A thermocouple can develop extraneous junctions along its wire because of cold working of the wire, a temperature difference between the portion of the thermocouple that intrudes into the process and the remainder of the thermocouple assembly. These effects can produce inhomogeneity along one or both thermocouple wires. If the inhomogeneity falls in a temperature gradient, it produces an erroneous output voltage that can add to the

normal output of the thermocouple or subtract from it, depending on the temperature gradient and the inhomogeneity's location. This means the thermocouple can indicate an erroneous temperaturesometimes even a negative temperature. That is probably what happened at the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear power station in Pa.

VIBRATION TOLERANCE
Normally, an RTD includes a thin platinum wire (sensing element) coiled around a support structuremandrel. The extension wires are normally welded to the platinum element. RTDs also fail from mechanical stress that the platinum element may experience during construction as the element is bent and secured on its mandrel. So it could help to anneal the RTD after construction to relieve the stress. Because of RTD sensing elements' mechanical weaknesses, thermocouples are generally better for those applications that involve vibration or mechanical or thermal shock of the temperature sensor.RTDs are more immune to noise than thermocouples, because they have a larger relative output, which you can amplify and control better. In terms of noise pickup, thermocouples can sometimes act like an antenna, and their output can become overwhelmed with extraneous noise. Electronic fitters can help alleviate this type of noise pickup as long as response time requirements for the thermocouple are not critical. Thermocouples usually have better response times than RTDs, but not always. Generally, a bare thermocouple has a faster response time than a bare RTD. Yet when you use it in a thermowell, the response time depends strongly on the air gap between the sensing tip of the sensor and thermowell. RTDs are generally more accurate and maintain their calibration better and longer than thermocouples. You can also remove an RTD from the process and recalibrate it, which you cannot do with thermocouples because they can develop inhomogeneity along their wires while installed in a processpossibly interfering with thermocouple accuracy. IT

Selecting the Right Temperature Sensor Imagine that you are an Instrumentation Engineer. You are looking at the prints for a new plant, and see the many locations marked out for Temperature Transducers (TT). But what has been specified to fill each space? RTD's for their high accuracy and linearity? Or Thermocouples because of their lower cost and familiarity? Has anything been specified to fill those spaces? Or has this been left to chance at the last minute? The selection of what type of Temperature Transducer to be used affects many other aspects of the design

and installation of the equipment in the plant such as: What type of wire needs to be run? What type of instrument will be in the control room on the other end of that wire? Will there be local junction boxes with terminal strips or transmitters, and if so, what type of transmitters are required? Do any special piping considerations need to be made to protect the sensor or provide the required response time? These are just some of the details, and we have not even touched on the actual selection and design of the sensor itself. We have all read articles on this subject before, but as long as there are questions out there, more information will be provided to help make wise and informed decisions regarding each specific application. Let's look at the big picture and try to narrow down the choices in a logical way. First, we'll look at survival of the sensor. Only then can we discuss the finer points; such as meeting the specified requirements. TEMPERATURE RANGE The International Temperature Scale (ITS-90) defines temperatures between 13.8003 K and 1234.93 K (961.78C) by use of Platinum Resistance Thermometers (PRT's) calibrated at specified sets of fixed points. While this is fine in a laboratory, you are not likely to find an industrial grade RTD that will cover this entire range adequately. Please note that the standard says PRT's - plural; one PRT will not cover the entire range adequately in a laboratory situation either: several are used, ASTM defines the Platinum RTD for use over the range -200C to 650C. This is a good guideline to follow, even though IEC extends the upper limit to 850C. Industrial grade Platinum RTD's can be manufactured for use to 850C, but it is not an easy task that can be taken on by just anyone. Also, you may find that standard warranties are not valid for this type of service. Fortunately, over 90% of all contact temperature measurements made in industry are below 650C. Thermocouples also have temperature limitations based on what type is specified, and what gage wire it is constructed of. A typical 1/4" OD, single, mineral insulated Thermocouple has 16 AWG wire within it. ASTM E-608 recommends the following temperature limits for such base metal thermocouples; Type T 370C, Type J 720C Type E 820C, Type K 1150C Now just because ASTM says these thermocouples can be used at these temperatures doesn't mean that they are going to last forever. The higher the application temperature, the sooner they will begin to drift, and the shorter the life. ASTM does not publish any guidelines on drift or life expectancy, due to the many variables involved which affect thermocouple performance. Above these temperatures, we must step up to precious metal Thermocouples: either Platinum-Rhodium Alloys, or Tungsten- Rhenium Alloys. These do tend to get expensive, but when you've got to measure temperature above about 1000C, it really is the way to go. The life expectancy is much longer, and they are not as prone to drift. ASTM E-230 lists suggested upper temperature limits for Types R and S Platinum- Rhodium

Thermocouples as 1480C (2700F), and for Type B as 1700C (3100F). These values are for protected 24 AWG construction. ACCURACY After temperature range, which essentially helps us choose whether or not we can even consider a particular sensor for our application, we may evaluate the accuracy of various types. A standard, ASTM Grade B RTD will provide true accuracy (as compared to the published R vs. T tables) of +/-0.25C at 0C. Due to variations in Temperature Coefficient, this same Grade B thermometer may only provide temperature readings within 3.0C at 650C. More accurate, Grade A RTD's are available which will perform within 1.24C at 650C, at additional cost. By comparison, the most common base metal thermocouples, Types J and K, will provide accu-racy of 2.2C or 0.75% (whichever is greater) when supplied in standard accuracy. That could be as much as +/4.875C at 650C, considerably larger than even the Grade B RTD. This is true across the range, up to the RTD's upper limit of 650C, for Grade B RTD's vs. standard tolerance thermocouples, as well as Grade A RTD's vs. thermocouples selected to special tolerance limits. Simply stated; if accuracy is important to you, and all other conditions permit it, select an RTD over a thermocouple. REPEATABILITY / STABILITY This is not as easy to quantify for RTD's or Thermocouples due to the tremendous effect that the application has on the results. For instance; ASTM E-230 Part 6, Table 1, Note 3 states: "Caution: Users should be aware that certain characteristics of thermocouple materials, including the emf versus temperature relationship may change with time in use; consequently, test results and performance obtained at time of manufacture may not necessarily apply throughout an extended period of use. Tolerances given in this table apply only to new wire as delivered to the user and do not allow for changes in characteristics with use The magnitude of such changes will depend on such factors as wire size, temperature, time of exposure, and environment." For Platinum RTD'S, ASTM-1137 Part 9 requires the stability of the unit to remain within the specific accuracy grade (ie: Grade B) for a four week test. IEC-751 goes a step further and requires that Class B RTD's must withstand 250 hours at maximum temperature and 250 hours at minimum temperature with a change in resistance of no more than 0.3C. The same requirement must be maintained for 10 min/max cycles. That's a total of 5000 hours, or more than 208 days at the extremes. Thermocouples are typically not expected to perform within stability/repeatability limits as strict as these. VIBRATION This is one area where Thermocouples may have a slight advantage. Due to the sheer size of the wires used in Thermocouple construction, they tend to stand up to high vibration better than most RTD'S. Remember that the 1/4" OD Mineral Insulated Thermocouple previously mentioned had 16 AWG conductors within it, and these conductors are used to form the Thermocouple Junction. On the other hand, a Wire-Wound RTD element mav have lead wires of approximately 26-30 AWG which are attached to a very fine Platinum wire used to wind the sensor itself. The wire in these windings is generally in the range of 15 to 35 microns (that's about 0.00059 - 0.00138 inches) in diameter, and is consequently very fragile. High vibration has been known to cause problems in some wire-wound resistance elements which are not of fully supported construction. Failures may be in the form of open circuits, noisy signals, or intermittent high readings. Fully supported wire-wound, as well as thin film RTD's tend to fare somewhat better than the semisupported types. But keep in mind that the element leads are still only 26-30 AWG and there-fore relatively susceptible to breakage induced by continued high vibration. Also, special care must be exerted by the RTD manufacturer to properly package these elements for the rugged environ-ment that they will see. RESPONSE TIME

This is another area where Thermocouples excel over RTD'S, and it's a simple matter of physics to understand why. Contact temperature sensors do not indicate the temperature of the area around them, they indicate their own temperature along their own sensitive area. In order for any contact temperature sensor to indicate the temperature it is in contact with, the sensor must first come to thermal equilibrium with that environment. Let's not discuss the theoretical aspect that the two never actually attain the same temperature, but just the fact that after some time the two are approximately at thermal equilibrium. The most basic of Thermocouples is merely a junction of the two dissimilar metal wires. This could be a beaded junction, or a butt-welded junction which turns out to be nearly the same diameter as the Thermocouple wire itself. In order to indicate the surrounding temperature, the junction must be at that temperature. That junction might only be .010" in diameter (for a 30 AWG wire thermocouple), or smaller if finer wires are used. RTD's require either a length of fine Platinum wire wound around or within a former, or a layer of platinum deposited upon a substrate. In all cases, there is an area of Platinum (which is the sensitive portion of the RTD) in contact with this inert, insulating former, and both are physically larger than a weld junction (generally speaking). Both the Platinum and the insulator have thermal mass that must come to equilibrium with the surroundings before the sensor can give an accurate reading. Since there is generally more thermal mass involved here than with the thermocouple junction, the thermocouple will respond faster when put in a similar environment. The aforementioned statement is true only when reaching for the extremely fast response times of each type and working with bare resistance elements and exposed thermocouple junctions. If both sensors are encapsulated within metal sheaths, and the thermocouple junction is isolated from the sheath (as an RTD circuit always is), then response times will be quite similar. SENSITIVITY Here the RTD's are very simply; Superior. Take if you will, a Platinum 100 Ohm RTD with .00385 Temperature Coefficient. From 0C to +100C its resistance changes from 100.00 to 138.50 ohms, a difference of 38.5 ohms. If we had been using 1 mA sensing current (which is quite typical to avoid selfheating effects), Ohm's Law (V=iR) tells us that we would see a difference of 38.5 mV over this range. By comparison, a Type E Thermocouple, which provides the highest sensitivity of all recognized thermocouples, will show only a change of 6.317 mV. This is only about one sixth of the sensitivity of the RTD. If your envi-ronment might provide electrical interference, the thermocouple will be at least 6 times more sus-ceptible to it. And this is when using a type E, other types have sensitivity as low as .33 microvolts per degree Celsius. If you want even higher sensitivity, you may opt for a Pt 500 Ohm RTD to provide 5 times the sensitivity of the Pt 100, or a Pt 1000 Ohm to give you 385 ohms over that 100 degree range. LIFE EXPECTANCY / REPLACEMENT COST This again goes back to what we've said about application parameters in the areas of temperature range and stability: it all depends on the details. A few generalizations can be made, however. It is widely accepted that thermocouples are in a constant state of degradation and need to be checked and replaced periodically, while Platinum RTD's may last indefinitely, if the environment does not deteriorate them. COST As much as we hate to admit it, the final factor in most decisions is cost. For many years, thermocouples have been the most widely used form of electrical temperature sensor mainly because they are cheap. While this is still true, it must be pointed out that the cost for a Platinum RTD has come down to a very competitive range, due to the increased usage of thin-film sensors. Thin-film RTD sensors are certainly not new technology any more; they were developed in Germany in the early 1970's. But they are being used in ever increasing numbers; in applications from -50 to 600C, for use in industrial environments, the food and beverage industry, as well as laboratory equipment and some automotive uses.

Whether or not an RTD can actually be used in place of a thermocouple will depend on the specific design and application as outlined above. But if it's feasible, the actual price difference from thermocouple to RTD may be less than $10. if this is part of a large assembly, particularly one involving a thermowell and transmitter, that will amount to a very small part of the total unit cost. It should be pointed out that there will be hidden savings on the installation of the RTD since standard instrument wire can be used, as no specially compensated cables are required. IN SUMMATION We cannot make any generalizations, each application must be judged on its own. But if you have a new requirement for a temperature transducer, and you are not quite sure how to fill the space, run down the requirements and apply the concepts listed above. Maybe a thermocouple will provide what you need, or maybe you will find that an RTD is much better suited for the situation and really won't cost you any more in the long run.