Thermistors (sensors)

Prepared by KASHINATH DAS

Dept. of Applied electronics & Instrumentation engineering HALDIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Roll no.- 09/EI/60

University registration no.-

Overview
A Thermistor is a type of resistor used to measure temperature changes, relying on the change in its resistance with changing temperature.

Thermistors can measure temperatures across the range of -40 ~ 150 0.35 C Typical operation resistances are in the kW range, although the actual resistance may range from few W to several MW.

Classification
Thermistors can take various shapes; rod, disc, washer, bead

Classification
Thermistors come in two varieties; NTC, negative thermal coefficient, and PTC, positive thermal coefficient.

The resistance of NTC thermistors decreases proportionally with increases in temperature. PTC thermistors have increasing resistance with increasing temperature

Thermistor construction
NTC Thermistors are most commonly made from the oxides of metals such as manganese, cobalt, nickel and copper. The metals are oxidized through a chemical reaction, ground to a fine powder, then compressed and subject to very high heat. Some NTC thermistors are crystallized from semiconducting material such as silicon and germanium. PTC Thermistors are generally made by introducing small quantities of semiconducting material into a polycrystalline ceramic. When temperature reaches a critical point, the semiconducting material forms a barrier to the flow of electricity and resistance climbs very quickly.

Working principle
Electrical resistance of a metal depends on the temperature. The basic principle of thermistors is that; change in temperature changes its resistance, this change can be converted to electrical signal.

PTC working principle

Resistance of these types of thermistors increases with the rise in temperature.

Due to the special ResistanceTemperature-characteristic, there is no additional temperature regulation or safety device necessary while reaching high heat-power level when using the low resistance area

PTC working principle

The PTC-heating element regulates the power sensitively according to the required temperature. The power input depends on the requested heat output.

NTC working principle

Resistance of NTC thermistors decreases proportionally with increases in temperature.

Thermistor resistance-temperature relationship can be approximated by,

NTC working principle

where:

T is temperature (in Kelvin), TRef is the reference temperature, usually at room temp. (25 C; 77 F; 298.15 K), R is the resistance of the thermistor (W),

RRef is the resistance at TRef,

b is a calibration constant depending on the thermistor material, usually between 3,000 and 5,000 K.

Sample configuration in application (PTC Thermistor)

There are very few commercial applications involving PTC thermistors that are based upon the resistance-temperature characteristic. Most PTC thermistor applications are based upon either the steady state selfheated condition (voltage-current characteristic) or upon the dynamic self-heated condition (current-time characteristic) or a combination of both.

Sample configuration in application (PTC Thermistor)

The dramatic rise in resistance of a PTC at and above the transition temperature makes it ideal for over current protection. For all currents below the desired limiting current, the power dissipated in the thermistor is not sufficient to self-heat the device to its transition temperature. Should an over-current condition occur, the thermistor will self-heat beyond the transition temperature and its resistance rises dramatically. This causes the current in the overall circuit to be reduced.

Sample configuration in application (PTC Thermistor)

3 more applications are listed , in that they all rely on the dynamic operation (Current-Time Characteristic) of a self-heated PTC thermistor. In each case, current is allowed to pass through a series circuit for a prescribed amount of time before the thermistor self-heats into a high resistance condition. Time Delay circuit

Sample configuration in application (PTC Thermistor)

Motor starting Degaussing

Sample configuration in application (NTC Thermistor)

NTC thermistor is a versatile component that can be used in a wide variety of applications where the measured is temperature dependent.

Thermistor applications are grouped according to one of the three fundamental electrical characteristics; The current-time characteristics The voltage-current characteristic The resistance-temperature characteristic

Sample configuration in application (NTC Thermistor)

Application based on Current-Time characteristic Time delay, surge suppression, inrush current limiting and sequential switching represent some of the earliest, high volume uses of thermistors. These thermistor applications are all based upon the current-time characteristic. Application based on Resistance -temperature characteristic Applications that are based upon the resistance temperature characteristics include temperature measurement, control, and compensation.

Sample configuration in application (NTC Thermistor)

Linear Voltage Divider The simplest thermistor network used in many applications is the voltage divider circuit The output voltage is taken across the fixed resistor. This has the advantages of providing an increasing output voltage for increasing temperatures and allows the loading effect of any external measurement circuitry to be included into the computations for the resistor, R. The loading will not affect the output voltage as temperature varies

Sample configuration in application (NTC Thermistor)

Linear Voltage Divider
The output voltage as a function of temperature is as follows

Specification
Major specifications to be considered while using a thermistor.
Resistance temperature curve: it varies from thermistor to thermistor and the specifications are provided by the manufacturer. Nominal resistance value Resistance tolerance: The specifications for this is provided by the manufacturer Beta tolerance : This depends on the material being used for the thermistor

Applications
Thermistor is a versatile component and used in various applications where temperature is a factor to be considered. Depending on type of application and specific output,either PTC or NTC thermistors are used. The application part is broadly divided into PTC thermistor application and NTC thermistor application.

Application of PTC Thermistors

They are used as resettable fuses. They are used in time delay circuits. PTC Thermistors are used in motor starting circuits. They are also used in Degaussing circuitry. The PTC Thermistor can provide a combination of heater and thermostat in one device They are used as liquid level and flow sensors.

Application of NTC Thermistor

General industrial applications
Industrial process controls Plastic laminating equipment Fiber processing & manufacturing Hot mold equipment (thermoplastics) Solar energy equipment

Automotive and Transportation Application

Emission controls Engine temperatures Aircraft Temperatures.

Application of NTC Thermistor

Medical Applications
Fever Thermometers Fluid temperature Dialysis Equipment

Consumer/Household Applications
Burglar alarm Refrigeration and air conditioning Fire detection Oven temperature control

Advantages of Thermistors
Thermistors have high sensitivity, better then that offered by thermocouples, RTDs. High accuracy, ~0.02 C (0.36F) They offer a wide range of high resistance values. They have a small size. Thermistors have a faster response time then that of RTDs

Limitations
Limited temperature range, typically -100 ~ 150 C (-148 ~ 302 F). Nonlinear resistance-temperature relationship, unlike RTDs which have a very linear relationship. Errors can result from self excitation currents being dissipated by the thermistors. They get de-calibrated on exposure to higher temperatures

References
www.efunda.com (Introduction to Thermistors) www.thermometrics.com/assets/images/ntcnotes.pdf

www .thermometrics.com/assets/images/ptcnotes.pdf http://www.dataacquisitionweb.com/sensors/ntc_thermistors

http://www.ptc-ceramics.com/principle.htm

Thank You !
KASHINATH DAS