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Temparature Sensors

This describes about temperature sensors in automation processes

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amonkairuki3107
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18 views17 pages

Temparature Sensors

This describes about temperature sensors in automation processes

Uploaded by

amonkairuki3107
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION

(MEU 07569)

TEMPARATURE SENSORS
L EC T UR E 3
I N STRUC TOR
E N G . G R ACE KI BW E JA
Temperature sensors
•The measurement of temperature is important in many industrial applications
• Temperature sensors of different physical construction and different technology
are required
•Several factors must be considered when selecting the type of sensor to be used
in a specific application: temperature range, accuracy, response time, stability,,
linearity, and sensitivity
• The commonly used sensors for temperature measurement are: Resistance
Temperature Detector (RTD), Thermocouple, Thermistor, and Fiber Optic
Temperature Sensors
Resistance Temperature Sensor (RTD)
•A resistance temperature detector (RTD) is a temperature sensor that senses
temperature by means of changes in the magnitude of current through, or voltage
across an element whose electrical resistance varies with temperature
•These types of sensors provide a change in resistance proportional to a change in
temperature
•The resistance temperature detector may be connected in a bridge circuit, which
drives a display, calibrated to show the temperature of the resistance element
•Most metals become more resistant to the passage of an electrical current as the
metal increases in temperature. The increase in resistance is generally
proportional to the rise in temperature.
• Thus, a constant current passed through a metal of varying resistance produces a
variation in voltage that is proportional to the temperature change.
Construction of RTD
•The basic construction of an RTD is
quite simple.
• It consists of a length of fine-coiled
wire wrapped around a ceramic or
glass core.
• The element is usually quite fragile, so
it is often placed inside a sheathed
probe to protect it
•Common resistance materials for RTDs are platinum, nickel, and copper
• Platinum is the most commonly used metal for RTDs due to its stability and
nearly linear temperature.
•It can measure temperatures up to 800°C.
•The resistance of the RTD changes as a function of absolute temperature, so it is
categorized as one of the absolute temperature devices. (In contrast, the
thermocouple cannot measure absolute temperature; it can only measure relative
temperature.)
Advantages
• Stable and accurate
• More linear than thermocouples
Disadvantages
• More expensive
• Self heating
•Requires a current source
•Response time may not be fast enough for some applications
Thermocouple
•When two dissimilar metal conductors are connected together to form a closed
circuit and the two junctions are kept in different temperatures, thermal
electromotive force (EMF) is generated in the circuit (Seebeck’s effect)
• Thermocouples make use of this principle
• Thus, when one end (cold junction) is kept constant at a certain temperature,
normally at 0°C, and the other end (measuring junction) is exposed to an
unknown temperature, the temperature at latter end can be determined by
measurement of EMF so generated
•This combination of two dissimilar metal conductors is called “thermocouple”
Construction of thermocouple
•Thermocouple is an active transducer
•It consists of a pair of dissimilar
metals/wires joined together to form a
junction
• One end of the junction is the sensing end,
which is to be immersed in the medium of
temperature. This is called hot junction
•The other end of the junction is called cold
or reference junction, which is maintained at
a constant reference temperature
A thermoelectric circuit containing two junctions is illustrated in below, two
wires of metals A and B form junctions at two different temperatures T1 and T2,
resulting in a potential V that can be measured

The thermocouple voltage is directly proportional to the junction temperature


difference:
V = α (T1–T2) where α is Seeback coefficient
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
• Self powered requiring no external power supply
• Simple, rugged, inexpensive, and commonly available
• Can withstand harsh environments
Disadvantages
• Nonlinear and require a cold junction compensation for linearization.
• Not as accurate as RTDs or thermistors
• Low voltage, least stable, and sensitive
Thermistor
•Thermistor is also a temperature sensitive resistor as RTD
• A thermistor is an electronic component that exhibits a large change in resistance
with a change in body temperature
• Thermistors are highly sensitive to temperature variation; hence, they are also
called temperature sensitive resistors
•Thermistors are manufactured from metal oxide semiconductor material, which
is encapsulated in a glass or epoxy bead. They have a low thermal mass that
results in fast response times, but are limited by a small temperature range.
Different types of thermistors
•Thermistors are divided into negative temperature coefficient (NTC) and
positive temperature coefficient (PTC) types.
• The temperature coefficient of a material can be defined as change in resistance
of the material for a unit degree change in temperature.
•Although positive temperature coefficients units are available, most thermistors
have a NTC, i.e., their resistance decreases with increasing temperature.
•The NTC can be as large as several percent per degree Celsius, allowing the
thermistor circuit to detect minute changes in temperature, which could not be
observed with an RTD, or thermocouple circuit.
If the relationship between resistance and temperature is assumed to be linear,
then:

• If k is positive, the resistance increases with increasing temperature, and the


device is called a PTC thermistor, posistor or sensistor.
• If k is negative, the resistance decreases with increasing temperature, and the
device is called a NTC thermistor.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
• Inexpensive, rugged, and reliable
•Respond quickly
Disadvantages
• Smaller temperature range
• Signal is not linear
• Self-heating
Applications of Temperature Sensors
• HVAC — room, duct, and refrigerant equipment
• Motors — overload protection
• Electronic circuits — semiconductor protection
• Electronic assemblies — thermal management, temperature compensation
• Process control — temperature regulation
• Automotive — air and oil temperature
• Appliances — heating and cooling temperature

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