Basic Concepts

RESISTENCE OF ANY METAL CHANGES WITH

ITS TEMPERATURE CHANGE.

RTDs ARE Positive Temperature Co-efficient Device

i.e. Their effective resistance increases with the
increase in temperature

RTDs are sensors used to measure temperature by

correlating the resistance of the RTD element with
temperature.

Most RTD elements consist 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.

The RTD element is made from a pure material whose resistance at various
temperatures has been documented. The material has a predictable change in
resistance as the temperature changes; it is this predictable change that is used
to determine temperature

The RTD is one of the most accurate temperature sensors. Not only does it
provide good accuracy, it also provides excellent stability and repeatability.

RTDs are also relatively immune to electrical noise and therefore well suited
for temperature measurement in industrial environments, especially around
motors, generators and other high voltage equipment.

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2 Wire PT 100 provides one connection to each end of the

sensor. This construction is suitable particularly where the
changes in lead resistance due to ambient temperature
changes can be ignored.

3 Wire PT 100 provides one connection to one end and

two to the other end of the sensor. Connected to an
instrument designed to accept three-wire input,
compensation is achieved for lead resistance and
temperature change in lead resistance. This is the most
commonly used configuration

Common Resistance Material for

RTDs

Platinum (most popular and accurate)

Nickel
Copper
Balco (rare)
Tungsten (rare

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Typical Design

RTD Element
The RTD element is the simplest form of RTD.
It consists of a piece of wire wrapped around a
ceramic or glass core. Because of their
compact size, RTD elements are commonly
used when space is very limited.

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A surface element is a special type of RTD element.

It is designed to be as thin as possible thus providing
good contact for temperature measurement of flat
surfaces.

RTD Probes

The RTD probe is the most rugged form of

RTD. A probe consists of an RTD element
mounted inside a metal tube, also known as a
sheath. The sheath protects the element from
the environment.

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RTD PROBES (Thermowell)