Understanding Temperature Sensor Technology: RTDs, Thermocouples, and Thermistors

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⌚Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:19 - RTDs
01:31 - RTDs in industrial applications
02:15 - Thermocouples
03:48 - Thermocouples in action
05:26 - Thermistors
06:15 - Thermistor applications

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Today, we'll take you on a journey through the exciting world of temperature sensor technology, specifically RTDs, thermocouples, and thermistors.

1) RTDs or Resistance Temperature Detectors: An RTD is a little device that measures temperature by looking at how much electricity can flow through a wire.

Imagine a wire made of platinum, which is a special kind of metal. As the wire heats up, the metal atoms start to vibrate more and get in the way of the flow of electricity.

An RTD takes advantage of this fact by measuring the wire's resistance to electricity and using that to figure out the temperature.

RTDs are super accurate, too - they can measure temperature with an accuracy of 0.1% or better!

One typical industrial application of RTDs is to measure temperature in food processing plants.

2) Thermocouples: They're pretty cool because they work based on something called the Seebeck effect.

Imagine you have a piece of copper wire and a piece of iron wire, and you stick them together.

When you heat up one end of the wires, a little bit of electricity is created! This happens because the difference in temperature between the hot end and the cold end creates a flow of electricity.

This flow of electricity is called an electromotive force. Thermocouples measure this EMF and use it to figure out the temperature difference between the hot and cold ends of the wires.

Thermocouples come in all different shapes and sizes, and each type is made with different combinations of metals.

One common type is called Type K, and it's made with a wire of nickel and chromium. Another type is called Type J, and it's made with a wire of iron and constantan.

Thermocouples can measure temperature over a really wide range, from really cold temperatures like negative 200 degrees Celsius all the way up to super hot temperatures like 2000 degrees Celsius!

Imagine you're working in a factory where they make things like ceramics, bricks, or glass. By using a thermocouple to monitor the temperature inside a furnace or kiln, the workers can make sure that the temperature stays within a certain range.

Boilers also need to be monitored to make sure they don't get too hot and cause damage. Thermocouples are also used in science labs to measure the temperature of things like chemicals or materials.

3) Thermistors: These are sensors that can measure temperature based on how their resistance changes when the temperature changes.

There are two main types of thermistors - NTC and PTC.

- NTC stands for negative temperature coefficient, which means that as the temperature goes up, the resistance of the thermistor goes down.

- PTC, on the other hand, stands for positive temperature coefficient, so as the temperature goes up, the resistance of the thermistor goes up too. It's like they're playing different games altogether!

One common use of thermistors is in HVAC systems. Inside the air conditioning system, there's a little thermistor that measures the temperature of the air that's coming out of the vents.

If the temperature is too warm, the thermistor sends a signal to the air conditioner to tell it to kick into high gear and start cooling the air down more quickly.

Thermistors are also used in medical thermometers to measure body temperature, and in automotive engines to monitor the temperature of the engine and make sure it doesn't overheat.

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If you're looking for a hands-on approach to understanding temperature sensors, RealPars has just the solution - get started with the course on RTDs!

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#RealPars #RTD #temperaturesensor

[deankay]

The reaction chart used for the NTC thermistor is somewhat confusing because it's backwards. Temp should be the vertical and resistance be the horizontal. Since the temp is unknown, the arrow of activity should start in the middle space, drop to the left lower corner. Either is correct with the attempt to keep both charts the same, but shown different, like the 1, 100 page electronics book in front of me. They are used in gas tanks for low fuel LED's. Inside a metal can, hanging off by itself and the fuel keeps it cold. Remember, a resistor in series with an LED's behind the dash. So current is off until fuel gets low. The resistor limits current to the NTC thermistor so when un-covered, it gets warmer and allow 0.030 mili-amps to reach the bulb, turning it on. It is used on imports, motorcycles and a larger number of domestics. The can provides ground so path to ground is thru fuse, resistor, bulb, thermistor to ground. Easily added if desired.
ASE Master tech since 78, retired.

[aymane]

We appreciate your work RealPars, you're doing a very good job. Thank you.

[JayLikesLasers]

Great video! Subscribed. As a bit of constructive criticism, the technical content was good, although the analogies could do with some work. I'm not sure if they were trying to be funny, but the tone of the video makes it sound like it's just chatGPT garbage: For example: "That's like trying to shoot a basketball from really far away and getting it in almost every time" and "Up to 2000 degrees Celsius; that's even hotter than the hottest day in Death Valley". Analogies could be really powerful when done right.

[EricPham-grpg]

Can L.E.D. Light and infrared sensor and U.V. All work together to get correct temperature and verify it too. But foods polution would make everything meaning less

[genantamtam]

Hello,
Where does PT100 /1000 comes in the picture here?
If not? In that case why? I thought pt100 are pretty common?

[RhanceLimpo]

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU, UR EXPLANATION IS WAY TO GOOD, THANKY OU AGIAN !

[janezhang-ZonGon]

thanks for you video, dear friend, so RTD and thermocouple all could be used in food processing machinery, what is their different?RTD is good for food processing or thermocouple better?Thanks

[syufrijal]

Amazing explanation of temperature sensor technology ..very educative

[haidarmohamedsami]

Hi there, thank you for the great videos and explantations
I didn't found your app on Iphone Appstore, can you guid me plz?

[tobievanblerk-zdpu]

Love RealPars training videos .. keep it going

[Carbonconsultant]

very detailed explanation. thanks for simplifying things for beginners like me.

[sudhanshunayaksk]

Dear sir make a video regarding BBD /sfm sensor & it's working principle

[abmamun]

Hello I wanna learn s7 and TIA Portal.

[lalamsivaprasad]

Nice video man It is very helpful tomy education...

[asemtantawy]

Training videos are super excellent and clear, thanks for your great effort ❤

[jaidoshi]

Excellent Explanation..!! helped me a lot..!!

[geragarcia]

2:42 min. How much is "a small amount of electricity?"

[NoahTaylor]

wonderful design, you are a professional designer.

[Blades-fmck]

As ever, very clear explanations. Thank you