1

T. VanDerPuy, Non-IEEE Member

A Study On PID Temperature Control For

ENGR 315, Control Systems

AbstractThis paper focuses on an in depth study of

industrial temperature controllers, their use in a workplace
environment, some terms and options associated with them, and
a physical testing thermal system. The testing was done in a
controlled environment using a Watlow Series 935A temperature
controller a 7.5-watt heater, and a half-gallon fish tank. Some
other topics included are inputs and outputs of temperature
controllers, PID, and its function associated with temperature
controllers, and some other functions available for use with
industrial temperature controllers.
Index Terms Proportional Control, Temperature Control,
Temperature
Measurement,
Thermoresistivity,
Thermal
Variables

I. INTRODUCTION
emperature control in industrial applications is an old
science, taking off mostly during the industrial
revolution, and coming into its own in the United States early
in the Twentieth Century. This control was very simple,
mechanical control that did not go beyond turning a heater or
cooling device on or off. PID control, however is a fairly new
concept that was immediately accepted into use for
temperature control applications, and gave way to an entire
line of PID temperature controllers, including the entirely
digital units seen at work in most applications today.

using just proportional control, this results in a droop down

from the set point.
The integral part of PID control
eliminates this. The controller output is proportional to the
amount of time the error is present.
C. Derivative
The third system working in a PID controller is the
derivative control. The derivative control affects the system
by increasing stability, and by reducing the overshoot and
undershoot of the function, and improving transient response.
The output under derivative control is proportional to the rate
of change of the error over time. This part of the control
system is critical because in some processes, an overshoot in
temperature might cause a part or machine to be damaged.
III. TYPES OF TEMPERATURE CONTROLLERS
Temperature controllers are usually characterized by the
type of control they provide, and therefore, the type of outputs
that are available on each unit.
A. On/Off
Temperature controllers outputs generally come in one of
three varieties. The first of these is called an ON/OFF output.

II. PID CONTROL, AND ITS USE WITH TEMPERATURE

PID control stands for, and consists of three distinct
feedback and control areas. A block diagram of the control
system can be found in the appendix.
A. Proportional
The first of these areas is proportional. The output of the
proportional controller is relative to the difference between
the temperature that is present and the set point. An
adjustable proportional band is set up as either a range of
temperatures, or a percentage of the set point temperature,
and is located below the set point. The Proportional band is
good for reducing the rise time of a process, and reduces, but
never erases the steady-state error.
B. Integral
The second system in a PID controller is the integral
control. The integral control eliminates the steady-error, but
makes the transient response worse. The integral eliminates
the droop caused by the proportional band. Since the power
level at set point is zero, and near zero right before it, the
temperature settles at a point slightly below the set point

This work was supported in part by Professor Paulo Ribero, Electrical

Engineering, Calvin College.
Tom VanDerPuy is a Senior Mechanical Engineering Student, Calvin
College, Grand Rapids, MI 49507 USA (e-mail: tdv4@calvin.edu)

FIGURE 1
Time vs. Temperature Graph of ON/OFF Control

This was the first type to arrive into production, and is the
simplest of the three. An ON/OFF output controller simply
turns the power on or off to a heater or cooling device
depending on which side of the setpoint that the temperature
is on. The controllers that use this sort of output are very
economical, however they have many problems, depending on
the system you are controlling with it. The main problem
with this is that the ON/OFF control does not provide a steady
temperature, and can be off on either side of the setpoint by a
certain magnitude depending on the heater or cooling device
that is attached.
One other problem is that this output is usually attached to
a relay or other device to transmit the signal to power the
heater or cooler. A mechanical relay, or even a transistorbased device only has a certain amount of switches until it
needs to be replaced. If the temperature gets around the
setpoint, and stays around there, the device will constantly be
switching back and forth since it is so close to the setpoint.
This puts a lot of stress on the switching device, and shortens
its lifespan enormously.

The output on this controller is switched on at intervals,

which depend on where the temperature is in the proportional
band; it is on more when it just enters the proportional band,
and off more as it reaches the setpoint. Figures 3 and 4 show
how the device reacts at different required power loads.
FIGURE 3
Time vs. Power Graph of Time Proportioning Control At 50% Power

B. Time Proportioning
The second variety is Time Proportioning Output.

FIGURE 4
Time vs. Power Graph of Time Proportioning Control At 75% Power
FIGURE 2
Time vs. Temperature Graph of Time Proportioning Control

IV. INPUTS
Another area of options available in choosing the correct
PID controller are inputs.
A. Contact Sensors
Contact Sensors are sensors that are actually touching or
immersed in the material whose temperature they are
measuring. This means that their temperature range is
limited because of the degradation of the material that can
occur due to high temperatures. The two most distinct types
of contact sensors commercially available are thermocouples
and RTDs.
1. Thermocouples
The benefit of this kind of controller is that the overshoot
is greatly reduced due to the slowed down operation
approaching the set point. A proportional or full PID
controller must be used for this output.
C. Process Control Output
The final type of output used in controllers today is the
Process Control output. This output gives a steady signal
instead of an on or off command, as shown in figure 5.
FIGURE 5
Proportional Control Output (0-5V)

The thermocouple is the most prevalent, consisting of a

two-strand wire of dissimilar metals. Some examples of these
types of wires are the K type thermocouples, whose wires are
nickel and nickel chromium. All metals change their
electrical EMF potential as temperature increases or
decreases. In an environment where these two wires are
exposed to the same temperature, they experience different
changes in electrical potential because they are made of
dissimilar elements.
When joined together, the difference in electrical potential
between these two wires can be measured by the temperature
controller, and this analog signal in turn can be turned into a
digital signal that is sent to the controllers brain to be
converted into a number (temperature) based on what type of
thermocouple is connected. The controller must be told
which type of thermocouple is connected in order to make
this computation.
There are many different kinds of thermocouples for use in
different environments, so it is key that the temperature
controller is computing results for the right thermocouple.
Usually a controller can accept a number of different types,
and some can even tell what type is being used as soon as it is
plugged in.
2.

Proportional Output control is used to turn a heater or

cooling device on, but only with partial power depending on
how much it determines the heater needs to be actuated. This
output is used exclusively on full PID controllers. The output
is an analog signal, usually a voltage from 0-5 VDC or a
current from 4-20 ma.
As shown in the diagram above, the controller is telling the
heater to give 25% power. This voltage or current is
converted into a percentage of power needed to send to a
heater or cooling device, usually by an analog PLC input.
Another way that this output reaches the device to be
controlled is by an SSR or SCR control device that rapidly
switches the power on and off to the heater, some switch
many times a second. The benefits of this output are a
completely smooth operation without any of the on/off jumps
the other outputs have. This helps the process level out more
evenly, reducing overshoot. It also extends heater life because
it is getting a more even flow of power than with the other
two devices.

Resistance Temperature Detectors

Resistance Temperature Detectors, or RTDs as they are

known detect temperature with a single element wire, instead
of the two element wire of the thermocouple. They consist of
a length of fine wire wrapped around a glass or ceramic core.
The temperature controller reads the resistance of the wire,
and correlates it to a temperature listed for that resistance that
is programmed into the controller.

3. Comparing RTDs and Thermocouples

RTDs are generally better performing than thermocouples
in almost every area, except for a few. The first is that they
are not as robust as thermocouples, and so usually come in a
sheath or jacket to protect them from the environments they
will be introduced to. Even so, there are many environments
that they cannot go in, especially ones where they will be
jolted or shocked by the machine operation. They are also
slightly more expensive, but not so much to justify buying

them over a thermocouple because of their numerous

advantages.
The first of these advantages is that they are more accurate
than thermocouples, and more repeatable as well.
A
thermocouple can get worn out more easily because it is
usually not jacketed as well as an RTD. Another advantage
that RTDs have is that they have a higher immunity to
electrical noise from equipment. This means that they can be
placed next to generators, transformers, or motors in a
workplace environment, and give a more accurate
temperature than a thermocouple.
One real advantage that thermocouples have is that they
have a good point reading. What this means is that the
analog signal that is sent to the temperature controller is from
a single point, where an RTDs resistance is read along the
entire coil. The advantage here is that the thermocouple can
be placed in a small area, or placed so that it reads a
temperature on a minute area of a part or machine.
Another advantage that thermocouples hold over RTDs is
that they can be used over a broader temperature range than
RTDs. RTDs are more sensitive to extreme temperatures as
well, and have a more limited range of operation. A full
comparison of temperature controllers versus RTDs can be
found in the appendix.
B. Non-Contact Sensors
Most commercially available non-contact sensors are
devices that detect radiation heat energy from a target that the
sensor is pointed towards. These are used in rugged
environments where it is physically impossible or impractical
due to machine movement or temperature to place a
thermocouple or RTD. These sensors are usually connected to
more complicated temperature computers that are not in the
scope of this paper.
V. TUNING A TEMPERATURE CONTROLLER
Tuning the PID system on a temperature controller was not
an easy task by any means in the earlier years of PID
temperature control. It involved setting up the system,
configuring it to how you best thought it might need, and
guessing what parameters the PID system should use for the
operation. This was more than tedious for a worker to do,
and sometimes took days on more complicated temperature
systems.
This was because a temperature system is one of the more
complicated systems to model for PID control. There are
numerous variables that are nearly impossible to simulate
versus how they behave in the real world. For this reason,
manufacturers of temperature controllers soon started
producing units that auto-tuned. This was an incredible time
and labor saving creation because all it took to tune the new
controllers was to set it up in the environment and let it run
and decide the right PID variables for the process by itself.
The way it does this is shown in figure 6 below.
FIGURE 6
Temperature vs. Time Auto tuning

The temperature controller starts out by putting the heater

or cooling device on full power until it reaches 90% of the set
point. It does this to determine how fast the heating or
cooling device works so that it does not overshoot the set
point. As soon as it reaches 90%, it begins to back off the
power proportionally to what it has learned about the heating
or cooling device, and watches how fast the temperature
drops when it shuts off the device. This is important for it to
decide when and how much power to cut when the process
gets near the set point.
After this the auto tuning is complete, and the temperature
controller decides on reasonable values for the PID. This is
usually not the end of the process, however, as an operator
still has to come in and fine-tune the PID values to make sure
the process is operating at an optimal level. Other situations,
however, are less demanding, and require only the auto
tuning of the controller for safe and optimal operation.
Most of the time the only problem with the temperature
controllers auto tuning settings is a slight overshoot in the
final temperature. This can be adjusted down by simply
changing the value of the integral in the PID control.
Most contemporary PID controllers come with an easy to
use interface that can be learned in a couple of hours. The
earlier models were not so easy to use, and tuning a
temperature controller usually involved bringing in a
representative from the company for a day to teach a few
maintenance and engineering workers how to set and adjust
the controllers.
VI. TYPES OF TEMERATURE CONTROLLERS
Temperature controllers come equipped with a number of
different options. Deciding on a temperature controller has a
lot to do with the inputs and outputs, but there are also other
features that they can utilize that are not necessary for all
operations.
Temperature controllers can be used in either a stand-alone
operation, or can be run with a programmable logic controller
or PLC. The more complicated operations usually have the
temperature controllers hooked up to a main communications
bus that can be monitored from any part of the installation.
A step down from this system is a temperature controller
simply hooked up to a stand alone PLC. In this fashion, the
PLC takes the temperature controller set point as an input,
and any alarms that the temperature controller might be
programmed with. Through this, the PLC can tell the
machine to stop functioning in case of a system overload that
the temperature controller cannot handle.
For the most basic case, the temperature controller is
stand-alone, and has no backup system. This is mainly
incorporated into systems that do not pose a hazard if
overloaded, and will not damage any expensive equipment.

VII. PHYSICAL TESTING

As mentioned before, temperature controllers are hard to
model, or digitize. My initial aspirations were to do a
MATLAB simulation of my proposed design and test it
against a real world model. This proved to be somewhere in
between impossible and impractical.
A. Impractical To Model
The system to be modeled, as shown in the photograph in
the appendix turned out to be simply too complicated, even
though it is just a fish tank. This is the reason that
manufacturers of temperature controllers started
incorporating auto tuning functions integral in the
controllers. The industrial systems, most of them more
complicated than my fish tank set up, are just impractical to
model because of all of the variables inherent in a physical
temperature system.
Conduction, convection, and radiation heat losses would
have to be considered, along with the actual density of the
water (tap water at our house is more dense than a control
water because of the high mineral content). The actual power
output of the heater would also have to be considered along
with how much of that heat got transmitted to the water
through its casing.
Along these lines, the placement of the heater and
temperature sensor, and a number of other variables that
would contribute to making modeling the system impractical.
B. The Physical System
The option that I chose to go to was a physical system
modeling. The environment is a half-gallon fish tank with a
MarkeTech International Model 10975 15-watt immersion
heater. The heater is hooked up to a Watlow solid-state relay
(SSR) that runs off of the switched 12-volt output of the
temperature controller.
The controller itself is a 2003 model Watlow Series 935a
full PID temperature controller. The specs of the controller
can be seen in the appendix. The controller has an option
between a relay output and switched DC output. I chose the
switched DC to drive the SSR; otherwise I would have needed
an external power supply to drive it.
The controller is very simple to set up, and has a digital
menu system that lets you cycle through all of the variables by
using the three buttons on the front of the controller. The set
point can easily be changed without having to go through any
of the menus via a quick select button and an up and down
arrow. The controller is very compact, and fits in a standard
1/32th DIN size hole.
The controller is adjustable for Celsius and Fahrenheit
temperature ranges, and also is selected for different
temperature ranges. For example, the controller can be set to
record between 0 and 1000 degrees, or 1000 to 2000 degrees.
It must be adjusted like this because the LED characters limit
how much data can be presented on-screen.
The reason that I picked this controller was that it was both
economical and practical for the application that I was using

it for. It is an entry-level controller from Watlow, some of

there more complex controllers that can run up to five
thousand dollars for a base model. These controllers can run
up to sixteen process loops simultaneously, come with
graphing software, and can also run process loops for flow
controls.
The Watlow Series 935a model that I purchased cost forty
dollars purchased used on Ebay, the original model would
have cost around two hundred dollars.
C. Results and Conclusions
The controller took a period of 235 minutes to auto-tune to
72 degrees Fahrenheit. The PID values are as follows:
Proportional: 25
Integral:

10

Derivative:

2.01

A graph of the auto tuning from points taken every 5

minutes over those 235 minutes is shown in the appendix.
The experiment was a success, the auto-tuning went as
described in the text on the controller by Watlow. The
temperature rose to about 90% of the set point, and then
proceeded to fall, and rose back again a couple of times before
settling at the set point.
In conclusion, PID temperature control systems have
developed over time to become incredible savers of manpower
and resources. They have revolutionized the way that
industry controls temperature and made many manufacturing
environments safer. One of the major issues that became
apparent while studying PID temperature controllers was how
difficult it is to model a physical environment, and how the
newest batch of PID controllers takes care of that through
features like auto-tuning, and data logging. The world of
temperature control has become more tangible and real to
even the lowliest worker through these devices.

VIII. APPENDIX
Table 1:
Thermocouple VS. RTD Data

[3]
Figure 1:
Block Diagram of Temperature Control

[2]
Figure 2:
Auto Tuning Graph

Temperature (F)

Time vs Temperature
73
72
71
70
69
68
67
66
0

50

100

150

200

250

Time (min)
Table 2:
Data Set For Auto-Tuning
Time (min) Temperature (F) Time (min) Temperature (F) Time (min) Temperature (F)
0
66.9
80
67.7
160
69.7
5
67.8
85
67.6
165
69.9
10
69.1
90
67.4
170
70.3
15
69.5
95
67.6
175
70.3
20
69.3
100
67.7
180
70.4
25
69.1
105
67.8
185
70.7
30
69
110
67.8
190
70.9
35
69
115
67.9
195
71.1
40
68.9
120
68.6
200
71.2
45
68.8
125
68.6
205
71.5
50
68.6
130
68.8
210
71.4
55
68.7
135
69
215
71.7
60
68.6
140
69
220
72
65
68
145
69
225
72
70
68.1
150
69.3
230
72
75
67.8
155
69.5
235
72

Figure 3:
Watlow Series 935a Specifications

[4]

VIII. REFERENCES

[1]

Johnson, Phil, MC Shane INC, Understanding a PID Controller, General

information, Available:
http://www.mcshaneinc.com/html/Library_UnderstandingPID.html

[2]

Temperatures.com, Types of Temperature Sensors, 2004, Available:

http://www.temperatures.com/sensors.html

9
[3]

Watlow Corp, Watlow Educational Series, Temperature Control, the

Watlow Educational Series Book 5, pp. 11-32, 1995

[4]

Watlow Corp, Literature, Series 953a User Manual, p 52, General

information also, January 2002

[5]

Weed Instrument Company, Weed Information Central, RTD vs.

Thermocouple Comparison, 2004, Available:
http://www.weedinstrument.com/info_central/rtd.html

[6]

Williams, Charles D., School of Physics, Feedback and Temperature

Control, University of Exeter, General information, Available:
http://newton.ex.ac.uk/teaching/CDHW/Feedback/#Preface