1/26/2018 Resistance Temperature Detectors Sources of Error Instrumentation Tools

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TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT

Resistance Temperature Detectors Sources of Error

 S Bharadwaj Reddy  1 Comment

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Immersion Error – Stem Conduction

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With the calibration of industrial platinum resistance thermometers stem conduction is likely to be the main source of error.

Immersion or Stem Conduction errors are caused by the ow of heat along the thermometer sheath. If the thermometer is T
immersed into a hot body the ow of heat will be from the body along the thermometer sheath into the ambient surroundings.
Conversely if the thermometer is placed into a body cooler than the surroundings then heat will ow along the sheath into the
cool body. The temperature pro le along the stem can lead to errors.
Tem

The below Figure shows a thermometer with an internal sensing element of 20mm. The thermometer is immersed only 10mm
and it is clear that the thermometer will not be able to reach the temperature of the body. The important question is, how far Categor
should the thermometer be immersed to eliminate the immersion error? This will depend on various factors including the
characteristics of the thermometer and the temperature di erence between the stem and the body of interest. Select Ca

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1/26/2018 Resistance Temperature Detectors Sources of Error Instrumentation Tools
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Tem

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Various methods or mathematical models have been suggested to allow this error to be calculated but the number of variables Latest C
involved make it di cult in practice to calculate the error. From the practical point of view it may be better to immerse the
thermometer as much as possible and to experiment by withdrawing the thermometer and observing any e ect. It has been smita
so,much u
suggested that for metal block baths as a rule of thumb a thermometer should be inserted into the block the length of the
detector plus an amount equal to 15 times the thermometer’s diameter. Iliyas
Conductiv

For calibration of industrial p.r.t.’s in metal block baths this is likely to be the dominant source of error and will in uence the Satheesh
uncertainty of calibration. Very usefu

Instrume
Sir, This w
Lead Resistance
getting kn

m.k
Resistance thermometers are, in a sense all “two wire” devices. It is when extension wires are attached to the sensing resistor that
dear sir it
complete thermometers can become two wire, three wire or four wire connected.
your e or

S Bharadw
Two wire devices are best avoided whenever possible. The extension wire becomes part of the thermometer and as the lead Please ch
length becomes greater so does the lead resistance error. category..

shabbir
Three wire devices can be used to largely overcome errors introduced by the extension wires. Such devices can easily be no any da
transmitte
connected to electrical circuits such that the lead wire resistances cancel each other. However slight errors remain due to
variations in the resistance of the individual wires.

Four-wire connection o ers further improvements but industrial instruments do not always have input connections designed for
four-wire connection, although laboratory instruments commonly do.
Inst Too

Thermal Lag

Errors due to thermal lag are those caused by the delay in the thermometer to respond to a change in temperature. Again
mathematical models exist for this e ect but in practice the time constant for industrial thermometers is often unknown. For a
thermometer which is in a close tting pocket of a metal block bath (which exhibits good temperature stability) it would be usual
for the thermometer to reach its nal value within a few minutes. A simple observation is the best means to con rm this for new
or unknown sensors. Inst Too

Thermal Capacity

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1/26/2018 Resistance Temperature Detectors Sources of Error Instrumentation Tools

When a thermometer is placed into a metal block bath, heat will ow into the thermometer, or from it. This loading of the block
may cause the block to change its temperature, although the temperature controller of the block will compensate to some extent.
With Standard block baths and the recommended method of using an external thermometer to measure the insert temperature
such errors can be kept to a minimum. Ideally the thermal capacity of the block bath should be large compared to the thermal
capacity of the probe, which will be the case for all but the largest of industrial probes.
Languag
Self Heating
Select La

Measuring the resistance of a p.r.t. requires an electrical current to be passed through the sensing resistor. The resultant power
dissipated in the sensor (I2 R) is often warned against. In practice, for industrial probes with modern instrumentation, it is unlikely
to cause signi cant error. The traditional Temperature Calibration Using Dry Block Baths 13 measuring current has been 1mA but
modern instruments tend to use much smaller values that minimise any self heating, but may lead to other more signi cant DC
errors. Users of laboratory standard platinum resistance thermometers need take more care to eliminate self heating errors.

DC Errors

Small D.C. voltages may be generated in p.r.t.’s due to thermoelectric e ects caused by the joining of dissimilar metals in the
construction of the p.r.t. For example the junction of copper to platinum can generate e.m.f. of 6 to 8 µV /ºC. Resulting o set
voltages can lead to error in associated instrumentation although laboratory instruments may use measuring techniques to
eliminate such errors.

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