RTDs - or Resistance Temperature Detectors - are temperature sensors that contain a resistor that

changes resistance value as its temperature changes. The most popular RTD is the Pt100. They have been
used for many years to measure temperature in laboratory and industrial processes, and have developed a
reputation for accuracy, repeatability, and stability.

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.

Benefits of Using a pt100

The pt100 is one of the most accurate temperature sensors. Not only does it provide good accuracy, it also
provides excellent stability and repeatability. Most OMEGA standard pt100 comply with DIN-IEC Class B.
Pt100 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.

Construction of a RTD Probe

A PT100 probe is an assembly composed of an element, a sheath, a lead wire, and a termination or

connection. Once the sensor is selected, the wiring and packaging requirements need to be determined.
There are a number of ways to wire the sensors, along with an unlimited number of probe or sensor
constructions to choose from.

Pt100 RTD Probe Wiring Arrangement

In order to measure temperature, the RTD element must be connected to some sort of monitoring or
control equipment. Since the temperature measurement is based on the element resistance, any other
resistance (lead wire resistance, connections, etc.) added to the circuit will result in measurement error.

Except for the 2-wire configuration, all other wiring arrangements allow the monitoring or control
equipment to factor out the unwanted lead wire resistance and other resistances that occur in the circuit.
Sensors using the 3-wire construction are the most common design, found in industrial process and
monitoring applications.

The lead wire resistance is factored out as long as all of the lead wires have the same resistance; otherwise,
errors can result.

In this article the possible wiring alternatives for RTD probes are explained.

The Termination

Probes may be terminated in a connection head, quick disconnect, terminal block, or extension wire. Other
termination styles are available upon special request.

Configuration
Once the pt100 element, wire arrangement, and wire construction are selected, the physical construction
of the sensor needs to be considered. The final sensor configuration will depend upon the application.
Measuring the temperature of a liquid, a surface, or a gas stream requires different sensor configurations.

The Most Common Resistance Materials for RTDs

 Platinum (most popular and accurate)
 Nickel
 Copper
 Balco (rare)
 Tungsten (rare)

RTD Standards
There are two standards for Pt100 RTDs: the European standard, also known as the DIN or IEC standard,
(RTD Temperature vs. Resistance Table) and the American standard (RTD Temperature vs. Resistance
Table). The European standard, also known as the DIN or IEC standard, is considered the world-wide
standard for platinum RTDs. This standard, DIN/IEC 60751 (or simply IEC751), requires the RTD to have an
electrical resistance of 100.00 O at 0°C and a temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of 0.00385 O/O/°C
between 0 and 100°C.

There are two resistance tolerances specified in DIN/IEC751:

Class A = ±(0.15 + 0.002*t)°C or 100.00 ±0.06 O at 0ºC
Class B = ±(0.3 + 0.005*t)°C or 100.00 ±0.12 O at 0ºC

Two resistance tolerances used in industry are:

1/3 DIN = ±1/3* (0.3 + 0.005*t)°C or 100.00 ±0.10 O at 0ºC
1/10 DIN = ±1 /10* (0.3 + 0.005*t)°C or 100.00 ±0.03 O at 0ºC

Learn more about this formulas here. The combination of resistance tolerance and temperature coefficient
define the resistance vs. temperature characteristics for the RTD sensor. The larger the element tolerance,
the more the sensor will deviate from a generalized curve, and the more variation there will be from
sensor to sensor (interchangeability). This is important to users who need to change or replace sensors and
want to minimize interchangeability errors. In this article main differences between Pt100 and Pt1000 are
explained.
What is an RTD?

RTD stands for Resistance Temperature Detector. RTDs are sometimes referred to generally as resistance
thermometers.

An RTD is a temperature sensor which measures temperature using the principle that the resistance of a
metal changes with temperature. In practice, an electrical current is transmitted through a piece of metal
(the RTD element or resistor) located in proximity to the area where temperature is to be measured. The
resistance value of the RTD element is then measured by an instrument. This resistance value is then
correlated to temperature based upon the known resistance characteristics of the RTD element.

How do RTDs Work?

RTDs work on a basic correlation between metals and temperature. As the temperature of a metal
increases, the metal's resistance to the flow of electricity increases. Similarly, as the temperature of the
RTD resistance element increases, the electrical resistance, measured in ohms (Ω), increases. RTD
elements are commonly specified according to their resistance in ohms at zero degrees Celsius (0� C).
The most common RTD specification is 100 Ω, which means that at 0� C the RTD element should
demonstrate 100 Ω of resistance.

Platinum is the most commonly used metal for RTD elements due to a number of factors, including its (1)
chemical inertness, (2) nearly linear temperature versus resistance relationship, (3) temperature
coefficient of resistance that is large enough to give readily measurable resistance changes with
temperature and (4) stability (in that its temperature resistance does not drastically change with time).

Other metals that are less frequently used as the resistor elements in an RTD include nickel, copper and
Balco.

RTD elements are typically in one of three configurations: (1) a platinum or metal glass slurry film
deposited or screened onto a small flat ceramic substrate known as "thin film" RTD elements, and (2)
platinum or metal wire wound on a glass or ceramic bobbin and sealed with a coating of molten glass
known as "wire wound" RTD elements. (3) A partially supported wound element which is a small coil of
wire inserted into a hole in a ceramic insulator and attached along one side of that hole. Of the three RTD
elements, the thin film is most rugged and has become increasingly more accurate over time.

Why are RTDs sometimes called 2, 3 or 4 wire RTDs? And why would I want one RTD wire configuration
instead of another?
A simple rule of thumb is that the more wires an RTD has the more accurate it is. The entire RTD
assembly is not platinum. Among other issues, constructing an RTD in that manner would for most
purposes be prohibitively expensive. As a result, only the small RTD element itself is made of platinum. As
a practical matter the resistance value of the RTD element would be useless without a means to
communicate that resistance to an instrument. Accordingly, insulated copper wires typically connect the
RTD element to the measuring instrument.
Like platinum, copper has a resistance value. Resistance along the copper lead wires can impact the
resistance measurement determined by the instrument connected to the RTD. Two wire RTDs do not
have a practical means for accounting for the resistance associated with the copper lead wires which
reduces the extent to which the resistance measured can be accurately correlated to the temperature of
the RTD element. As a result, two wire RTDs are least commonly specified and are generally used where
only an approximate value for temperature is needed.

Three wire RTDs are the most common specification for industrial applications. Three wire RTDs normally
use a Wheatstone bridge measurement circuit to compensate for the lead wire resistance as shown
below.

In a 3 wire RTD configuration, Wires "A" & "B" should be close to the same length. These lengths are
significant because the intention of the Wheatstone bridge is to make the impedances of wires A and B,
each acting as an opposite leg of the bridge, cancel the other out, leaving Wire "C" to act as a sense lead
carrying a very small (microamperage range) current.

4 Wire RTDs are even more accurate than their 3 wire RTD counterparts because they are able to
completely compensate for the resistance of the wires without having to pay particular attention to the
length of each of the wires. This can provide significantly increased accuracy at the relatively low cost of
increased copper extension wire.

What are the common components of an RTD?

1. RTD platinum resistance element: This is the actual temperature sensing portion of the RTD. Elements
range in length from 1/8" to 3". There are many options. The standard temperature coefficient is an alpha
of .00385 and the standard resistance is 100 Ω at 0� C.

2. RTD Outside diameter: The most common outside diameter is �" in the US or 6mm (.236") for non-US
 applications. However, outside diameters range from .063" to .500"

RTD Tubing Material: 316 Stainless steel is commonly used for assemblies up to 500� F. Above 500� F it
is advisable to use Inconel 600.

3. RTD Process Connection: Process connection fittings include all standard fittings used with
thermocouples (i.e. compression, welded, spring-loaded, etc.).

4. RTD Wire Configuration: RTDs are available in 2, 3 and 4 wire configuration. 3 wire configurations are
the most common for industrial applications. Teflon and fiberglass are the standard wire insulation
materials. Teflon is moisture resistant and can be used up to 400� F. Fiberglass can be used up to
1000� F.

5. RTD cold end termination: RTDs can terminate on the cold end with plugs, bare wires, terminal heads
and any of the reference junctions common to thermocouples.

How Does an RTD Work?

"RTD" is an abbreviation for "Resistance Temperature Detector" An RTD is a type of temperature sensor which can
be utilised in the manufacture of Variohms' temperature probe range.
They are available with different temperature / resistance values depending on the application requirement.

How Does an RTD Work?

An RTD consists of a resistance element and insulated copper wires. The most common number of wires is 2;
however some RTDs have 3 or 4 wires. The resistive element is the temperature sensing element of the RTD. It is
usually platinum because as a material it is highly stable over time, it has a wide temperature range, it offers an
almost linear relationship between temperature and resistance and it has a chemical inertness. Nickle or copper are
also other popular choices of material for the resistive element. 
An RTD works by using a basic principle; as the temperature of a metal increases, so does the resistance to the flow
of electricity. An electrical current is passed through the sensor, the resistance element is used to measure the
resistance of the current being passed through it. As the temperature of the resistance element increases the
electrical resistance also increases.  The electrical resistance is measured in Ohms. The resistance value can then be
converted into temperature based on the characteristics of the element. Typical response time for an RTD is
between 0.5 and 5 seconds making them suitable to applications where an immediate response is not required.
Benefits of using RTD Temperature Sensors
RTDs are used within different industries including; automotive, white goods, marine and industrial applications.
Benefits of using RTDs over other temperature sensors are;
 Highly accurate
 Consistent
 Offer long term stability
 High repeatability
 Suitable for extreme environment
 Have a high temperature range (depending on resistance element material)  

Types of RTD from Variohm

RTDs are part of our temperature product range, we have the following options
Platinum RTDs – three different temperature ranges available; cryo, medium and high
Nickel RTDs – for applications with temperature ranges from -60C to +200C
Glass Wire Round RTDs – these are well suited to applications in test and measurement
SMD RTDs – for automatic mounting in large volume applications