The sensor which senses changes in temperature known as a temperature sensor. This page covers the advantages and disadvantages of a temperature sensor. This article covers the advantages and disadvantages of thermocouple, RTD and Thermistor.
Advantages or benefits of RTD:
Advantages or benefits of thermistor:
Advantages and disadvantages of temperature sensor | thermocouple
Advantages or benefits of thermocouple:
- Very wide temperature range about -200oC to +2500oC
- Fast response time
- They are a simple construction
- Low initial cost
- Durable
- Easy to read has a clear screen and good scale
- Quick response for any temperature changes
- Precision accuracy in temperature measurement
- It is not easily broken good durability
- Good to be used temperature variation measurement with below 1 cm distance range
- Available in small sheath sizes
- Not required bridge circuit
- Good accuracy
- Does not required bridge circuit
- Good reproducibility
- High-speed response
- They are rugged
- They are a self-power active device
Disadvantages or drawback of thermocouple:
- Not as stable as RTD
- Recalibration is difficult
- More susceptible to RFI/EMI
- They are nonlinear
- It is used for only temperature measurement only
- They have a low output voltage
- Less sensitivity
- They require a reference for operationThe stray voltage pick up is possible
- As output voltage is very small so it needs amplification
- Decreased accuracy comparing to RTD
- Difficult to verify
- Require expensive TC wire from the sensor to recording device
- The cold junction and lead compensation is essential
Advantages and disadvantages of temperature sensor | RTD
Advantages or benefits of RTD:
- Very stable output
- Most accurate
- Linear and predictable
- High accuracy
- High repeatability
- Good precision
- Low Drift
- More linearity compare to a thermocouple
- No special wire required for installation, easily install and update
- It is available for in wide range
- It can be used to measure differential temperature
- No necessity of temperature compensation
- Stability maintained over a long period of time
- They are suitable for remote indication
- Easy to verify and recalibrate
- RTD does not require a special extension cable
Disadvantages or drawback of RTD:
- High initial cost
- Low sensitivity
- It requires a more complex measurement circuit
- Large bulb size
- Low absolute resistance
- Current source needed
- Less rugged in a high vibration environment
- A bridge circuit is needed with power supply
- Shock and vibrations affect the reading
- Point sensing is not possible
- A circuit is little more complicated as it 34/4 wire measurement
- Costlier as compared to other sensors like thermocouples
- Slower response time than a thermocouple
- More limited temperature range
- Possibility of self-healing
- Power supply failure can cause an erroneous reading
- It can be avoided in industries for ranges above 650 deg. C
- The RTD requires more complex measurement circuit
Advantages and disadvantages of temperature sensor | thermistor
Advantages or benefits of thermistor:
- It is a small size
- Highly sensitive allows them to work well over a small temperature range
- They are more sensitive than other temperature sensors
- Easy to use
- They are fast in operation
- It has good sensitivity in NTC region
- Fast response over the narrow temperature range
- Cost is low
- Very responsive to changes in temperature
- High accurate
- Repeatable
- It does not require contact and leads resistance problem not occurred due to large resistance
- Options for customization
- Easily interfaced to electronics instrumentation
- it requires a standard two-wire connection system means they are compatible with many devices
Disadvantages or drawback of thermistor:
- Thermistor need for shielding power lines
- Extremely non-linear
- Passive
- The thermistor is not suitable for a large temperature range
- The resistance temperature characteristics are nonlinear
- Narrow working temperature range compared to other sensors such as RTD and thermocouple
- More fragile as they are semiconductor devices
- Susceptible to self-heating errors
- The excitation for large temperature range
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