Especially Hidden -building industry often asks me which is the right measuring element for them. This is the reason why I wish to explain in the following paragraphs the differences between the most commonly used sensors Pt100, Pt1000 and NTC. I am going to go into more detail about the lesser-used measuring elements Ni1000 and KTY sensors in the comparison at the end of this article.
Application areas of Pt100, Pt1000 and NTC
Resistance thermometers based on Pt100, Pt1000 (positive temperature coefficient PTC) and NTC (negative temperature coefficient) are employed all around the industrial temperature measurement where low to medium temperatures are measured. In the process industry, Pt100 and Pt1000 sensors are employed almost exclusively. In machine building, however, often an NTC is used ? not least for cost reasons. Since meanwhile the Pt100 and Pt1000 sensors are stated in thin-film technology, the platinum content could be reduced to a minimum. As a result, the purchase price difference compared to the NTC could be reduced to this extent a changeover from NTC to Pt100 or Pt1000 becomes interesting for medium quantities. Particularly since platinum measuring resistors offer significant advantages over negative temperature coefficients.
Advantages and disadvantages of the various sensors
The platinum elements Pt100 and Pt1000 offer the advantage of meeting international standards (IEC 751 / DIN EN 60 751). Because of material- and production-specific criteria, a standardisation of semiconductor elements such as for example NTC is not possible. Because of this their interchange ability is bound. Further benefits of platinum elements are: better long-term stability and better behaviour over temperature cycles, a wider temperature range as well as a high measurement accuracy and linearity. High measurement accuracy and linearity may also be possible with an NTC, but only in an exceedingly limited temperature range. While Pt100 and Pt1000 sensors in thin-film technology are ideal for temperatures up to 500�C, the typical NTC can be used for temperatures around approx. 150�C.
Influence of the supply line on the measured value
The lead resistance affects the measurement value of 2-wire temperature sensors and should be taken into account. For copper cable with a cross-section of 0.22 mm2, the following guide value applies: 0.162 ?/m ? 0.42 �C/m for Pt100. Alternatively, a version with Pt1000 sensor could be chosen, with that your influence of the supply line (at 0.04 �C/m) is smaller by a factor of 10. The influence of the lead resistance compared to the base resistance R25 for an NTC measuring element is far less noticeable. Due to the sloping characteristic curve of the NTC, the influence at higher temperatures increases disproportionately in the event of higher temperatures.
Conclusion
In the event of high quantities, the usage of NTC sensors continues to be justified because of cost reasons. For small to medim-sized lots, I recommend the usage of a platinum measuring resistor. The usage of a Pt1000 stated in thin-film technology is a perfect compromise between your costs on the one hand and the measurement accuracy on another. In the following table, I’ve compiled the strengths and weaknesses of the different measuring elements in an overview for you personally:
Strengths and weaknesses of different sensors
NTC
Pt100
PT1000
Ni1000
KTY
Temperature range
?
++
++
+
?
Accuracy
?
++
++
+
?
Linearity
?
++
++
+
++
Long-term stability
+
++
++
++
+
International standards
?
++
++
+
?
Temperature sensitivity (dR/dT)
++
?
+
+
+
Influence of the supply line
++
?
+
+
+
Characteristic curves of Pt100, Pt1000, NTC, KTY and Ni1000
The characteristic curves of the different measuring elements can be seen in the following overview:
Characteristic curves of the various sensors
Note
Our temperature sensors for the machine-building industry are available with all common measuring elements. Further information are available on the WIKA website.
Discover more about the functionality of resistance thermometers with Pt100 and Pt1000 sensors in the following video: