Thermistors (sensors)
Overview
• A Thermistor is a type of resistor used to measure
temperature changes, relying on the change in its
resistance with changing temperature.
• Thermistors can measure temperatures across the
range of -40 ~ 150 ±0.35 °C
• Typical operation resistances are in the kW range,
although the actual resistance may range from few W
to several MW.
Classification
• Thermistors can take various shapes; rod, disc, washer, bead
Classification
• Thermistors come in two varieties; NTC, negative
thermal coefficient, and PTC, positive thermal
coefficient.
• The resistance of NTC thermistors decreases
proportionally with increases in temperature.
• PTC thermistors have increasing resistance with
increasing temperature
Thermistor construction
• NTC Thermistors are most commonly made from the oxides of
metals such as manganese, cobalt, nickel and copper. The
metals are oxidized through a chemical reaction, ground to a
fine powder, then compressed and subject to very high heat.
Some NTC thermistors are crystallized from semiconducting
material such as silicon and germanium.
• PTC Thermistors are generally made by introducing small
quantities of semiconducting material into a polycrystalline
ceramic. When temperature reaches a critical point, the
semiconducting material forms a barrier to the flow of
electricity and resistance climbs very quickly.
Working principle
• Electrical resistance of a metal depends on the temperature.
• The basic principle of thermistors is that; change in temperature
changes its resistance, this change can be converted to electrical
signal.
PTC working principle
• Resistance of these types of
thermistors increases with the
rise in temperature.
• Due to the special Resistance-
Temperature-characteristic, there
is no additional temperature
regulation or safety device
necessary while reaching high
heat-power level when using the
low resistance area
PTC working principle
• The PTC-heating element regulates the power
sensitively according to the required temperature. The
power input depends on the requested heat output.
NTC working principle
• Resistance of NTC thermis-
tors decreases proportionally with
increases in temperature.
• Thermistor resistance-temperature
relationship can be approximated by,
NTC working principle
• where: T is temperature (in Kelvin),
TRef is the reference temperature, usually at room temp.
(25 °C; 77 °F; 298.15 K),
R is the resistance of the thermistor (W),
RRef is the resistance at TRef,
b is a calibration constant depending on the thermistor material,
usually between 3,000 and 5,000 K.
Sample configuration in application
(PTC Thermistor)
• There are very few commercial applications involving PTC
thermistors that are based upon the resistance-temperature
characteristic.
• Most PTC thermistor applications are
based upon either the steady state self-
heated condition (voltage-current char-
acteristic) or upon the dynamic self-heated
condition (current-time characteristic) or
a combination of both.
Sample configuration in application
(PTC Thermistor)
• The dramatic rise in resistance of
a PTC at and above the transition
temperature makes it ideal for
over current protection.
• For all currents below the desired limiting
current, the power dissipated in the thermistor
is not sufficient to self-heat the device to its
transition temperature.
• Should an over-current condition occur, the
thermistor will self-heat beyond the transition
temperature and its resistance rises dramatically.
This causes the current in the overall circuit to be reduced.
Sample configuration in application
(PTC Thermistor)
• 3 more applications are listed , in that they all rely on the dynamic
operation (Current-Time Characteristic) of a self-heated PTC
thermistor. In each case, current is allowed to pass through a series
circuit for a prescribed amount of time before the thermistor self-heats
into a high resistance condition.
Time Delay circuit
Sample configuration in application
(PTC Thermistor)
Motor starting Degaussing
Sample configuration in application
(NTC Thermistor)
• NTC thermistor is a versatile component that can be used in a
wide variety of applications where the measured is temperature
dependent.
• Thermistor applications are grouped according to one
of the three fundamental electrical characteristics;
The current-time characteristics
The voltage-current characteristic
The resistance-temperature characteristic
Sample configuration in application
(NTC Thermistor)
• Application based on Current-Time characteristic
Time delay, surge suppression, inrush current limiting and sequential
switching represent some of the earliest, high volume uses of
thermistors. These thermistor applications are all based upon the
current-time characteristic.
• Application based on Resistance -temperature characteristic
Applications that are based upon the resistance temperature
characteristics include temperature measurement, control, and
compensation.
Sample configuration in application
(NTC Thermistor)
• Linear Voltage Divider
The simplest thermistor network used in many applications is the voltage
divider circuit
The output voltage is taken across the fixed resistor.
This has the advantages of providing an increasing output voltage for
increasing temperatures and allows the loading effect of any external
measurement circuitry to be included into the computations for the resistor,
R.
The loading will not affect the output voltage as temperature varies
Sample configuration in application
(NTC Thermistor)
• Linear Voltage Divider
The output voltage as a function of temperature is as follows
Specification
• Major specifications to be considered while using a
thermistor.
Resistance temperature curve: it varies from thermistor to thermistor and
the specifications are provided by the manufacturer.
Nominal resistance value
Resistance tolerance: The specifications for this is provided by the
manufacturer
Beta tolerance : This depends on the material being used for the thermistor
Applications
• Thermistor is a versatile component and used in various
applications where temperature is a factor to be considered.
• Depending on type of application and specific output,either
PTC or NTC thermistors are used.
• The application part is broadly divided into PTC thermistor
application and NTC thermistor application.
Application of PTC Thermistors
• They are used as resettable fuses.
• They are used in time delay circuits.
• PTC Thermistors are used in motor starting circuits.
• They are also used in Degaussing circuitry.
• The PTC Thermistor can provide a combination of heater and thermostat in
one device
• They are used as ‘liquid level’ and ‘flow sensors’.
Application of NTC Thermistor
• General industrial applications
Industrial process controls
Plastic laminating equipment
Fiber processing & manufacturing
Hot mold equipment (thermoplastics)
Solar energy equipment
• Automotive and Transportation Application
Emission controls
Engine temperatures
Aircraft Temperatures.
Application of NTC Thermistor
• Medical Applications
Fever Thermometers
Fluid temperature
Dialysis Equipment
• Consumer/Household Applications
Burglar alarm
Refrigeration and air conditioning
Fire detection
Oven temperature control
Advantages of Thermistors
• Thermistors have high sensitivity, better then that offered by
thermocouples, RTD’s.
• High accuracy, ~±0.02 °C (±0.36°F)
• They offer a wide range of high resistance values.
• They have a small size.
• Thermistors have a faster response time then that of RTD’s
Limitations
• Limited temperature range, typically -100 ~ 150 °C (-148 ~
302 °F).
• Nonlinear resistance-temperature relationship, unlike RTDs
which have a very linear relationship.
• Errors can result from self excitation currents being dissipated
by the thermistors.
• They get de-calibrated on exposure to higher temperatures
References
• [Link] (Introduction to Thermistors)
• [Link]/assets/images/[Link]
• www .[Link]/assets/images/[Link]
•
• [Link]
• [Link]
