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RTDs vs Thermocouples

Working Principles and When to Use Each

This article will focus on the qualities of RTDs vs Thermocouples and their typical applications and principles.

Measuring temperatures in industrial engineering is a key part of monitoring the operation of the various mechanical, electrical, and electronic systems, determining their performance, and evaluating their health.

Likewise, in chemical processes, temperature and heat control may be crucial in achieving the desired end product. Additionally, the same applies to welding, heat treatment processes, industrial ovens used for plastic shrinking, and a wide range of other possible applications. That said, measuring temperatures is neuralgic in a wide range of engineering operations, and doing so with accuracy and precision is equally important.

While there are many types of thermometers that can be used for measuring temperatures including the familiar “mercury” thermometers, the bimetallic, and the vapor pressure thermometers, those that are most commonly and widely used in the industrial environment are the resistance temperature detectors (RTD) and the thermocouple devices. Both of these thermometer types have their respective advantages and drawbacks, and they are both suitable and valuable for a distinctively different set of applications.

Working Principle of Resistance Thermometers (RTD)

The RTD temperature sensor is based on the temperature dependence of the electric resistance of metals. As the temperature increases for metal, so does its electrical resistance. Of course, there’s an intrinsic coefficient of resistance for all materials, and a positive value for this coefficient makes specific materials better than others for the measurement element role. With nickel and platinum, for example, there is near-perfect linearity that is introduced by their respective coefficients, resulting in high accuracy and precision across repeated measurements. Moreover, nickel and platinum are generally chemically stable and extremely resistant to corrosion.

Drawing of a Coil in Tube RTD. Read the article for a breakdown of RTDs vs Thermocouples. — Coil-element Platinum Coil In Tube RTD. Source: Burns Engineering. Licensed Under CC-BY-SA-3.0

Digitalization and Digitization: What’s the Difference?

Close up of digitization/binary code. — Digitization/binary code

If you read industry publications, you’ve probably already come across the terms digitalization and digitization a couple of times today. But do you know the difference?

It’s easy to confuse the terms. But understanding how they differ will help you gain the most information and understanding of the digital mindset.

What is Digitalization?

According to IGI Global, Digitalization is the “adoption of digital technologies to modify a business model….by exploiting digital network dynamics and the giant digital flow of information.” On the other hand, digitalization leads to the creation of a digital business. According to Gartner, this is “the creation of new business designs by blurring the digital and physical worlds.” More about this in a minute.

What’s the Difference between Digitization and Digitalization?

Digitization is where digitalization begins, in the conversion of analog data into a digital form that can be processed by a computer. Digitalization transforms digitized data through the use of digital technologies like automation, computing, coding, AI, or IoT(to name a few) to change how work gets done. And while digitization can optimize and change the process to create a better workflow, reduce costs, or minimize waste, digitalization creates a core change that affects the entire business model.

Nearly 10K Manufacturing Jobs Added in March in 12 States

Despite a shrinking job market due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the manufacturing sector showed job growth in twelve states.

A person cutting metal. Manufacturing jobs like this can pay well. — Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, US manufacturing jobs showed growth in twelve states.

Over 700,000 workers lost their jobs in March across all sectors of the economy; 34,000 of those were manufacturing jobs. While news of large manufacturing layoffs and furloughs like ones at GE and Boeing have sparked alarm about the strength of the industry as a whole, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows manufacturing posting significantly less than 1% job loss across all states. Twelve states, including Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Louisana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Utah all posted gains in employment that totaled 9200 jobs during the month of March. Additionally, four states reported no job losses.

Data below is broken down by state and compared to February 2020 employment numbers. All data was sourced from the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Updated March employment numbers can be found in our next post regarding April unemployment. These numbers were updated and released by the BOL on May 22, 2020.

Manufacturing Jobs Data by State

State	Feb 2020	March 2020	change	% change
Alabama	270,400	272500	2,100	0.78%
Alaska	11,200	10900	-300	-2.68%
Arizona	176,900	177300	400	0.23%
Arkansas	159,600	158100	-1,500	-0.94%
California	1,306,600	1,304,500	-2,100	-0.16%

Colorado	150,500	149,000	-1,500	-1.00%
Connecticut	161,300	162,100	800	0.50%
Delaware	26,800	26,600	-200	-0.75%
District of Columbia	1,400	1,300	-100	-7.14%
Florida	388,100	389,100	1,000	0.26%

Georgia	402,000	401,100	-900	-0.22%
Hawaii	13,900	13,900	0	0.00%
Idaho	67,500	67,700	200	0.30%
Illinois	573,300	573,200	-100	-0.02%
Indiana	532,900	530,100	-2,800	-0.53%

Iowa	222,300	221,800	-500	-0.22%
Kansas	167,500	168,200	700	0.42%
Kentucky	252,200	251,700	-500	-0.20%
Louisiana	133,900	135,300	1,400	1.05%
Maine	52,300	52,100	-200	-0.38%

Maryland	113,700	112,500	-1,200	-1.06%
Massachusetts	243,000	242,800	-200	-0.08%
Michigan	621,600	619,200	-2,400	-0.39%
Minnesota	318,100	317,400	-700	-0.22%
Mississippi	148,600	147,700	-900	-0.61%

Missouri	276,300	274,600	-1,700	-0.62%
Montana	20,200	20,000	-200	-0.99%
Nebraska	99,000	98,900	-100	-0.10%
Nevada	59,000	58,400	-600	-1.02%
New Hampshire	71,200	70,800	-400	-0.56%

New Jersey	251,800	252,700	900	0.36%
New Mexico	28,800	28,800	0	0.00%
New York	436,600	435,800	-800	-0.18%
North Carolina	476,700	473,000	-3,700	-0.78%
North Dakota	25,600	25,700	100	0.39%

Ohio	700,900	698,300	-2,600	-0.37%
Oklahoma	137,600	137,400	-200	-0.15%
Oregon	193,200	192,300	-900	-0.47%
Pennsylvania	573,700	571,000	-2,700	-0.47%
Rhode Island	39,200	39,500	300	0.77%

South Carolina	258,400	258,400	0	0.00%
South Dakota	43,400	43,800	400	0.92%
Tennessee	354,100	353,900	-200	-0.06%
Texas	910,500	900,700	-9,800	-1.08%
Utah	135,400	136,300	900	0.66%

Vermont	29,300	29,000	-300	-1.02%
Virginia	241,400	240,100	-1,300	-0.54%
Washington	290,900	290,000	-900	-0.31%
West Virginia	46,200	45,800	-400	-0.87%
Wisconsin	477,600	477,400	-200	-0.04%

Wyoming	10,000	10,000	0	0.00%
Puerto Rico	75,300	75,000	-300	-0.40%
Virgin Islands	800	800	0	0.00%

Totals:	12,778,700	12744500		-0.27%

A chart showing manufacturing job numbers by state.