pins and the unit’s body can, apart from the obvious failure of the sensor itself, result in irreparable damage to the instrument’s PCB.
Lead exhaustion By the nature of the electrochemical reaction upon which the sensor’s operation is based, the lead anode is oxidized over time. The anode assembly in 4OXV has a fused base, guaranteeing connectivity with all the lead strands from which it is made and the current collector is deeply embedded in the structure, ensuring good connec- tivity with the output pin. The anode’s design ensures that lead exhaustion will not occur prematurely before the end of the sensor’s 24-month design life.
4OXV Product Overview The new 4OXV device provides outstanding stability and linearity across wide extremes of temperature and humidity. In environmental testing, the output of the 4OXV was stable when exposed to the most demanding and severe thermal shock and humidity tests, demonstrating the efficacy of the advanced technology used in the sensor. In addition, the improved pin sealing technology, used in more than 500,000 7OXV devices already deployed in the field without a single failure, has been enhanced to ensure that even when used under the most challenging operating conditions, pin leakage, and the consequent possible PCB damage and premature instrument replacement requirement will not be an issue. Various other design improvements have made their contribution to ensuring that 4OXV is a stable and false alarm free unit. It moves the technology of electrochemical oxygen sensing to a new level.
The greatest variable, which cannot be controlled by either the sensor or the instru- ment manufacturer, is the operating environment in which the gas detector will be used. Extensive testing has predicated the expected lifetime under the complete gamut of potential operating environments.
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The above graph depicts the expected typical operating life of the 4OXV across a wide range of temperature and relative humidity combinations. As expected, very hot environments combined with either low or high humidity proved the most chal- lenging environments for any oxygen sensor; the 4OXV has been developed to per- form at the extremes of typical field usage.
It is helpful to present selections of the complete data to give OEMs and end users a clear indication of the operating conditions in which the sensor will perform to its stated 24-month operational life.
E Instruments International manufactures and markets a
complete range of innovative instrumentation solutions
encompassing Combustion Gas
Analyzers, Indoor Air Quality,
Calibrators and Test &
Measurement equipments especially design for the power, process,
industrial, institutional, food, and
HVAC markets.
NEW INDOOR AIR QUALITY
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Customer Support and Applications
expertise are fundamental to E
Instruments’ success.
Company contact info:
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E Instruments International
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Langhorne, PA 19047
Phone: 215-750-1212
Fax: (215) 750-1399
www.E-Inst.com
Conclusions The introduction of the new 4OXV is the latest development in the evolution of the capil- lary oxygen sensor for use in life safety equipment. A major improvement in stability when the unit is subjected to rapid temperature or humidity changes significantly improves the operational reliability of the sensor, giving instrument manufacturers the confidence that false readings will not be generated when the unit is subjected to rapid environmental changes. Improved reliability through enhanced sealing reduces premature failures and con- sequently builds user confidence in the detector.
Full mechanical backwards compatibility, identical output voltage ranges and temperature and linearity coefficients that are extremely close to the previous generation will facilitate upgrading to the latest generation of 4OXV capillary oxygen sensors.
To summarize: 4OXV will reduce warranty failures to less than 1%; it will eliminate false alarms, improve the field reliability of the instruments to which it is fitted and rebuild cus- tomer confidence. By taking oxygen sensor technology to new heights, 4OXV will enable OEMs to build enhanced trust in their products and brands.
For peace of mind, and to reduce disruption and outage costs, users should insist that the gas detection instruments use the City Technology 4OXV oxygen sensor.
Author Rob White, City Technology
For further information: Ramon Gomez of City Technology North American Regional Office Toll Free: 866-414-City (2489) or ramon.gomez@citytech.com www.citytech.com
City Technology, owned by Honeywell, is a manufacturer of gas sensors used in personal protective equipment, industrial safety systems and residential detectors throughout the world. Over 300 sensors, based on electrochemical and other technologies, respond to 28 common and exotic gases with outstanding stability, excellent linearity and high immunity to cross-contaminants.
Honeywell International www.honeywell.com is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell’s shares are traded on the New York, London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.
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