Honeywell company City Technology, which manufactures gas sensors for industrial safety, has launched a long life oxygen sensor designed to work for the whole life of the average portable gas detector.
Oxygen sensors working in safety-critical industrial applications must deliver high performance detection and fast speeds of response; lives and assets depend on consistent, accurate readings. Many plants have harsh process conditions and environmental extremes and transients that can compromise stability, so a robust design with a quick recovery time is essential, the company says.
Cost reduction is a key factor in sensor selection. Many plants use thousands of oxygen sensors in their portable gas detector fleets, so ongoing maintenance and sensor replacement costs can soon mount up. Field failures can also have an adverse cost impact, resulting in unnecessary process downtime and safety risks.
City Technology’s 4OxLL oxygen sensor delivers safety compliance, value and class-leading features, the company says. With an operational life of five years — the average life of a portable instrument used in safety-critical industrial applications — 4OxLL provides a fast speed of response with less than 5 percent drift over life.
Its design and performance in environmental extremes and transient conditions also minimizes nuisance alarms and the occurrence of field failures. 4OxLL reduces ongoing maintenance by removing sensor replacement costs, the company says. A plant operating 200 portable gas detectors, can save 200 hours of maintenance labor ($20,000 in total, based on $100/hour labor), over five years, compared with a standard two year life model. (Calculation based on an estimated 30 minutes sensor replacement time).