Essay on Exhaust Analysis Osygen Sensor Developed by...

Oxygen Sensor [7] This device was developed by Robert Bosch GmbH in the 1960s and is also called the Lambda Sensor. The purpose of the sensor is to determine the amount of oxygen in its surroundings. It plays a very important role in automotive vehicles in determining the amount of oxygen present in the exhaust gases. By knowing the same, we can improve electronic fuel injection and emission control. They he to observe in real-time if the air-to-fuel ratio of combustion engine is rich or lean. Since the sensor is present in the exhaust system, they do not directly determine the optimality of the air-to-fuel ratio, but when the information of the sensor is coupled with information from other sources, it can be used to improve overall†¦show more content†¦Carbon monoxide results in a slightly rich burn and NOX indicates a lean burn. Failure or damage of the sensor indicates the use of unleaded fuels containing silicon or silicates. The data from the sensor instructs the ECU to continuously adju st the amount of fuel charged into the engine. The engine operates in a slightly lean and slightly rich burn in successive loops. This helps in maintaining an average which is very close to the stoichiometric ratio. The sensor element is encased in a ceramic cylinders both inside and outside with platinum electrodes and the entire assembly is wrapped in metal gauge. The sensors work effectively at high temperature. When the temperature is at and above 3160C (6000F). Most new sensors are equipped with their own heating elements. There are three main types of oxygen sensors. They are: 1. Zirconia Sensor Made of zirconium dioxide or zirconia it is based on a fuel cell called the Nerst cell. It gives an output of 0.2V DC to show a lean mixture in which the air entering the system is enough to fully oxidize the fuel to CO and then CO2. An output of 0.8V represents a rich mixture which contains unburnt HC and low in O2. The ideal value is approximately 0.45V. The air-to-fuel ratio is 0.5% of the optimum stoichiometric ratio. The advantage of this sensor is that it is most sensitive near the ideal stoichiometric ratio whereas it is very insensitive and ineffective when mixture is very lean or very rich. This is type of