Industry-fastest response as good as 0.7ms T10-90
Patented pressure-insensitive sampling system
The Flame Ionisation Detector (FID) is the industry-standard method of measuring engine exhaust hydrocarbons and has been employed in standard emissions analyzers for decades. Conventional slow FIDs have response times of 1-2 seconds.
Cambustion was the first company to develop the "fast response" FID for engine measurement, in response to engineers' requests for real-time HC emissions measurements. The rapid time response offers the opportunity to understand the "dynamic" effects of HC emissions during cold start, speed/load changes etc. One of the most difficult tasks here is to de-couple the signal from the cyclic pressure fluctuations in the engine exhaust.
Cambustion's patented fast response design is achieved by miniaturising the detector and operating it at sub-atmospheric pressure. Sample gas from the engine is conveyed through narrow heated capillaries via a constant pressure sampling system (required to ensure that cyclic exhaust pressure does not interfere with the HC signal). The sample is then drawn directly into the FID burner, the whole process yielding a 10-90% response time of approximately 1 millisecond.
Cambustion have also carefully designed the fast FID to be linear to well above misfire HC levels (e.g. 42,000 ppm C3 for a complete stoichiometric misfire in a gasoline engine) so that accurate levels of these important events can be recorded.
The HFR500 fast FID (introduced in 1998) is the latest in a series of fast FID designs from Cambustion (starting with the HFR100 in 1987). The HFR500 is a two-channel analyzer with the detectors located in remote "sample heads" on 10-metre (30') cables. The main control unit is housed in a mobile cabinet with its vacuum pump located in the base. The analyzer is controlled via RS232 or RS485 using in-house LabVIEW software which is pre-installed on a desktop or laptop computer supplied by Cambustion. This hardware and software combination provides the user with features including: auto-calibration, auto-start-up, auto-service reminders, minimum drift, automatic warning and trouble-shooting help function with video assistance, choice of C1, C3 or C6 ppm definitions and system test functions.
A range of options and accessories are also available including:
- Multiple analyzer enclosure
- Sub zero C (freezing) testing
- Digital remote control from a host computer
- Engine and emissions consultancy services
- In-cylinder sampling kit
- Servicing, maintenance and technical support agreements
The ability to record HC emissions data on such a fast time scale has opened up a range of study areas: see Applications & sample data.
The brochure may be downloaded here.
Contact Cambustion for more information and prices.