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Hydrogen sensor from Posifa monitors EV battery safety and leaks| Electronics Weekly
They are designed to provide early warning of abnormal conditions inside EV battery packs and other demanding safety-critical environments.
Compared to the company’s earlier PGS4100 series, the new sensors deliver 10x faster responses, says Posifa. They also measure hydrogen concentrations from 0% to 25%, and have an extended service life of 15 years.
Thermal runaway
“Thermal runaway isn’t always instantaneous,” said Peng Tu, President and CEO at Posifa Technologies. “In many EV battery events, hydrogen appears during the early venting phase — minutes before ignition.”
“The PGS5100 is built to detect that hydrogen signal reliably inside the pack, helping OEMs trigger mitigation and give occupants more time to react, without the lifetime limitations of catalytic sensors.”
According to the company, the PGS5100 series determine hydrogen concentration by measuring changes in the thermal conductivity of gas mixtures. Integrated humidity and barometric pressure sensors automatically compensate for environmental variations, it says ensuring accurate readings across temperature, humidity, and altitude ranges.
Being resistant to condensation and non-reactive to contaminants, the devices can provide long-term stable operation in harsh conditions such as EV battery enclosures, fuel cell systems, and industrial facilities.
Its digital output is hydrogen concentration in ppm (parts per million). For example, when the output count is 5000, the hydrogen concentration is 5000 ppm (or 0.5 % vol).
Hydrogen sensor
Features of the PGS5100 hydrogen sensor:
- supports MODBUS-RTU/RS-485 output (CAN will be following)
- 100ms response time
- 200ms warm-up time
- operate from a 5V supply
- typical average power consumption of 50mW
- housed in a compact IP6K9-compliant enclosure with an automotive-grade connector
Posifa Technologies – formerly known as Posifa Microsystems – has its headquarters in San Jose, California.
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