HVACCO2MeasurementAccuracy.PDFVIP

/ APPLICATION NOTE Infrared Sensor Technology and its Impact on HVAC CO2 Measurement Accuracy Modern ventilation systems recirculate indoor air in order to minimize the amount of energy required to treat outside air. Using carbon dioxide (CO2) sensors as indoor air quality indicators helps to ensure a fresh outside air supply to building occupants while simultaneously optimizing energy consumption. As energy-efficiency regulations become stricter, so do the requirements for CO2 sensors. One of the forerunners in improving indoor air quality is the State of California. Its Building Standards Code sets performance criteria for CO2 sensors: “CO2 sensors shall be certified by the manufacturer to be accurate within plus or minus 75 ppm at a 600 and 1000 ppm concentration when measured at sea level and 25°C, factory calibrated or calibrated at start-up, and certified by the manufacturer to require calibration no more frequently than once every 5 years.” This indicates the importance of carefully examining specifications when choosing a sensor – not all sensors will perform in line with expectations. Operational Principle of Infrared CO2 Sensors Infrared sensors – also known as non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensors – dominate the HVAC CO2 sensor market for obvious reasons. They are highly sensitive, selective, and stable. They have a long lifetime and they are insensitive to environmental changes. Moreover, the traditional challenges with this technology – relatively high cost and difficulty in miniaturization – have been overcome. Carbon dioxide has a characteristic absorbance band in the infrared region at a wavelength of 4.26 μm. When passing infrared radiation through a gas containing CO2, the CO2 molecules absorb part of the radiation. The amount of radiation that passes through the gas depends on the concentration of CO2 present. An infrared sensor incorporating an infrared source, a detector, and an optical path quantifies the phenomenon (see Figure 1). AB C Figure