Sensor Based on a Solid Oxide Electrolyte for Measuring the Water-Vapor and Hydrogen Content in Air

The present communication describes the results of the performance and the assessment of a sensor based on a solid oxide electrolyte with a composition of 0.9ZrO2 + 0.1Y2O3 (YSZ), equipped with a ceramic diffusion barrier for measuring the water vapor and hydrogen content in air. The possibility of determining the concentration of water vapor and hydrogen in the air is based on the measurement of the limiting current value. For the calculation of the steam and hydrogen concentration in ambient air, analytical expressions were obtained and applied, using the limiting current values measured in air with a standard oxygen concentration of 20.9 vol.% and in the analyzed air. A two-stage method for the determination of the hydrogen and steam amount in ambient air is proposed. It is stated that the sensor operates successfully at the temperature of 700 °C and can be applied for the continuous determination of steam or hydrogen concentrations in air.