Gasless DC power relays deliver safe high-voltage interruption to 200A

Omron Electronic Components Europe has added two new variants to its comprehensive DC power relay portfolio. The G9EK-1-UTU and G9EK-1-E provide compact yet high-capacity gasless interruption for large currents and high voltages of 500VDC or more. The relays’ industry-leading power consumption and compact size make them excellent for applications such as fast DC EV chargers, batteries, and PV inverters.

High short-circuit performance is vital for applications such as batteries that carry large currents. In many cases, contractors are used. However, these are often large, taking up valuable space within an application design. The G9EK-1-UTU DC power relay achieves 500VDC at 120A, while the G9EK-1-E achieves 500VDC at 200A, and both are capable of withstanding large currents of up to 5,000A during abnormal conditions. Each relay has the same dimensions of 64.2mm (H) x 86mm (W) x 47.7mm (L). The devices’ design needs no arc space, providing safe operation while permitting smaller application designs. Each relay attains bi-directional performance and has a high maximum interruption current of 500A for G9KE-1-UTU and 1000A for G9EK-E as the emergency shutdown of applications. Two units in series can safely interrupt a total of 1,000VDC, permitting greater resistance to short-circuit currents, while improving application performance.

The relays are optimised for use in mobility applications, with high vibration and shock resistance, and can withstand an impact of up to 100G and continue to operate. The products are tested to reach a minimum mechanical switching endurance of 200,000 operations. A proprietary gasless design cools arcs without the requirement for any special parts or materials in the manufacturing process, which has helped to greatly decrease the devices’ carbon footprint compared to other equivalent competitor products while eradicating the possibility of gas leakage.