Improvements in the Implementation of Laminar and Sonic Based Gas Flow Meters in  the Range of 2 X 10-5 G‧S-1(1 Ncc Min-1)   to 100 G‧S-1  (5000 NL‧Min-1)

Michael Bair, Casey Rombouts
Abstract:
During the middle of the last decade, DH Instruments (now Fluke Calibration) developed an improved primary calibration chain based on dynamic gravimetric measurements and a successive addition technique to provide significantly lower uncertainty in gas flow from 2 x 10-5 g•s-1 (1 Ncc min-1) to 100 g•s-1 (5000 Nl•min-1). Recently, in order to disseminate the lower uncertainties achieved to the flow measurement community, significant improvements were made to the laminar and sonic based flow meters supported by the gas flow references. The improvements include the use of NIST (USA) Refprop gas property data, a new Reynolds number and pressure characterization, lower uncertainties in absolute and differential pressure monitoring, and filtration designed directly into the meter. These improvements decreased the uncertainty of the population of these instruments and should also improve their reliability. This paper discusses these advances and the benefits to gas flow metrology.
Keywords:
Laminar Flow Element, Sonic Nozzle, calibration chain, gas flow, traceability, gravimetric flow standard, successive addition
Download:
IMEKO-TC9-2010-012.pdf
DOI:
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