A RELATIVE HUMIDITY CALIBRATION FROM 5C TO 45C IN A MIXED-FLOW HUMIDITY GENERATOR

Abstract

The paper presents a method used in the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences for a reliable and traceable relative humidity calibration in the temperature range from 5 °C to 45 °C. Inside a controllable temperature and humidity environment, supplied by a mixed-flow humidity generator, measurements of hygrometers under calibration are compared with those of calibrated reference instruments. A traceability chain from temperature to reference relative humidity and next to the hygrometers under calibrations is provided by using a chilled-mirror dew-point temperature system and precise relative humidity probes. Corresponding calibration uncertainties are analyzed, particularly those associated to the temperature uniformity of controlled calibration environment. Two examples of relative humidity calibration with dew-point and relative humidity reference measurements in the range from 15 to 75% of RH and 5 °C to 45 °C are presented and dis-cussed.

Dates

  • Submission Date2011-06-01
  • Revision Date2011-12-21
  • Acceptance Date2011-12-30

DOI Reference

10.2298/TSCI1201193M

References

  1. Wiederhold, P. R., Water Vapor Measurement, Methods and Instrumentation, Marcel Dekker Inc., New York, USA, 1997
  2. Hudoklin, D., Drnovšek, J., The New LMK Primary Standard for Dew-Point Sensor Calibration: Evaluation of the High-Range Saturator Efficiency, International Journal of Thermophysics, 29 (2008), 5, pp. 1652-1659
  3. Hudoklin, D., et al., Design and Validation of a New Primary Standard for Calibration of the Top-End Humidity Sensors, Measurement, 41 (2008), 9, pp. 950-959
  4. Heinonen, M., et al., Investigation of the Equivalence of National Dew-Point Temperature Realizations in the −50 °C to + 20 °C Range, International Journal of Thermophysics, (in press) DOI: 10.1007/s10765-011-0950-x
  5. ***, A Guide to the Measurement of Humidity, The Institute of Measurement and Control, London, 1996
  6. Milošević, N. D., Stepanić, N. M., Laboratory for the Relative Humidity in the Vin~a Institute (in Serbian), NIV-ITE 387/ML, Belgrade, 2008
  7. Sonntag, D., Important New Values of the Physical Constants of 1986, Vapour Pressure Formulations Based on the ITS-90, and Psychrometer Formulae, Zeitschrift fur Meteorologie, 40 (1990), 5, pp. 340-344
  8. Greenspan, L., Humidity Fixed Points of Binary Saturated Aqueous Solutions, Journal of Research of the National Bureau of Standards, 81A (1977), 1, pp. 89-96
  9. Ramsey, B., Farley, R., The Development of a Transportable Humidity and Temperature Generator, Asian Environmental Technology, Hertfordshire, UK, 2006 (www.envirotech-online.com/articles/evironmental-analysis/7/ blue_ramsey_robin_farley/the_development_of_a_transportable_humidity_and_temperature_generator/201
  10. ***, A Guide to Calculating the Uncertainty of the Performance of Environmental Chambers, The Society of Environmental Engineers, Buntingford, UK, 2003
  11. Babić, M. M., Stepanić, N. M., Milošević, N. D., Virtual Instrument for Adjustment, Control, Display, and Data Acquisition in a Relative Humidity and Dew-Point Temperature Calibration Procedure by Using Different High-Performance Multifunctional and Multichannel Devices (in Serbian), NIV-ITE 477/ML, Belgrade, 2011
  12. Heinonen, M., Uncertainty in Humidity Measurements, EUROMET Workshop P758, MIKES Publication J4/2006, Esppo, Finland, 2006
  13. ***, EA-4/02:1999, Expression of the Uncertainty of Measurement in Calibration, European Co-operation for Accreditation, Paris, 1999
Volume 16, Issue 1, Pages193 -205