Skip to main content
Log in

Bilateral Comparison Between NPL and INMETRO Using a High-Temperature Fixed Point of Unknown Temperature

  • Published:
International Journal of Thermophysics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

There is an on-going requirement to perform scale comparisons above the silver point \((962\,^\circ \hbox {C})\) with reduced uncertainties. Previous comparisons have been performed with high stability lamps or radiation thermometers, neither of which were able to achieve the required uncertainty. Ideally a set of driftless unknown temperature fixed points would be used to compare scales, but up to now such artifacts did not exist. This study develops blind high-temperature comparison artifacts based on doped versions of the high-temperature fixed point (HTFP) Ni–C (nominal temperature \(1329\,^\circ \hbox {C}\)). At INMETRO three HTFP blackbodies were constructed, one of pure Ni–C and two doped with different levels of Cu. To ascertain the effect of doping on the transition temperature, the cells were compared to the reference pure Ni–C cell. The doped cells were then transported to NPL and their temperatures measured. NPL was not informed of the INMETRO result ensuring that the measurements remained blind. The cells were then returned to INMETRO and re-measured to establish their stability. The temperatures measured at INMETRO and NPL were then compared and showed very good equivalence of the scale at the fixed-point temperatures. The results of the comparison of the NPL and INMETRO temperature scale, at nominally \(1329\,^\circ \hbox {C}\), are reported, along with evidence of the stability of the artifacts determined from repeat measurements. These promising results indicate that it may be possible to make HTFPs with altered temperatures which are stable enough to serve as comparison artifacts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. H. Preston-Thomas, Metrologia 27, 3/107 (1990)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. R.D. Lee, H.J. Kostkowski, T.J. Quinn, P.R. Chandler, T.P. Jones, J. Tapping, H. Kunz, in Temperature: Its Measurement and Control in Science and Industry, vol. 4, ed. by H.H. Plumb (Instrument Society of America, Pittsburgh, PA, 1972)

  3. H.C. McEvoy, K.M. Raven, A.I. Pokhodoun, M.S. Matveyev, in Proceedings of TEMPMEKO ’96, 6th International Symposium on Temperature and Thermal Measurements in Industry and Science, ed. by P. Marcarino (Levrotto and Bella, Torino, 1997), pp. 272–277

  4. F. Sakuma, H. Sakate, B.C. Johnson, C. Gibson, G. Machin, T. Ricolfi, M. Battuello, J. Fischer, H.-J. Jung, Metrologia 33, 241 (1996)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. G. Machin, T. Ricolfi, M. Battuello, G. Negro, H.-J. Jung, P. Bloembergen, J. Ivarsson, T. Weckstrom, Metrologia 33, 197 (1996)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. G. Machin, in Proceedings of Ninth International Temperature Symposium (Los Angeles), Temperature:Its Measurement and Control in Science and Industry, vol. 8, ed. by C.W. Meyer, AIP Conference Proceedings 1552 (AIP, Melville, NY, 2013), pp. 305–316. doi:10.1063/1.4821383

  7. G. Machin, W. Dong, M.J. Martín, D. Lowe, T.J. Wang, X. Lu, Int. J. Thermophys. 31, 1466 (2010)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Y. Yamada, Y. Duan, M. Ballico, S.N. Park, F. Sakuma, A. Ono, Metrologia 38, 203 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. G. Machin, C. Gibson, D. Lowe, D. Allen, H.W. Yoon, in Proceedings of TEMPMEKO 2004, 9th International Symposium on Temperature and Thermal Measurements in Industry and Science, ed. by D. Zvizdić, L.G. Bermanec, T. Veliki, T. Stašić (FSB/LPM, Zagreb, Croatia, 2004), pp. 1057–1062

  10. G. Machin, W. Dong, M.J. Martín, D. Lowe, Z. Yuan, T. Wang, X. Lu, Metrologia 48, 196 (2011)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. R. Teixeira, G. Machin, A. Orlando, in Proceedings of Ninth International Temperature Symposium (Los Angeles), Temperature: Its Measurement and Control in Science and Industry, vol. 8, ed. by C.W. Meyer, AIP Conference Proceedings 1552 (AIP, Melville, NY, 2013), pp. 363–368. doi:10.1063/1.4821388

  12. R. Teixeria, G. Machin, A. Orlando, Int. J. Thermophys. 35, 467 (2014). doi:10.1007/s10765-014-1571-y

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. J. Hartmann, K. Anhalt, J. Hollandt, E. Schreiber, Y. Yamada, Temperature 2003 (VDI-Bericht 1784, Berlin, 2003)

    Google Scholar 

  14. B. Chu, H. McEvoy, J. Andrews, Meas. Sci. Technol. 5, 12 (1994)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. D. Lowe, K. Mingard, Z. Malik, P. Quested, Int. J. Thermophys. 28, 2019 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. C.E. Brookley, W.E. Llewellyn, in Temperature: Its Measurement and Control in Science and Industry, vol. 6, ed. by J. Schooley (AIP, Melville, NY, 1992)

  17. P. Bloembergen, Y. Yamada, N. Sasajima, Y. Wang, T. Wang, Metrologia 44, 279 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

GM and DHL acknowledge funding from the Engineering and Flow Programme funded by the National Measurement Office. Xiaofeng Lu acknowledges funding from the NPL International Programme for funding his secondment to NPL.

\(\copyright \) Queen’s Printer and Controller of HMSO, 2013.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. Machin.

Additional information

This work was performed by X. Lu whilst on secondment to NPL.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Machin, G., Teixeira, R., Lu, X. et al. Bilateral Comparison Between NPL and INMETRO Using a High-Temperature Fixed Point of Unknown Temperature. Int J Thermophys 36, 327–335 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10765-014-1749-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10765-014-1749-3

Keywords

Navigation