Speeding-up Scientific Knowledge Transfer and Improvement of Capabilities of emerging European National Metrology Institutes and Designated Institutes in the field of thermal measurements: Benefits and Impacts

Within the frame of a European project called Eura-Thermal, the general objective was to upgrade the regional metrological infrastructure (Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Ireland, Serbia...) with new capabilities, especially in the field of thermal measurements. This paper highlights the strategy used for improving in the short term, scientific knowledge transfer and the capabilities of different emerging institutes. Furthermore, as a main output, the impacts and benefit for Industry and for the end-users are also presented as examples. © 2018 Institute of Physics Publishing. All rights reserved.XXII World Congress of the International Measurement Confederation (IMEKO 2018

Electrodermal activity patient simulator.

Electrodermal activity (EDA) is an electrical property of the human skin, correlated with person's psychological arousal. Nowadays, different types of EDA measuring devices are used in highly versatile fields-from research, health-care and education to entertainment industry. But despite their universal use the quality of their measuring function (their accuracy) is questioned or investigated very seldom. In this paper, we propose a concept of an EDA patient simulator-a device enabling metrological testing of EDA devices by means of a variable resistance. EDA simulator was designed based on a programmable light-controlled resistor with a wide resistance range, capable of simulating skin conductance levels (SCL) and responses (SCR) and was equipped with an artificial hand. The hand included electrically conductive fingers for attachment of EDA device electrodes. A minimal set of tests for evaluating an EDA device was identified, the simulator's functionality discussed and some testing results presented

Traceability of gas flow measurements in complex distribution systems - uncertainty approach vs error approach

The objective of the paper is to analyse traceability issues in real-life gas flow measurements in complex distribution systems. The initial aim is to provide complete and traceable measurement results and calibration certificates of gas-flow meters, which correspond to specific installation conditions. Extensive work has been done to enable a more credible decision on how to deal in particular situations with the measurement uncertainty which is always subject of a flow meter’s calibration as a quantitative parameter value obtained in laboratory, and with the qualitative statement about the error of an outdoor meter. The laboratory simulation of a complex, real-life distributed system has been designed to achieve the initial aim. As an extension of standardized procedures that refer to the laboratory conditions, the proposed methods introduce additional “installation-specific” error sources. These sources could be either corrected (if identified) or considered as an additional “installation-specific” uncertainty contribution otherwise. The analysis and the results of the experimental work will contribute to more precise and accurate measurement results, thus assuring proper measurements with a known/estimated uncertainty for a specific gas flow installation. Also, the analysis will improve the existing normative documents by here presented findings, as well as fair trade in one of the most important and growing energy consumption areas regarding the legal metrology aspects. These facts will enable comparing the entire quantity of gas at the input of a complex distributed system with the cumulative sum of all individual gas meters in a specific installation

Effect of environmental and operating conditions on the verification interval for smart electronic electricity meters

According to metrological guidelines and specific legal requirements, every smart electronic electricity meter has to be constantly verified after pre-defined regular time intervals. The problem is that in most cases these pre-defined time intervals are based on some previous experience or empirical knowledge and rarely on scientifically sound data. Since the verification itself is a costly procedure it would be advantageous to put more effort into defining the required verification periods. Therefore, a fixed verification interval, recommended by various internal documents, standardised evaluation procedures and national legislation, could be technically and scientifically more justified and consequently more appropriate and trustworthy for the end user. This paper describes an experiment to determine the effect of alternating temperature and humidity and constant high current on a smart electronic electricity meter’s measurement accuracy. Based on an analysis of these effects it is proposed that the current fixed verification interval could be revised, taking into account also different climatic influence. The findings of this work could influence a new standardized procedure in respect of a meter’s verification interval

Optimization of a single tube practical acoustic thermometer

When designing a single tube practical acoustic thermometer (PAT), certain considerations should be addressed for optimal performance. This paper is concerned with the main issues involved in building a reliable PAT. It has to be emphasised that a PAT measures the ratio of the time delay between the single temperature calibration point (ice point) and any other temperature. Here, we present different models of the speed of sound in tubes, including the effects of real gases and an error analysis of the most accurate model with a Monte Carlo simulation. Additionally, we introduce the problem of acoustic signal overlap and some possible solutions, one of which is acoustic signal cancellation, which aims to eliminate the unwanted parts of an acoustic signal, and another is to optimize the tube length for the parameters of the gas used and specific temperature range