The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is collaborating with international metrology institutes to improve the accuracy of primary gas standards. Over the past two years, NIST has conducted intercomparisons for sulfur dioxide, ethanol, propane, and hydrocarbon gas standards with partners in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and South Korea.
The goal of these comparisons is to determine if gas standards from different countries are equivalent within their stated uncertainty bounds. If the results are within these bounds, the standards can be used interchangeably for regulatory purposes across borders. For example, an automotive manufacturer in Europe can use a gas standard from the Netherlands Measurement Institute to meet EPA regulations in the United States.
NIST has established a yearly plan to determine which specific analytes and concentrations will be compared between NIST and other international metrology institutes. Once the standards from one institute are analyzed by another, the results are sent back to the originating institute for comparison with their preparation data. This international collaboration aims to improve the accuracy and consistency of gas standards worldwide.
Keywords: metrology, gas standards, real-time monitoring
