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Physical Measurement Laboratory /Sensor Science Division

Fluid Metrology Group

Develops models, standards, reference data, methods, and uncertainty analyses for metering liquid and gas flows, airspeed, liquid density, and volume. We measure micro-flows (e.g., pharmaceuticals) and mega-flows (e.g., natural gas in major pipelines, pollutants from power plants).

airspeed sensor
Air Speed Metrology
transient gas flow instruments
Transient Gas Flow Facility

The Fluid Metrology Group maintains the national standards for flow quantities, including gas and liquid flow, airspeed, liquid volume, and liquid density. For instance, the group maintains six flow calibration systems to measure gas flows from 0.1 cm3/min to 105 m3/min (an eleven decade flow range) and five primary liquid flow standards to cover five decades of flow range. The group’s unique and often best in the world facilities are used to conduct collaborative research on flow measurement, to perform calibrations of reference meters that meter manufacturers use to calibrate their products, and to perform proficiency tests for commercial laboratories seeking accreditation. 

NIST flow measurements contribute to nearly every US economic sector including defense, energy, transportation, pollution control, and the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and semi-conductors. The group’s volume and gas flow standards ensure equitable trade of trillions of dollars' worth of petroleum and natural gas each year. Our research is focused on improving primary standards that realize flow units and improving the physical models of flow meters so that their calibrations can be extrapolated to real applications with the required accuracy. The group works closely with leading US meter manufacturers and users, government agencies, and academic research institutes to provide new measurement solutions for emerging needs. We participate in national and international documentary standards efforts that ensure product quality and advance US trade. 

CALIBRATION SERVICES AND DOCUMENTARY STANDARDS

  • Documentary Standards
    The group’s staff are active in the development of Documentary Standards on various Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs) by providing the necessary expertise, fundamental measurement science, and testing. We engage with the following SDOs: ASME, ASTM, API, and ISO.

COLLABORATION OPPORTUNITIES

The Fluid Metrology Group welcomes opportunities to collaborate on joint research, technology, and standards development projects to advance flow metrology. The group provides multiple opportunities for students, scientists, industry, academia, and other R&D laboratories to collaborate. Specific opportunities depend on current areas of interest within the group, but may include undergraduate research fellowships, postdoctoral fellowships, visiting scientists, and guest researchers as well as various cooperative research arrangements ranging from formal agreements, such as CRADAs, Consortia, and interagency agreements, to informal collaborations. For more details, see Employment and Internship Opportunities and Collaboration Opportunities.

Projects and Programs

The NIST Acoustic Thermometer

Acoustic Techniques in Fluid Metrology

Ongoing
The Fluid Metrology Group leads the world in designing and using gas-filled acoustic resonators for measuring the thermodynamic temperature T, the Boltzmann
The NIST wind tunnel

Air Speed Metrology

Ongoing
NIST's versatile wind tunnel is used to calibrate customers' airspeed sensors and to conduct research on the design of novel anemometers, the responses of
shaded quasi sphere

Atomic Standard for Pressure

Ongoing
NIST scientists are developing a highly accurate primary standard for pressure in the range 2 MPa to 7 MPa based on fundamental physical properties of helium
two-capillary viscometer

Gas properties for flow metering

Ongoing
Flow meters that rely on measuring the pressure drop across a laminar flow element can be accurately calibrated using a benign surrogate gas (such as helium or

Tools and Instruments

transient gas flow instruments

Transient Gas Flow Facility

A compressor is used to pressurize up to twenty-five 40 L gas cylinders to 35 MPa. The cylinders can then be used as a source of rapidly changing gas flow by
gas flow standards instrument

Gas Flow Standards

NIST uses pressure, volume, temperature, and time (PVTt) standards to calibrate gas flow meters. PVTt flow standards generate selected, steady gas flows through
wind tunnel instrument

Wind Tunnel

NIST’s wind tunnel can produce air speeds between 0.15 m/s and 40 m/s. The air speed reference is a Laser Doppler Anemometer (LDA) with an uncertainty of 2.5 %

News and Updates

NIST researcher Jodie Pope with the big blue ball

Better Flowmeters with the Big Blue Ball

Last year, upwards of 25 trillion cubic feet of natural gas were delivered to customers in the United States, and when it changed hands, nearly every cubic foot

Publications

Modeling Temperature Effects on a Coriolis Mass Flowmeter

Author(s)
Fabio O. Costa, Jodie Gail Pope, Keith A. Gillis
Coriolis mass flowmeters are known to be stable, have low uncertainty (± 0.1 %), and are insensitive to fluid properties. This meter type is used for many

Faster, More Accurate, Stack-Flow Measurements

Author(s)
Aaron N. Johnson, Iosif I. Shinder, Bernard J. Filla, Joey T. Boyd, Rodney A. Bryant, Michael R. Moldover, Thomaa D. Martz, Matthew Gentry
Exhaust flows from coal-fired electricity-generating-plants are determined by measuring the flue gas velocity at prescribed points in the stack cross section

Awards

Products and Services

Related Links

Contacts

Group Leader

Office Manager