Gas Flowmeter Calibrations With the Working Gas Flow Standard

Published

November 23, 2009

Author(s)

John D. Wright, Jean-Phillipe Kayl, Aaron N. Johnson, Gina M. Kline

Abstract

The Working Gas Flow Standard (WGFS) uses critical venturis, critical nozzles, or laminar flowmeters as working standards to calibrate customer flowmeters. The working standards are periodically calibrated with primary standards: the 34 L, 677 L, or 26 m3 PVTt standards, or a static gravimetric standard. The WGFS is used to calibrate flowmeters with low pressure drop, in dry air, at flows from 0.001 L/min to 70000 L/min with uncertainty of 0.15 % or less. At flows less than 2000 L/min, calibrations in other non-hazardous and non-corrosive gases are available.In this document, we provide an overview of the gas flow calibration service and the procedures for customers to submit their flowmeters to NIST for calibration. We also document the flow calculation algorithms and uncertainties of the WGFS.

Citation

Special Publication (NIST SP) - 250-80

Report Number

250-80

NIST Pub Series

Special Publication (NIST SP)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.250-80

Keywords

calibration, critical nozzle, critical ventrui, flow, flowmeter, gas flow standard, laminar, uncertainty, working standard

Citation

Wright, J. , Kayl, J. , Johnson, A. and Kline, G. (2009), Gas Flowmeter Calibrations With the Working Gas Flow Standard, Special Publication (NIST SP), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.250-80 (Accessed October 24, 2025)