Quantifying impacts on the measurement uncertainty in flow calibration arising from dynamic flow effects

Traceability of the measurement units in fluid flow metering, as the state-of-the-art approach, is practiced as a so-called element-by-element method which relies upon the idealistic assumption that the measurement process in a flow calibration facility can be run under exact steady-state conditions, that is, absolutely no fluctuations of the flow quantities are assumed to occur during the flow measurement process. Practical experiences, combined with a model-based analytical view of the measurement process in a flow standard, have revealed that dynamic impacts on the measurement uncertainty due to flowrate fluctuations have to be taken into account, in addition to the steady-state traceability chain. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.