Monitoring transport conditions of key comparison travelling standards using a data logger. Experiences from key comparison CCAUV.U-K3.1

In the framework of the international key comparison CCAUV.U-K3.1, a data logger was used to monitor temperature, pressure, humidity, and acceleration during transportation of an artefact travelling between participating laboratories. From the recorded data, environmental conditions of different kinds of transportation have been investigated and corresponding recommendations for the safe and proper transfer of artefacts between laboratories could be deduced. Transportation by courier services bears the risk of strong mechanical shocks and exposure to comparably high or low temperatures due to inappropriate handling or storage and is thus only suitable for insensitive or well-packed artefacts. Quite low temperatures (T approximate to 5 degrees C) have been observed in the cargo area during flights, so that hand-carrying of an artefact with transportation in the passenger cabin during flights is recommended, particularly for temperature-sensitive artefacts. Significant decreases of the pressure (p approximate to 750 mbar) have been recorded both for transportation in the passenger cabin and in the cargo area. Air-tight packing is thus recommended for pressure-sensitive devices. In general, the suitability of a data logger to provide evidence of the transport conditions during a key comparison has been demonstrated and the use of such a device is recommended for all key comparisons. The data logger has also been successfully employed to validate the protection properties of the passively insulating packaging of the artefact against pressure and temperature changes.