Thermal
Thermal activities at NPL include:
- Set up and dissemination of the International Temperature Scale of 1990, ITS-90
- Set up and dissemination of humidity measurement standards
- Carrying out research to develop primary measurement standards and capabilities
- Provision measurement services, consultancy and training to make our work available to our customers
- Pioneering new measurement solutions in science, medicine and industry
Thermal research
- NPL provides the UK standards for temperature measurement and accreditation, using contact and non-contact methods, in the range from –189 °C up to 3000 °C and above.
- NPL has a range of facilities for humidity calibration and measurement in-house or off-site. There is also a programme of research and development of calibration methods for humidity and related measurements.
- Thermal analysis of materials using DSC, DMA, TMA and TGA.
Thermal case studies
- NPL tests the insulation of underwater oil and gas pipelines used to transport oil from deeper, hotter fields.
- Development of new high temperature standards can lead to greater energy efficiency for industrial processes and give a better understanding of climate change.
- The use of thermal imaging for quality control in heating fabrics.