This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at
Tekniker-IK4 crea el barómetro "más preciso del mundo"At a cost of 1 million euros, was delivered in the Spanish Center of metrology of Madrid on 5 February
Tekniker-IK4 creates the "most accurate in the world" barometer
Drafting Interempresas24/02/2009
February 24, 2009
Tekniker- IK4 has designed and developed the "more accurate worldwide" barometer for the
Centre Spanish of metrology (Cem), belonging to the
Ministry of industry, trade and tourismAgency, and that he is in charge of defining legal units of measurement and control all measuring instruments. The equipment allow Spain have a primary pattern (the first reference) to measure pressure, what will put you "as a worldwide reference ahead of United States, Japan and Korea of the South," the so far most advanced countries in this field.
The development of Tekniker-IK4 has an uncertainty in the measurement of absolute pressure of a pascal, a measure which is approximately equivalent to the pressure generated by the weight of four fingers of air in a measurement range of 1.3 terrestrial atmospheresthat is to say, around 2,600 kilometers of air. This enormous precision, the more successful so far at the global level, allows Spain build on measuring of pressure (primary standard) and avoids the need to resort to teams from other countries.
According to from Tekniker, the barometer of the EMF is therefore on last contrasting measures of pressure of equipment used in many fields and applications, from the weather, the altimeters of aircraft or the pressure of the tyres of vehicles to domestic gas cylinders. Applications are also very important in the industrial field, especially in the processes of vacuum.
In addition, the new equipment will allow Spain strengthen its bid for research in priority areas defined by the European Union, such as energy, health, environment, safety or welfare, as well as in strategic areas such as renewable energywater, or new technologies in the food industry.
Equipment allow Spain to have a primary pattern (the first reference) to measure the pressure.
The density of mercury
The development of Tekniker-IK4 is based on two connected columns of mercury on which sit two floats, which are the spotlight of a beam laser which identifies the exact position of the mercury by interferometry, a technique of combining the light coming from different receivers to obtain an image of higher resolution.
The key of the whole process of measurement is the density of mercury which, in turn, depends on temperature, pressure and the Earth's gravity. Of these three variables, the main source of uncertainty is the temperature, which has taken control and measurement of highest precision currently accessible, of the order of the thousandth of a degree.
More than 20 years workingThe confidence which has deposited the Spanish Center of metrology in Tekniker-IK4 for the development of this barometer is the result of more than two decades of collaboration between both entities. In fact, is the starting point of the specialization of the Eibar technology centre where has reached a leading position in the procurement of scientific equipment, and precision engineering.
Prior to this realization, Tekniker IK4 had already supplied to the EMF with a comparator large coves interferometric pattern, two tables angular comparadoras and some other minor teams. But the design and construction of the new primary pattern of pressure has been the biggest challenge for Tekniker-IK4 technological capacity.
The development of Tekniker-IK4 is based on two connected columns of mercury on which sit two floats.
