Features of the Use of Reference Materialsimitators for Metrological Support of Gas Analytical Measuring Instruments

Gas analytical measurements are one of the types of measurements of the physical and chemical composition and properties of substances, and cover a large amount of measurement tasks in various areas of human activity. The main means of calibration of gas analytical measuring instruments are working standards of the 1 st and 2 nd category: reference materials for the composition of gas mixtures in pressure cylinders, measures – sources of microflows of gases and vapors, gas mixture generators. The purpose of the research was to summarize the many years of experience of the specialists of the Research Department of State Standards in the field of Physical and Chemical Measurements, D. I. Mendeleyev Institute for Metrology, in terms of the use of reference materials-imitators for metrological support of gas analytical measuring instruments, identification and analysis of the main factors that allow the use of imitators in testing and calibration of measuring instruments. The research considered the main features of the use of reference materials for the composition of gas mixtures in pressure cylinders as imitators of real environments in the metrological support of gas analytical measuring instruments. The main differences between imitators in terms of their equivalence with a real environment were described. Approaches have been developed to assess the possibility of using imitators, the features of testing for the purpose of type approval and verification of measuring instruments using imitators. The practical significance of the research is the possibility of using the research results by metrologists in solving practical problems that arise during tests for the purpose of type approval, and calibration of gas analytical measuring instruments.