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  • Temperature has a direct effect on quality, safety and costs in many processes.

    For example, in the production and packaging of foodstuffs, the correct temperature is of great importance to the quality of the product and the prevention of contamination. During the transport and storage of perishable foodstuffs and in the pharmaceuticals industry, the temperature must be recorded carefully to allow the safety of the product to be guaranteed.

    In processes where chemical reactions are either necessary or, conversely, undesirable, temperature is an essential factor. The difference between no chemical reaction or a dangerous one is often extremely small. The accurate measurement of the correct temperature is not only important to the quality and safety, but also to the costs. Consider a steel furnace for example: the temperature must be high enough to allow high-grade steel to be manufactured, but it is a costly affair to continuously keep the temperature 5°C higher than necessary for the process.

    VSL supplies various services in the field of traceable measurements to clients including the food, medicine and process industries and accredited calibration laboratories.

    Temperature laboratory

    We can now offer a limited range of calibrations:

    • Primary calibrations of SPRTs against our primary points between Mercury (-38 °C) and Zinc (419 °C) ,
    • And digital thermometers and resistance thermometers by comparison between -38 °C and 100 °C.

    For your particular calibration requests, we ask you to contact us directly for possibilities. Due to the developments in regards to the coronavirus,our lead time is longer than you have expected from us in the past, but you can now request calibrations again in the above ranges.

    In consultation with the Dutch Accreditation Council, we have voluntarily suspended part of our Temperature scope. An RvA audit to resume the main part of our scope is planned for 7 and 8 October this year.

    If you would like to contact VSL, please mail us at vsl@vsl.nl.

    VSL management, 27 August 2020

     

     

     

  • More information?

    Michel Brakel
    Department Sales & Planning

    Direct contact

    Temperature is important for the improvement of products, the reduction of costs and the increase in human comfort. Moreover, temperature (and humidity) often plays a direct or indirect role in various processes. Examples of these may be found in the petrochemicals industry, in energy production, health care and in environmentally-related subjects.

    An incorrect temperature can have a negative effect on various processes. VSL makes it possible for clients to minimise these effects by applying accurate measurement. VSL also supplies its services to manufacturers of sensors and to calibration laboratories.

    At VSL, thermometers are calibrated directly against the ITS-90 standards or against standards derived from these (contact thermometry). The entire calibration process, including the analysis of the results, uncertainty calculations and preparing the certificates, is automated, so that the turnaround times can be kept short.

    Contactless temperature measurement
    For contactless temperature measurements optical measurement methods are used. Click here for more information.

    Temperature laboratory

    We can now offer a limited range of calibrations:

    • Primary calibrations of SPRTs against our primary points between Mercury (-38 °C) and Zinc (419 °C) ,
    • And digital thermometers and resistance thermometers by comparison between -38 °C and 100 °C.

    For your particular calibration requests, we ask you to contact us directly for possibilities. Due to current working conditions and limited personnel, our lead time is longer than you have expected from us in the past, we are unable at present to exactly quantify it. We ask for your continued understanding in this matter.

    In consultation with the Dutch Accreditation council RvA we have voluntarily retracted part of our Temperature scope in line with our current capabilities. As we scale back up, we will keep you informed.

    If you would like to contact VSL, please mail us at vsl@vsl.nl.

    VSL management, 10 juni 2020

  • VSL is regularly approached for temperature measurements for specific applications. With our thorough knowledge of measurements and interpretation of measurement data, VSL can provide you with services including:

    • Development of and advice on measurement methods for temperature
    • Validation of temperature and moisture measurement systems (for example Distributed Temperature Systems)
    • Preparing and reducing an uncertainty budget
    • Guidance in the setting up and accreditation of quality systems

    Of course, each situation is unique. Would you like to know what we can do for you? Please contact us.

  • To ensure optimum quality of their measurements, laboratories frequently hold in-house quality checks. However, over time deviations in the measurement equipment can occur that cannot be detected by these checks. VSL regularly organises (international) interlaboratory comparisons, through which your laboratory’s measurement results are compared anonymously to those from VSL as primary standards laboratory and those from other participating laboratories.

    VSL organises such proficiency tests (PTs) annually in the Temperature field for matters including:

     

    Need for a different interlaboratory comparison? 
    Do you require another type of proficiency testing? Then please let us know. We can assess the demand. Possibly there are other laboratories that would like to participate and then we can organise a loop comparison. It is also possible to organise a bilateral comparison with VSL.

    Click here for more information about interlaboratory comparisons.

  • Would you like to know more about the accurate measurement of temperature? VSL offers open training courses and bespoke courses that are adapted to your specific knowledge needs.

    VSL training courses are always presented by specialists in their field of work. Theory is always combined with practice.

    After the course ends, you receive proof of participation.

    Temperature course
    In the Temperature field, VSL offers courses including ‘Introduction to temperature and temperature measurement’. During this course, subjects including the following are covered:

    • Introduction to thermometry
    • Operating principles of thermocouples and thermistors
    • Calibration and calibration systems
    • Practical on and demonstration of frequently-made errors in temperature measurement
    • Practical on calibration of a digital thermometer and the preparation of an uncertainty budget

    For a complete overview of the courses planned and in order to register, please click here.

     

  • Various manufacturers of measurement instruments calibrate these in their own calibration facilities. They do this to check that the newly-produced instruments comply with the requirements, to check stability, or for periodic recalibration. Of course, the purchaser of the measurement instrument must have faith in the facility and so the measurement uncertainty is important.

    Click here for more information.