NIOSH Mining Laboratory

Microbalance Laboratory

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Stable ambient air is an essential requirement for accurate weighing. In response to this need, NIOSH staff designed and constructed this insulated 20´x20´x10´ facility which is equipped with a recirculating Liebert computer room HVAC system and HEPA filtration. The weigh room is divided into 2 chambers of 2:1 ratio. The smaller chamber serves as an airlock for entering as well as a buffer for the conditioned air. The buffered air is dispersed into the larger chamber through a perforated grill ceiling for even dispersion. The chamber houses two Cahn & four Mettler microbalances. Control filters are maintained to track balance performance and the long-term balance precision is approximately 5 micrograms.

Site:  Pittsburgh Research Laboratory