The Primary Standards Laboratory (PSL) develops and maintains primary standards that are traceable to national standards and calibrates and certifies customer reference standards. The PSL also provides technical guidance, support, and consultation, and helps to develop precision measurement techniques and provide measurement uncertainty analysis.
Capabilities and Resources
The Primary Standards Laboratory offers the following capabilities:
- Dimensional
Angular ring gages, length and diameter, step gages, line standards, measuring wires, optical reference planes, roundness, plug/ring gages, surface texture, threaded plug and ring gages, surface texture, and two dimensional gages
- Electromagnetic-DC/low frequency voltage/current converters, capacitance dividers, current transformers, DC resistance, DC voltage, high frequency voltage, inductive dividers, LF AC voltage, LF capacitance, LF inductance, LF power/energy, mixed dividers, power-frequency capacitors, resistance dividers, voltage transformers, DC high voltage ratio, DC current shunts
- Electromagnetic-RF/Microwaves coaxial air line standards, coaxial/wave-guide terminations, dielectric materials, microwave couplers/splitters, thermistor mount efficiency and/or calibration factor, noise temperature, pulse/CW power, RF/microwave attenuators, RF/microwave phase shifters
- Ionizing Radiation
Radiation dosimetery of X-rays, gamma rays, high-dose dosimetry, neutron sources and dosimeters, radioactive sources
- Mechanical flow rate, force, mass, vibration, shock
- Optical Radiation
Laser power energy, photometric, radiometric, spectrophotometric, UV radiometric
- Thermodynamic
Humidity, laboratory thermometers, leak artifacts, pressure, radiation thermometry, resistance thermometry, thermocouples and pyrometers,vacuum and low pressure gages, vacuum and low pressure transducers
- Time and Frequency
Frequency dissemination, time dissemination, oscillator characterization
For a definitive set of our capabilities, see our web page at: http://www.sandia.gov/psl. We are also accredited under Lab Code 105002 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology/national Voluntary Laboratory Accreditations Program. See http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/210/214/14.html for details.
User Support
The Primary Standards Laboratory has invested extensively in its facility, equipment, hardware, and software. Capabilities available include:
- state-of-the-art environmental control laboratory
- professional staff at PhD level
- unique standard in pulsed neutrons, gas leaks, pulsed high voltage, microwaves
- Portable Josephson volt standard
- M48 Universal Coordinate Measuring Machine
Availability
This facility is available to support any firm whose applications can benefit from its unique capabilities. To make arrangements to use the Primary Standards Laboratory, contact the user liaison.
