Calibration Laboratory

The EOL calibration laboratory is used in the evaluation and calibration of in-situ meteorological sensors. The laboratory has the capability to simulate the full range of pressure, temperature, humidity, altitude, and wind speed to which meteorological sensors are typically exposed. The lab can also be used to evaluate the performance of instrumentation when exposed to varying environmental conditions.

The lab was created back in the late 1960s when ATD, now EOL, explored in-situ instrumentation, with the goal to evaluate commercial instrumentation. The lab increased its capabilities with the Portable Automated Mesonet Network (PAM I) development in the 1970s. Over the following years, the lab has grown, adding new capabilities such as the altitude/temperature chamber. All systems, except one, are under computer control, allowing the user to define the system's operating parameters, start a run, and come back later when the run is complete. In addition, most instruments under test can be interfaced to the computer system to collect user data. In the end, the user has a data file consisting of the system reference(s) and the user data.

Pressure, humidity, and temperature references are traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) primary standards.

The specific information of each system can be found on the Calibration Laboratory Resources page about the following:

• Altitude/Temperature Environmental Chamber
• Environmental Temperature Chamber
• Wind Tunnel
• Humidity Generator
• Temperature Oil Baths
• Standard Platinum Resistance Thermometer and Super Thermometer
• Pressure Controller/Calibrator
• Deadweight Piston Gauge