Methods for the assessment of correction for chemical-impurity effects and related uncertainty in ITS-90 fixed points, namely of e-H_(2), Ne, O_(2) and Ar

摘要

The expression of uncertainty in the field of metrology is based, since 1993, on the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement. According to this, 'it is assumed that the results of a measurement have been corrected for all recognized significant systematic effects'. Since the International Temperature Scale of 1990 considers the substances used for the realization of the 'fixed points' to be ideally pure, to fully implement the intent of the GUM corrections should be applied for any chemical impurities that affect the value of the measurand. The present paper aims at reviewing an aspect that must be tackled to arrive to reliable and scientifically sound corrections: the use of an appropriate statistical method. In addition to the SIE, OME and hybrid methods recommended by the CCT, two new approaches are proposed in this paper, called one-sided OME and Average Overall Estimate (AOE). They are illustrated and their merits compared with the previous one, by applying them for the correction of the measured values of the triple-point temperature of the four gaseous substances (hydrogen, neon, oxygen and argon) used for the realization of the ITS-90 reference points in the range 13.8 K to 273.16 K. Some suggestions are drawn from the resulting evidence.