Application Note Humidity Measurement
CAL-007
Time-Saving, High-Accuracy Humidity Calibration Process
The Application The Challenge
Humidity measurement is an important parameter On the one hand, regulations are getting tougher re- facility. In addition, due to the range of the salt, there
in many industrial processes, but measuring it cor- garding proper testing and calibration of processing is no way to adjust the range exceeding 75.3% rela-
rectly can be tricky. Relative humidity is a term used equipment by means of programs like GMP and ISO. tive humidity. Finally there are numerous links in the
to describe the amount of water vapor present in air, On the other hand, companies are under internal pres- traceability chain, leaving many possibilities for uncer-
expressed as a percentage of the amount needed for sure to lower costs. Today, many companies are imple- tainty.
saturation at the same temperature. It is crucial that menting LEAN projects to help them increase accu-
In addition to calibrating the humidity sensor, the
temperature is precisely determined to get an accu- racy, reduce calibration time, speed up operational
temperature sensor must also be calibrated. Tradition-
rate relative humidity measurement. If the measured downtime response, and avoid improper deviations.
ally this was done on site with a dry block temperature
room temperature is off by only 1°C, the humidity
Humidity calibration, necessary for monitoring pack- calibrator, and this is the point in the process that of-
measurement can vary by up to 3 to 4%.
ing facilities and climatic test chambers, has tradition- fered an opportunity for innovation.
In order to ensure accuracy, an international pharma- ally been done in a saturated situ salt solution. In this Continued on next page
ceutical company, has chosen to use AMETEK’s RTC way the calibration is done with three different salt
Reference Temperature Calibrators as an integral part values. But doing the calibration this way is very time-
of the process for calibrating their humidity measure- consuming, requiring numerous changes of clothes
ment instruments. in order to access different areas of the production
Ph: 805-595-5477 • Email: crystal@[Link] • Web: [Link]
Application Note Humidity Measurement
CAL-007
The Solution Benefits
At the pharmaceuticals plant, they have found a smarter way to do “in situ” calibration. With this new solution, the pharmaceutical plant has reaped many benefits.
The new solution has numerous advantages. Switching to a combined temperature/
• Fewer links in the calibration chain lead to lower costs. Savings are realized in both
humidity sensor (where the calibration constants are stored in the sensor) made it pos-
improved calibration standards and less paperwork required for traceability.
sible to do a so-called “separate calibration” — instead of calibration in situ of both
temperature and humidity, the combined temperature and humidity sensors are “pre- • More efficient calibration means lower cost calibration. With the laboratory set-up
calibrated” in the laboratory. This way, the technician can bring a properly calibrated it is possible to calibrate up to 14 temperature sensors at a time. Added to this, the
sensor with him from the lab, and use it to replace the in situ sensor. He can then do a calibration is automated and can be done overnight.
calibration of the old one in the laboratory, ensuring both as-found and as-left values.
• Minimized downtime. Using pre-calibrated sensors makes for quick exchange of
Using this method, the plant increases the accuracy of the sensor calibration as it is
faulty equipment, and limits changing of clothes to just those employees needing
calibrated in the laboratory with reference equipment calibrated with the extremely
access to the packaging locale.
accurate JOFRA RTC Series temperature calibrator and a dew point hygrometer. This
saves time and allows technicians to respond quickly, minimizing operational down- • More accurate calibration. AMETEK’s RTC family of dry block temperature calibrators
time. As an added bonus, the plant has fewer links in the traceability chain, leaving plays an integral part in this smart calibration solution. Covering the widest tempera-
fewer possibilities for error. ture range, boasting excellent stability and high accuracy, the RTC family is a sure
winner when an innovative, accurate temperature calibration is needed.
For more information, including videos and data sheets,
please visit our RTC product page.
Ph: 805-595-5477 • Email: crystal@[Link] • Web: [Link]