| Chapter 4 Infrastructural Requirement of a Calibration Laboratory Objective To learn abouc the infrastructural requirements (including site selection for locating) of an industrial calibration laboratory. INTRODUCTION The apex calibration laboratory in the country is the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), New Delhi. It is also known as the “Primary calibration laboratory.” There are a number of other laboratories, both in the government and the private sectors, offering internal and external calibration services, The term “external calibration” means third party calibration services provided by a calibration laboratory to industries and other users of M&TE. The first party is the seller, second party is the buyer and the third party is independent of both. External calibration means, calibration of the instruments, neither as a buyer nor as a seller. “Internal Calibration” means calibration service provided to in-house M&TE only. Larger industrial undertakings have their own in-house calibration laboratories, essentially for internal calibration. Due to liberalisation, more and more industrial units, particularly larger units, are establishing in-house calibration laboratories. In this chapte: is intended to provide guidelines for infrastructural requirements in respect of industrial calibration laboratories both internal and external. The later chapters deal with technical and quality requirements of industrial calibration laboratories. The objective of such calibration laboratories is mainly throughput and not research in the area of metrology or calibration. This is because the laboratories have to calibrate quickly without compromising on quality and return the instruments to the manufacturing units within the shortest possible time, after calibration, so as not to affect production schedules.$0 & Calibration Principles INFRASTRUCTURAL REQUIREMENTS Tergucn a libration laboratory due to various Quite often, there may not be much choice of site for locating aca. site or the intention reasons such as price of land and preference of top management fF Ps i requirements should be touse readily available site and so on. But, ifthere isa choice, the considered for selection of site for locating.a calibration laboratory: 1. The site should preferably be away from heavy traffic. follo it . to the main road so that 2._At the same time, it is essential that a calibration laboratory is close ‘customers and employees would have easy access to the laboratory. i away from sources or 3. Calibration laboratories should preferably be located say, one kilometer away ftom Senlss or potential sources of electromagnetic radiation such as radio or TV tran stations, very high voltage power lines and aerodromes. Public utilities such as power, water, public transport and telephone lines should be easily available, 5. The soil should be suitable, both for withstanding the structure of the building and for making earth pits. Rocky soil is not suitable for. making earth pits for grounding the protective earth points of the equipment. Proper grounding is important for the operation of a calibration laboratory, for the safety of the personnel and equipment. One laboratory had to use dynamite to excavate the earth for constructing earth pits. Simiarly, clay soil is not suitable for constructing buildings. In some institutes, the floor sinks year after year, unable to withstand the load due to the nature of the soil. Such situations should be avoided by selection of an appropriate site for locating a calibration laboratory. The laboratory should be located away from the main road in such a way that traffic noise will not be heard and the vibration caused by vehicular traffic would not be felt inside the calibration laboratory. This could be done by constructing the building by leaving adequate space on all the four sides of the laboratory. Certainly, a calibration laboratory should be located close to the industrial clusters so that industrial establishment would not fee! the distance and can visitthe laboratory as many times as necessary for handing over anc ting back the equipment. At this stage, it is worth considering the criteria of the Director of the National Bureau of Standards (now known as National Institute of Standards and Technology), USA when they decided to shiftto new premises in the 50’s'. 1. The site should be reasonably accessible by automobile from the homes of the majority of the bureau’s professional staff, 2. The site should be near high speed roads for ready access to Washington and its airports. 3. The area of the site should contain at least 400 acres in or der to provide fr of vibration, noise and radiation from potential neighbours, as Relation aoecee ae 4, The terrain should be relatively flat and high. is should be reasonably accessible,Infrastructural Requirement of a Calibration Laboratory % 51 There are detailed guidelines available in the National Conference of Standards Laboratories International (NCSLI) Recommended Practice 7 (RP-7)' for design of calibration laboratories. Some important points are discussed here. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS Environmental conditions are to be maintained in a calibration laboratory as per the specific requirements of standards and calibrating equipment used in a laboratory. Depending on the type of calibrations performed, namely, electrical or chemical or mechanical, the environmental requirements will vary. In the case of major or large calibration laboratories using standards belonging to different measuremenfreas, it is better to divide the calibration laboratory according to measurement areas so that environmental conditions appropriate to each area of measurement can be established. If one tries to maintain standards belonging to all the areas in one room, then it may call for tighter tolerances ie., the best of environmental conditions of all measurement areas have to be maintained which could be a difficult task. In the following, some of the important environmental parameters to be maintained in a calibration taboratory are discussed. ‘Temperature The most critical of the various environmental parameters applicable to calibration laboratories is temperature. The characteristics of physical standards will vary when temperature varies. For example, the artifact of the meter | ifferent temperatures. Even many electronic calibration equipment are designed to operate within close tolerances of ambient temperatures. Temperature inside a calibration laboratory should therefore be maintained using air conditioning equipment. In colder places, one has to use appropriate heating devices. A reference temperature of 20°C is suggested by standards for dimensional measurements. In other areas of metrology, reference temperature of 23°C is generally specified. But, for an industrial calibration laboratory, it can go upto 25°C * 2.5°C, Basically, the temperature requirement has to be determined taking into consideration the requirements of the standards and calibration equipment used/to be used ina calibration laboratory. Manufacturers of every standard or calibration equipment will specify the operating temperature range for the same. If a laboratory is using only one calibrator, then it is enough to build, a calibration laboratory with environmental conditions to match those of the calibrator. But, in practice, more and more calibrators may be added later. Therefore, one has to plan for the future and arrive at a set of enviornmental requirements for that particular area of calibration activity Humidity The next important parameter is humidity. Excessive humidity can cause the following problems: 1. Presence of moisture can lead to excessive leakage current in electrically-operated equipment thereby leading to unsafe operation of the equipment. 2. Excessive moisture can lead to corrosion of metallic parts. 3. Excessive humidity will be uncomfortable to the operating personnel.52 Calibration Principles d manufacturers on However, high humidity reduces the electrostatic charge, Sac 7s iwea Testreting Relative Humidity (RH) to $0 percent oF 60 percent RH it Bartsulaely elec! Inerease Eleciontrle Discharge (ESD). ESD Is quite harmful tot eeivuene sc devices, Generally, the humidity requirements are set in such a way (hat es RH, but less than 50 10 60 percent RH, Control of temperature and humidity can be carried out by FEE te Alibration {nboratory, Relative humidity can be controlled by controlling the tempera Sion There are a number of options for selection of air-conditioning equipment, In hid v : ‘it where the slighest temperature deviations ean affect the measurements, central air ondioning ig must, Central air-conditioning involves construction of duets, overhead cooling tower ete. and i, expensive, It is also difficult and expensive to maintain central air-conditioning plants poratary aurement ‘The requirements for environmental conditions are not so stringent for industrial calibration laboratories. There are two options open for industrial calibration laboratories in respect of ai conditioning, They are (i) package air-conditioning and (ii) window air-conditioning, Package air conditioning is preferred to window air-conditioning because it will not increase the sound level inside the laboratory. The air filter used in the air-conditioners should be cleaned periodically wn. 1, maintain the required air pressure in the laboratory and to control the entry of dust particles, Records The temperature and humidity should be maintained as Per requirements and are to be recorded during the working hours of the day, 't.can be done automatically through thermo-hydrographs and the temperature-humidity chart of each day should be kept as a record Alternatively, temperature and humidity ean be recorded four times during the working hours at periodic intervala The can shoud be plotied and needs to be stored. This will help analysis of calibration earied sat ng later date in case of disputes, t may also serve asa proof tothe accrediting agencies that he calibrations are carried out under controlled enviornmental conditions. ‘Therefore, every calibration laboratory should maintain records of temperature and humidity inside the calibratiey laboratory during the working hours on all days of the year, The record should be maintained for stipulated periods as specified in the quality manual of the laboratory. Dust Prevention of dust is essential not only for ‘good house-keeping, but also due to its: harmful effects on the artifacts, The presence of dust particles can cause erors in measurements. In the case of dinercany ity in a metallic part. Simple hhouse-keeping methods like cleaning the floor with vacuum cleaner will help control duce The requirement of dust control dictates usage of separate repair rooms, tiffin rooms, coffee rooms etc. It should be noted that the calibration laboratory should not be used for purposes other than calibration. The tendency to keep the office or repair facility in the calibration laboratory should be strictly avoided, Additionally, the entry and exit points should be restricted, Entry of personnel should be restricted to control dust in the lab. Calibration laboratories do not need the kind of extraordinary cleanliness required in a semiconductor manufacturing facility, but, need to be more clean than a normal office.Infrastructural Requirement of a Calibration Laboratory 2 53 Air Pressure ‘The air pressure has to be maintained inside the calibration laboratory so that dust particles from outside the lab do not enter the laboratory. If air-conditioners are running in a calibration laboratory nd ifthe air filters are cleaned/maintained periodically, the required level of air pressure inside the laboratory will be maintained. There should be more pressure of air inside the calibration laboratory as compared to the outside of the calibration area, The door opening has also to be designed in such ‘ay that inside air goes out when the doors are opened and not vice versa to avoid entry of dust from outside. Noise Although acoustic noise does not affect the measuring equipment (other than acoustic measuring equipment), it causes disturbances to measuring personnel and thereby can affect the measurements. ‘Therefore, the noise level inside the calibration laboratory should be as low as possible. Externally or internally generated noise can be a severe limitation in respect of acoustic measurements Vibration Industrial calibration laboratories need not bother too much about the vibration caused by automobiles passing on the main road nearby. But, they have to contro! the excessive vibration such as those generated by vibration machines or diesel generators or bump machines in the same building which can lead to errors in measurements, particulary in precision dimensional, optical, acoustic measurements, A calibration laboratory should not be located close to the rooms where heavy machineries are operated. In the case of a test and calibration laboratory, the vibration machinery, bump’shock machinery etc. should be separated from the calibration laboratory so that vibrations do not pass on tothe laboratory. The vibration when measured as a displacement should not exceed 0.25 microns in calibration laboratory. In case vibration causing equipment or machinery are located nearby, shock mounts or air bags ‘can be used to control the effect of vibration in the calibration laboratory. It would be ideal to locate the vibration machine or bump machine in a separate building physically so that the vibration does not get transmitted through the walls or floors or foundation stones. Electromagnetic Compatibility A calibration laboratory should be designed in such a way that electromagnetic radiation inside the calibration laboratory is the least. The concern should not only be for external interference, but, also for interference which might be generated inside the laboratory by calibration equipment or other equipment such as computers. Proper grounding arrangements, separately for power supply and for equipment help in reducing the interference. Fluorescent bulbs of poor quality can be a potential source in the laboratory for generation of Electromagnetic Interference (EMI). Similarly, overhead power lines can be another potential source of interference. In case it is not possible to contain EMI, the room can be shielded and equipment appropriately “guarded” so that the radiations are suppressed inside the calibration laboratory. T essential because EMI can lead to erroneous results in electrical or electronic measurements.54 XQ Calibration Principles In sophisticated calibrators, the circuit inside the equipment is guarded or covered with metallic plat toabsorb any-external interference. The plate is connected to the guard terminal provided in the fron, panel, The guard terminal may be connected to the ground point to bypass the interference: Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Control Electrical or electronic parts such as semiconductors are susceptible to damage in case of ESD. Electrostatic charge or voltage is generated by insulating materials such as vinyl, polyethylene, foam, rubber ete, The human body can also generate electrostatic voltage. When travelling in a bus with PVC flooring on low humidity days, raising arms suddenly can cause a polyster shirt getting tom sharply as ifcut by a razor. This is due to generation of electrostatic charge. When the arm is raised the electrostatic voltage increases, The magnitude of the electrostatic voltage can be as high as a few thousand volts. For example, if a human being walks over a carpet with insulated shoes. it can generate 35,000 volt if the humidity level is 10 percent RH to 20 percent RH and 1,500 volt if the humidity level is 65 percent RH to 90 percent RH. Therefore, high humidity reduces electrostatic charge. However, too high a humidity is harmful to most calibration equipment. The personnel will feel uncomfortable at higher levels of humidity. At about 50 percent RH, electrostatic voltage discharge will be comparatively lower than at 20 percent RH. But, if the ESD generated in the lab is going to cause damage to the equipment, then suitable measures have to be taken to protect them from electrostatic discharge. This can be achieved through conductive flooring, Ina conductive flooring the charge accumulated by a moving body will be automatically discharged. The NCSLI RP-7 provides detailed guidance for the methodology to be adopted for control of electrostatic discharge. Depending on the requirements suitable steps should be taken. If necessary, work tables can be provided with conductive coating and the flooring can also be covered with conductive material. The chairs used by the employees can be connected to electrical ground and employees themselves can be provided with ground straps for tying on their hands. lonizers can also be used for effective control of static charge when other methods do not yield the desired results. ESD will not be a serious problem in an industrial calibration laboratory if the above mentioned steps are taken. Lighting ‘There should be adequate lighting in the calibration laboratory so that there is no strain on the eyes of the operating personnel. Lighting should be arranged in such a way that there are no shadows. Lighting should be such that it is uniform throughout the lab and there are no bright spots and dark spots. In ease of necessity, desk lamps can be used for additional lighting. Normally, fluroscent light fixtures are preferred for use in a calibration laboratory. Fixtures should be fixed on the ceiling and not mounted on the wall, It may also be necessary to have automatic emergency lamps for use in case of power supply failures. Power Supply Electrically-operated standards need stable and clean power supply. Calibration equipment will not beable to withstand wide fluctuations in power supply or spikes in power supply. A moderate solution for improving the quality of power supply is to provide line isolation transformers and voltage stabilizers of appropriate tolerances and then, feed this improved power supply to the equipment. TheInfrastructural Requirement of a Calibration laboratory & 55 specifications/requirements for the stabilizers and isolation transformers are to be derived from th supply requirements of the standards and calibration equipment proposed to be procured by the calibration laboratory. If necessary, line conditioners can also be used. It is also important to monitor the line voltage and frequency at regular intervals for a few days to study the trend and decide on suitable line voltage conditioners, Although, Uninterrupted Power Supplies (UPS) have many advantages over conventional electrical power supply, they may be too expensive. So, UPS can be used only when absolutely required. The electrical mains supply should be provided with fuses of appropriate rating and appropriate safety devices to trip off the power supply in case of faults. Grounding Grounding is important both for safety of equipment and operating personnel. The protective earth points of all equipment should be connected to the ground bus bar running in the laboratory. This can be called “equipment ground”. Therefore, there should be separate ground pits both for electrical ground and equipment ground. It would be better if the earth pits are designed as per the requirements ‘of National standards on the subject. A copper strip may run around the calibration laboratory for connecting the ground points of the equipment. Even then, it would be advantageous to connect ground points of all the nearby equipment at one point to avoid ground loops between equipment. Fig. 4.1 explains this concept. Here, a and ¢ are protective earth points of two equipment, which are to be grounded. One may be tempted to connect the ground points at the nearest points d and e. a c d e Fig. 4.1 Incorrect Grounding In this methodology, a ground loop is formed via a, d, b, ¢ and c. If by chance, either dor e is at a higher potential than the other, it will result in a current through the loop. The way to eliminate the loop current is to connect both a and c at the same point in a star fashion as depicted in Fig. 4.2 , a Fig. 4.2 Correct Way of Grounding As you can see, both a and c are connected to a single point b in Fig. 4.2, thus eliminating the possibility of loop current. However, if the calibration equipment are situated around the wall on all four sides of the room, it may not be advisable to connect all the ground points to one point but to four56 %& Calibration Principles different points; the ground points may be connected to the central point on each side. In case of bigger rooms the ground points of the equipment can be connected at eight points. Thus, every effort should be made to avoid or minimise ground loops. The earth pits should be constructed and maintained as per National standards. It is important to , connect the ground strip to the earth pit. To ensure absolute safety, the ground strips should be connected to two earth pits so that even if connection to one earth pit is disconnected by chance, the ground strip will still be connected to ground through the other pit. The ground resistance should be measured at monthly intervals and the values of ground resistance should be recorded. Any increase in ground resistance should be analyased and corrective action should be taken to bring it back to the lowest possible value. If ground resistance is higher, the leakage current passing through the ground strip will cause higher potential to exist, which is bad for the safety of the equipment and the personnel operating them. Therefore, utmost importance should be given for establishing earth pits and maintaining them Flooring The flooring of a calibration laboratory is equally important. The flooring should be such that it reduces generation of electrostatic charge and at the same time does not absorb dust. Viny! flooring is certainly better than carpets. Safety, Security and Fire Precautions These aspects are equally important. Of course, calibration laboratories do not have any unique requirements with respect to these parameters. Precautions taken for a building which houses high value items are applicable for a calibration laboratory. Restrictions of entry points (doors) not only provides environment control in the laboratory, but, also provides security. Even the number of windows should be minimum in a calibration laboratory. Fire extinguishers should be chosen depending on the type of items in the laboratory. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS FOR STANDARD LABORATORIES ‘The requirements for environmental conditions in calibration laboratories are critical in respect of and humidity. The general requirements of environmental conditions for Standard Laboratories’ are given in Table 4.1.Infrastructural Requirement of a Calibration laboratory 2 57 Table 4.1 General Conditions for Standard Laboratories Parameters Measurement Area Requirements 1. | Temperature Physical/Dimensional | 20+0.3°C | Other fields 2341.0°C | 2. | Relative humidity Less than 50% 3. | Dust particle count | Physical/Dimensional | No particles larger than 50 micron. Less than 0.4 million particles larger than 1 micron per cubic meter of room volume, Less than 2 million particles larger than | 0.5 micron per cubic meter | Other fields No particle larger than 50 n Less than 7.0 million particles larger than | micron per cubic meter of room volume. Less than 40 million particles larger than 0.5 micron per cubic meter icron. 4. | Electromagnetic | DC/LF and Less than 150 V per meter (40dB) | shield RF/microwave 5. | Vibration Physical/Dimensional | Maximum acceleration of 0.0012 6. | Noise Acoustics Anechoie chamber should be installed. Other fields Less than 45dB | 7. | Illumination 500 Lux 8. | Air pressure Maintain positive pressure of 10 pascals. ‘These requirements are in line with NCSLI Recommended Practice RP-7. These requirements are meant for Standard Laboratories. However, calibration laboratories do not call for such stringent requirements. For example, the temperature in a calibration laboratory in a tropical country like India can be 25 + 3°C. Similarly, the humidity can go upto 60 percent RH. As a thumb rule, the environmental conditions in a calibration laboratory should be maintained corresponding to the requirements of standards used/proposed to be used in it. Therefore, as a first step, the calibration laboratory should tabulate the requirements of environmental conditions of standards/calibration equipment to be used by them. Then, the best of the requirements should be identified. These will be the specifications for environmental conditions to be maintained The National level calibration laboratory accreditation bodies will specify the requirements for environmental conditions which have to be complied with by a calibration laboratory seeking58 & Calibration Principles accreditation. Such requirements may also be noted. Thereafter, the conditioning equi planned, procured and installed. Its very important to maintain both temperature and Ih tolerance, pending which the calibration activity has to be suspended till the paramete back to within tolerable limits. are broughy SUMMARY The infrastructural requirements for a calibration laboratory are specific and critical for operating calibration laboratory since most measurements are valid at the specified environments, Techno economic aspects are to be considered while selecting the appropriate infrastructure. It is essentially site preparation activity as per the requirements of equipment to be used in it. Overdoing will increase costs. Improper preparation of site or preparation without planning or foresight will result in lack o quality in the calibration operation of the laboratory. Therefore, infrastructural requirements have be given due care and importance while establishing an industrial calibration laboratory, REFERENCES 1. Robert S. Walleigh, “The Gaithersburg Site,” NCSLI Newsletter, Vol. 35, No.2, April 1995. 2. Laboratory Design; Recommended Practice (RP-7) National Conference of Standards Laboratories International, USA., 1993. REVIEW QUESTIONS I. Say True or False Locate calibration‘ lab in a remote place. Rocky place is suitable for locating calibration lab. Environmental conditions inside a calibration lab should meet the requirements of standards used and convenience of laboratory personnel. Dimensional standards are calibrated at 20°C. PN 4 5. Higher humidity raises ESD. 6. Lower humidity is comfortable for people. 7. Prevention of dust is only for good house-keeping. 8. Air pressure inside the lab should be lower than outside. 9. Vibration causing machinery should be located in buildings separated from the laboratory building 10. EMC critical equipment should be guarded against interference. 11, Conductive flooring obstructs accumulation of static charge. 12, Light fittings should be fitted on the wall. 13. Equipments should be preferably connected to single ground point on the ground strip. 14. Ground strips should be connected to two earth pits.15. 16. I. af Infrastructural Requirement of a Calibration Laboratory © 59 Viny! flooring is better than carpets for a calibration laboratory. striction of i - a ie f doors and windows not only controls the environmental conditions, but, also, provides Choose the most appropriate answer ESD is harmful at (a) High humidity (b) Low humidity (c) Low temperature (d) All the above (e) None of the above Excessive humidity is harmful due to (a) Excessive leakage current in electrically operated equipment (b) Corrossion-of metallic parts (c) Uncomfortable to the operative personnel (d) All the above (e) None of the above IIL. Write short notes on oa ay Grounding requirements of a calibration laboratory. ESD Control. Selection of site for a calibration laboratory. Environmental condition in a calibration laboratory.