INM LABORATORIES

• LENGTHS LABORATORY
• MASS AND RELATED QUANTITIES LABORATORY
• ELECTRICAL MEASUREMENTS LABORATORY
• THERMOMETRY LABORATORY
• PHISICO-CHEMICAL QUANTITIES LABORATORY
• FLOW QUANTITIES LABORATORY
• TIME AND FREQUENCIES LABORATORY   

Activities 

• Development and maintenance of the national references – national and reference standards of Romania – for the units of measurement of the following physical quantities: time, frequency, attenuation, voltage, impedance and power at high-frequency, magnetic induction in air and magnetic flux.
• Dissemination of the units of measurement, at the required accuracy level, through its calibration services, with results traceable to the SI
• Development of techniques and procedures of measurement, including methods for uncertainty analysis
• Participation to international, regional and bilateral comparisons
• Cooperation with other Romanian institutions and similar institutes from abroad
• Consultancy and training on issues related to the theory and practice of measurement.
• Pattern evaluations and metrological verifications

The laboratory consists of two work groups:

• TIME Group
• HIGH-FREQUENCY AND MAGNETIC QUANTITIES Group

TIME GROUP

Aims and tasks

Time, one of the 7 fundamental quantities, is currently the most accurately measured quantity (10^-14 ... 10^-15). For this reason, time measurements, i.e. frequency, are used to increase the accuracy of other quantities.

The main role of the time and frequency laboratory is to hold and bring up-to-date the national measurement standard of time and frequency, to ensure traceability to the SI and disseminate the time and frequency units with the required accuracy, at national level.

Romania’s national standard for time and frequency consists of an atomic frequency standard with cesium, type HP 5071A, and the auxiliary installations.

Projects for the development and maintenance of the national standard

Coordinated Universal Time is a combination of two time scales Universal Time (UT1) and International Atomic Time (TAI). UT1 is a dynamic time scale derived from observation of the Earth’s rotation, monitoring by the International Earth Rotation Services (IERS). TAI is a time scale based on clock data collected and treated together through a combination of their readings in order to generate a worldwide scale. By definition, UTC has the same metrological properties as TAI. TAI and UTC are calculated and distributed by the Time Section of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM).

INM’s time and frequencies laboratory has been participating to UTC since October 2002, when it began to participate to CCTF-K2001.UTC. Due to the participation to this comparison, SI traceability of the national standard is ensured.

The dissemination of time and frequency units is realized through the calibration operations performed at the INM headquarters.

Group members

Anca Niculescu, PhD, head of laboratory, tel. 334 5060 /125, e-mail: niculescu@inm.ro

Monica Angelescu, engineer, tel. 334 5060 /125, e-mail: monica@inm.ro

Nicolae Ştefănescu, specialist technician, tel. 334 5060 /125

Metrological services

The TIME group of the laboratory performs the following calibrations:

Outlook

Developing activities in order to improve the participation to the realization of TAI and for the dissemination of time information, at national level, through phone line and Internet (protocol NTP).

HIGH-FREQUENCY AND MAGNETIC QUANTITIES GROUP

Field of activity

• Calibrations and precision measurements for electric quantities in the frequency range 10 MHz...10GHz;
• Calibrations and precision measurements for magnetic quantities;
• Precision measurements for the evaluation of conformity for the issue of pattern approvals.

Measurement standards

• National Measurement Standard of measurement unit (W) for power at high frequencies;
• National Measurement Standard of measurement unit (dB) for attenuation at high frequencies;
• Measurement Standard of voltage at high frequencies;
• Impedance Measurement Standards at high frequencies;
• National Measurement Standard of the inductance unit

Examples of services provided:

• High frequency powermeter Calibration
  • frequency range 10 MHz…10 GHz.
  • power range: 3 nW…3 W
• High frequency directional  powermeter Calibration
  • frequency range 10 MHz. ….1000 MHz.
  • power range: 0.1 W…3 W
• Calibration of high frequency: voltmeters, milivoltmeters and microvoltmeters;
  • frequency range 10 MHz…1000 MHz.
  • voltage range 10 μV…3 V
• Calibration of standard signal generators
  • frequency range 100 kHz…12 GHz
  • output level –60 dBm…+ 30 dBm
• Calibration of attenuators for high frequencies
  • frequency range 10 MHz…10 GHz
  • attenuation range 0…70 dB.
• Calibration of DC instruments for measuring the magnetic field or magnetic induction in the air
  • magnetic induction range 100 μT … 2.5 T
• Calibration of AC instruments for measuring the magnetic field or magnetic induction in the air
  • magnetic induction range 10 μT … 0.1 T
  • frequency: 50 Hz
• Calibration of AC instruments for measuring the magnetic field or magnetic induction in the air
  • magnetic induction range: 10 μT…200 μT
  • frequency range: 100 Hz…10 kHz
• Calibration of devices measuring magnetic flux
  • magnetic flux range: 1 mWb…10 Wb
  • frequency range: 0 Hz…10 kHz
• Calibration of material samples for the Epstein installation with the 25 cm frame
  • magnetic induction range: 0.1T … 2 T
  • magnetic field range: 10 A/m … 10 kA/m
  • specific remagnetization loss range: 0.4 W/kg…10 W/kg
  • frequency range: 25 Hz…400 Hz
• Calibration of soft or hard magnetic material samples for DC permeameters
  • magnetic induction range: 0.1T…2 T
  • magnetic field range:
    • soft magnetic materials: 10 A/m…100 kA/m
    • hard magnetic materials: 100 kA/m…1 MA

For the full list of calibrations and charges, see the List of measuring means for which the Romanian Bureau of Legal Metrology performs calibrations, LE 2006 

Personnel, positions and contact details

Victor Şteflea, engineer, head of the group, senior scientific researcher C.P. 1, tel. 334 5060 / 168, e-mail: vstef@inm.ro

Vilmoş Julier, physicist, senior scientific researcher C.P. 2, tel. 334 5060 / 132, e-mail: julier@inm.ro

Violeta Ciociea, engineer, scientific researcher, tel. 334 5060 / 168, e-mail: violeta@inm.ro

Mihai Groza, specialist technician

• OPTICAL QUANTITIES LABORATORY
• ACOUSTICS AND KINEMATICAL QUANTITIES LABORATORY
• IONIZING RADIATIONS LABORATORY