The D.I. Mendeleev All-Russian Institute for Metrology (VNIIM) news

April, 2021 marks start of the Russian-Sri Lankan cooperation in the field of standardization and metrology. The first online meeting of Rosstandart NMIs and Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) experts was held in the D.I. Mendeleyev Institute of Metrology (VNIIM).

Its Agenda included discussion of issues regarding standardization, product certification, laboratory testing, calibration, and training. SLSI is the National Standards Body of Sri Lanka and plays an important role in the country’s economy. The SLSI Director General, Dr. Shiddhika Senaratne, made an overview of the national metrology system of Sri Lanka and activities of the SLSI in those areas and pointed out the interest of Sri Lanka in assistance of Russian Metrology Institutes in improving length, strength, and temperature measuring technologies, and development of laboratory medicine, chemical and bioanalytical research.

Specialists of VNIIM, its affiliated branch UNIIM, and other Russian Institutes - VNIIFTRI, VNIIOFI, and VNIIMS - presented their views on areas and opportunities for cooperation. Specialists of VNIIM provided an overview of their experience in improving and development of measurement standards in the field of thermometry, mass and force, geometric measurements, bioanalytical and medical measurements, and measurements of physical processes in air and liquid media.

Measuring tasks related to determination of magnetic field parameters will be solved at a new level of accuracy. VNIIM has recently improved its State primary measurement standard for the units of magnetic induction, magnetic flux, magnetic moment and magnetic induction gradient (GET 12). The uniqueness of the measuring complex consists in its multifunctionality and a wide measurement range.

The main innovation is the expansion of the measurement range of hypogeomagnetic fields (fields less than 1000 nT). As explained by the Head of VNIIM, Anton Pronin, previously this area was in demand for space projects and navigation, but in recent years it has become necessary for medical research.

Also included in the complex is a new reference induction comparator designed at VNIIM for instruments measuring magnetic parameters of magnetically soft materials, which will expand the functionality of the standard in terms of precision measurements of parameters of magnetically soft materials. According to the scientist-keeper of the standard, Denis Belyakov, in the future it will allow updating the existing methods to measure the parameters of soft magnetic materials, unchanged since 1980. The performed work will expand the measurement capabilities of Russia in submitted to the database (KCDB) maintained by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). The next stage in improving the standard will be the extension of the upper range from 1 mT to 1 T.

VNIIM improved the State primary measurement standard of the length unit, Metre.

Russian metrologists have implemented a set of advanced laser technologies in the field of linear measurement. VNIIM upgraded the State primary measurement standard of the length unit, Metre (GET 2), which is one of the most important primary standards. Due to the introduction of a new source of reference laser radiation with 532 nm wavelength and a set of instruments measuring laser frequencies in the range from 500 to 1050 nm on the basis of the optical frequency comb (COMB-generator), the functionality was extended and the metrological characteristics of the standard were improved. The inclusion of the new radiation source into the standard will allow reproducing a unit of length at one more wavelength in accordance with the recommendation of the International Committee of Weights and Measures (CIPM). The COMB-generator with the hydrogen frequency standard will provide traceability to the State primary standard of the units of time and frequency and to the national time scale (GET 1). It will also allow measuring the frequency (wavelength) of radiation with the highest accuracy and participating in more international comparisons of national standards, thus increasing the number calibration and measurement capabilities of Russia submitted to the database maintained at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM).