Inside this Issue

Page

Top Story

Petroleum Volume: Getting

Calibrations in the Can 1

Laboratory Metrology News

Training Courses and Updated

Publications Available 3

Employee Highlights

Elizabeth Gentry Receives the 

Prestigious Arthur S. Flemming 

Award 5

World Metrology Day 6

Calendar 2

This Month in 

History

June 6, 1872 ‐ Susan B. Anthony, a pioneering

feminist, was fined $100 for voting in a pres‐

idential election at Rochester, NY. She

worked for five decades to obtain the right

for women to vote, which didn’t happen until

the 19th Amendment passed in 1920.

June 6, 1755 ‐ The famous American patiot,

Nathan Hale (1755 ‐ 1776) was born in

Coventry, CT. He volunteered to be a spy dur‐

ing the American Revolution and was cap‐

tured by the British. Hale admitted he was

an American officer and spy. As he was taken

to the gallows he said, “I only regret that I

have but one life to lose for my country.”

June 10, 1652 ‐ Silversmith John Hull opened

the first mint in America in defiance of Eng‐

lish colonial law. The first coin issued was the

Pine Tree Shilling, which was designed by

Hull.

1

Volume 3 Issue 3

June 18, 2012

Petroleum Volume: 

Getting Calibrations in

the Can

Byline: John Wright, Physical Measurements

Laboratory, Sensor Science Divisions

The volume of oil and oil products moving

through America’s pipelines, waterways, roads,

and rails borders on the unimaginable.

“Look at it this way,” says John Wright, a Project

Leader in PML’s Fluid Metrology Group. “Per

capita consumption of petroleum in the United

States is 10 liters per day. And there are 300 mil‐

lion people. That’s three billion liters moving

around each day, and usually being metered

several times along the way. The infrastructure

requirements are mind‐boggling.” So is the

value. Three billion liters is about 19 million bar‐

rels. And with crude oil priced around $100 a

barrel these days, approximately $2 billion

worth of petroleum travels from multiple sellers

to multiple buyers every 24 hours. Clearly, even

tiny errors in measurement can amount to a great deal of money.

To ensure maximum accuracy, the U.S. petroleum industry relies on volume

measurements traceable to NIST, and specifically to the Flow Metrology

Group in PML’s Sensor Science Division. Customers bring in their own “field

test measures” – stainless steel containers ranging in capacity from four

liters to 8,000 liters, made with graduated necks but informally called

“cans” – to be calibrated.

The cans are used to calibrate various “prover” mechanisms that measure

movement of volume per unit time, and the provers in turn are used to cal‐

ibrate various kinds of flowmeters. Because the provers and meters differ

widely in capacity, a variety of can sizes is typically necessary.

For example, Alberta‐based calibrators Glenn Antoniuk and Barbara Germin

recently spent two weeks at NIST calibrating 13 cans ranging from 1 to 500

gallons. That may seem like a long time, but the process is laborious and

PML technician Sherry

Sheck els uses a flashlight

and magnification loupe

to take exact water-level

measurements on a stainless steel container.
Calendar 2012

Registration for training in the NIST Office of

Weights and Measures is handled by Yvonne

Branden at yvonne.branden@nist.gov.

Course descriptions can be viewed on the Office of

Weights and Measures website by clicking on the

name of the course. 

http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/calendar.cfm

June 18 

Handbook 133 ‐ Basic Training

Class No. 5203

Hartford, CT

Contract: David Sefcik@

david.sefcik@nist.gov

June 18 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ Basic Uncertainty Concepts

Class No. 5170

June 18 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ Documenting Traceability and Calibration

Intervals

Class No. 5180

June 19 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ Calibration Report Evaluations

Class No. 5171

June 19 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ Conducting an Effective Management

Review

Class No. 5172

June 20 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ NISTIR 6969 SOP 8 Part 1

Class No. 5184

June 20 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ NISTIR 7383 SOP 18 Part 1

Class No. 5186

June 21 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ NISTIR 6969 SOP 8 Part 2

Class No. 5185

June 21 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ NISTIR 7383 SOP Part 2

Class No. 5187

June 22 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ Basic Measurement Assurance

Class No. 5188

June 22 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ Control Charts Using PMAP Software

Class No. 5212

(Continued on page 3)

W&M Connection 2 Volume 3 Issue 3

painstaking. Each can is cleaned and thor‐

oughly dried, carefully leveled, and

weighed empty. Then the can is filled with

purified water and weighed again. This en‐

tire process is repeated five times for cans

of 380 liters or less, and at least twice for

larger cans.

“We often calibrate over 100 measures a

year here, from all sorts of customers,”

says Fluid Metrology technician Sherry

Sheckels, “including some designed to be

transported by barge out to offshore oil

platforms for on‐site calibrations.”

Not surprisingly, there are industry stan‐

dards specified by the American Petroleum

Institute that govern each stage of the cal‐

ibration operation. For example, cans

smaller than 20 liters are drained by pour‐

ing through the neck while tilted to 70 degrees from horizontal (not 90 de‐

grees, which is completely vertical) and there are standardized drainage

and drip times. 

Because the mass, density and temperature of the water are extremely well

known, container volume can be determined to high accuracy after cor‐

recting for factors such as thermal expansion of the metal. The petroleum

industry expects uncertainties less than 0.05 % for custody transfer or billing

applications. NIST’s can‐volume calibrations are in the range of 0.01 percent

for very large cans.

John Wright of the Fluid Metrology Group examines apparatus newly ar‐

rived from Mexico as part of an international volume‐standard comparison.

(Click image for a larger version.)The other variable of intense interest is

how the measurements change or “drift” over time. “If our calibrations or

our customers’ calibrations or the pipe‐provers’ change too much,” Wright

says, “then there’s a lot of retroactive money that changes hands. It can

amount to very large sums because the volume is extraordinarily high.”

Glenn Antoniuk, whose company con‐

ducts calibrations from western Canada

down to the Gulf Coast, agrees: “I’ve

heard of settlements that have been in

the millions.”

State laws governing the volumetric ac‐

curacy of products delivered to the con‐

sumer usually specify 0.5% uncertainty,

and end‐point distribution has to be

monitored from time to time. “Five gallon

cans are used at gas stations by state labs

to make sure that pumps are calibrated properly,” Wright says.

Two customers prepare their

“cans” for calibration in PML’s

Fluid Metrology facility.

John Wright of the Fluid Metrology

Group examines apparatus newly arrived from Mexico as part of an international volume-standad comparison. 
June 28 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ Traceability Assessments for Weights

and Measures

Class No. 5214

July 15 ‐ 19

National Conference on Weights and Measures

(NCWM) Annual Meeting

Portland, ME

Contact: info@ncwm.net

July 29 ‐ August 2

NCSLI Conference & Symposium 

Metrology and Testing ‐ The Business End of

Metrology

Sacramento, CA

Contact: NCSLI at http://www.ncsli.org/

August 9 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ Calibration Report Evaluations

Class No. 5175

August 16 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ Contract Review

Class No. 5176

August 20 ‐ 24 (5 days)

Fundamentals of Metrology

Class No. 5179

NIST

Gaithersburg, MD

August 23 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ Document Control and Recordkeeping

Class No. 5177

August 30 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ Proficiency Testing Follow Up Actions

and Root Cause Analysis

Class No. 5181

September 6 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ Conducting an Effective Management

Review

Class No. 5178

September 10 ‐ 13

Central Weights and Measures Association

(CWMA) Interim Meeting

Bettendorf, IA

Contact: Vicky Dempsey at

dempseyv@mcohio.org

September 10 ‐ 13

NEMAP*

Class No. 5154

Portland, ME

Contact: Danny Newcombe at

Danny.Newcombe@maine.gov

(Continued on page 4)

W&M Connection 3 Volume 3 Issue 3

Laboratory Metrology

News

Training Courses and 

Updated Publications 

Available

Byline: Georgia Harris

The Laboratory Metrology Program at the Office of Weights and Measures

(OWM) has a collection of webinars for laboratory staff. These webinars

are ideal for metrologists and intended to help bridge the gap between the

previous Basic Metrology Seminar for States and the new Fundamentals of

Metrology course. These courses are designed for weights and measures

laboratory staff, but other participants are welcome, provided space is avail‐

able. 

The training calendar for Laboratory Metrology is located at:

http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/labmetrology/schedule.cfm; or you can

check out the OWM’s new combined activities (printable) calendar at:

http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/calendar.cfm.

Please register early and often for training courses in the OWM

Contacts Management System!!!

(Instructions on how to request training using the OWM Contacts Manage‐

ment System is located at: http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/upload/how‐

to‐request‐training.pdf)

LABORATORY CALIBRATION PROCEDURES

UPDATED

Several NISTIR Publications (5672, 6969, and 7383) have been updated this

year to ensure compliance with the current definition of metrological trace‐

ability, to make improvements in consistency with standard international

practices, and to support the new metrology training seminars. These pro‐

Because petroleum and other products sold by volume can cross many na‐

tional borders, it is highly important that international standards agree as

closely as possible. This necessitates round‐robin comparisons, and Wright is

now preparing to test a set of precision containers from Mexico.

“In general, the agreement among different national metrology institutes is

extremely good,” Wright says. “But that doesn’t mean we can ever stop meas‐

uring.”
W&M Connection 4 Volume 3 Issue 3

September 13 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ Internal Auditing Best Practices

Class No. 5182

September 16 ‐ 20

Western Weights and Measures Association

(WWMA)

Breckenridge, CO

Contact: Mahesh Albuquerque at

mahesh.albuquerque@state.co.us

September 24 ‐ 27

SWAP*

Class No. 5126

Baton Rouge, LA

Contact: Richert Williams at

richer_w@ldaf.state.la.us

October 1 ‐ 5

47thCIML Meeting, 14thOIML Conference

Bucharest, Romania

Contact: Charles Ehrlich at

Charles.Ehrlich@nist.gov

October 7 ‐ 10

Southern Weights and Measures Association

(SWMA)

Louisville, KY

Contact: Jason Glass at (502) 573‐0282

jason.glass@ky.gov

October 15 ‐ 18

MidMAP*

Class No. 5155

Sioux Falls, SD

Contact: Brad Stover at

brad.stover@state.sd.us

October 15 ‐ 26 (2 week)

Mass Metrology Seminar 

Class No. 5192

October 16 ‐ 17

Northeastern Weights and Measures Association

(NEWMA) Interim Meeting 

TBD

Contact: James Cassidy at

jcassidy@cambridgema.gov

October 18 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ State Laboratory Annual Submission

Process**

Class No. 5190

November 1 (2 hours)

Webinar ‐ State Laboratory Annual Submission

Process **

Class No. 5191

(Continued on page 5)

cedures and updates are also being reviewed in detail as a part of each of

the 2012 Regional Measurement Assurance Program (RMAP) training

events. Additional notes are being captured during each 2012 RMAP to

identify changes that may be needed in future editions. 

http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/labmetrology/calibration.cfm 

Some Key Updates include:

GLP 4* – notes that calibration intervals may not be stated as “as

needed.” A fixed interval must be designated for all laboratory stan‐

dards (see GLP 4 for possible wording to allow flexible intervals based

on statistical data.) 

GMP 13* – Includes the latest definitions of metrological traceability.

GLP 10* – The water density formula has been updated consistent

with the latest International Conference on Weights and Measures

(CIPM) formula that has been adopted and published in Metrologia.

All SOPs* – references to traceability now refer to metrological trace‐

ability to SI units. 

SOP* 1 has been updated to ensure uniformity with Section 5.10 of

Handbook 143 (and Handbook 150 and the ISO/IEC 17025 standard). 

SOP* 2 has been updated consistent with the latest International Con‐

ference on Weights and Measures (CIPM) air density formula that has

been adopted and published in Metrologia. 

SOP* 8 for modified substitution has been updated consistent with

the training provided during the past three years at RMAP sessions

to incorporate additional uncertainty components for Echelon III cal‐

ibrations that are more realistic. 

SOPs* 13 and 15 have not been updated. Instead, SOP 14 now in‐

cludes procedures for standards previously addressed in those two

SOPs.

SOPs* 26 and SVP have not been updated, pending efforts by a na‐

tional working group to address alternative test methods and stan‐

dards. 

SOP 33*, for calibration of weight carts is now published.

A number of previous job aids have been added as appendices to re‐

lated procedures.

ENDNOTES

*GLP – Good Laboratory Practices

GMP – Good Measurement Practices

SOP – Standard Operating Procedures
November 5 ‐ 9 (1 week)

Volume Seminar

Class No. 5193

December 3 ‐ 7 (1 week)

Intermediate Metrology Seminar

Class No. 5164

2013

January 27 ‐ 30 

National Conference on Weights and Measures

(NCWM) Interim Meeting

Francis Marion Hotel

Charleston, SC

Contact: info@ncwm.net

January 28 ‐ February 1 (5 days)

Fundamentals of Metrology

Class No. 5206

February 4 ‐ 7 (4 days)

Advanced Mass Seminar

Class No. 5204

February 11 ‐ 14 (4 days)

Advanced Mass Hands‐On Seminar

Class No. 5205

March 4 ‐ 15 (2 weeks)

Mass Metrology Seminar

Class No. 5207

April 8 ‐ 11

SEMAP*

Class No. 5209

Tifton, GA

April 15 ‐ 19 (5 days)

Fundamentals of Metrology

Course No. 5208

May 6 ‐ 9

WRAP*

Class No. 5216

Helena, MT

May 13 ‐ 24 (2 weeks)

Mass Metrology Seminar

Class No. 5217

*Invitation Only

**Limited to State Laboratory Program Participants

W&M Connection 5 Volume 3 Issue 3

Employee Highlights

Elizabeth Gentry 

Receives the Prestigious

Arthur S. Flemming

Award for Outstanding 

Federal Employees

Byline: Kenneth Butcher

On June 4, 2012, at an Awards Ceremony held on the campus of George

Washington University in Washington D.C., Elizabeth Gentry of the Office

of Weights and Measures received the 2011 Arthur S. Flemming Award for

her exceptional leadership as Metric Program Coordinator. The award was

created in 1948, and twelve Flemming awards are given each year. Elizabeth

leads the nation’s efforts to implement the use of the International System

of Units (SI) in trade and commerce through voluntary conversion. She ad‐

vises federal agencies and businesses as they address SI related issues and

works to ensure that the laws of other countries allow U.S. products into

foreign markets. She also works with states to eliminate barriers to the use

of SI units on packaged goods and in commercial transactions. Ms. Gentry

has developed SI teaching tools and publications and has conducted edu‐

cational outreach to school teachers and students across the country. One

tool she created for teaching SI, that is exceptionally popular with teachers,

is the “Metric Estimation Game” in which participants earn points by guess‐

ing the mass or dimensions of everyday objects. 

Established by the Downtown Jaycees, the Flemming Awards honor out‐

standing federal employees. Arthur S. Flemming was a noted public servant

and educator with over seven decades of public service including duty as

the Secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare under

President Eisenhower and later as Chairman of the Civil Rights Commission

HAVE A HAPPY 

AND

SAFE SUMMER
W&M Connection 6 Volume 3 Issue 3

under Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan. Altogether Mr. Flemming served the government under eleven pres‐

idencies beginning with Franklin D. Roosevelt and ending with William J. Clinton. The award is sponsored by George Wash‐

ington University and the Flemming Awards Commission. Recognized by the President of the United States, agency heads,

and the private sector, the winners are selected from all areas of the federal service. More than 500 individuals have re‐

ceived the award to date. Nominees include any career federal employee with at least three, but no more than fifteen,

years of government service. Past recipients include Neil Armstrong, Elizabeth Dole, the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moyni‐

han, past NIST Directors Lewis Branscomb and Ernest Ambler, and Robert M. Gates who served as Secretary of the De‐

partment of Defense and Director of the CIA, and our own Georgia Harris. 

2012 NCWM 

ANNUAL MEETING

JULY 14 ‐ 19 2012

PORTLAND, MAINE

Registration Information is available at: URL: http://www.ncwm.net/content/2012‐ncwm‐annual‐meeting

World Metrology Day 

Byline: Linda Crown, Editor

May 20, 2012, marked the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of the Meter. This treaty was signed on May 20, 1875.

The United States and 16 other countries signed this treaty to recognize the importance of having uniformity in measure‐

ment and creating an atmosphere that would foster a global framework for the advancement of measurement science.

World Metrology Day is celebrated each year to recognize this historic event. This day is celebrated in conjunction with

the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the

International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), and other National Metrology Institutes.

This year the theme was “Metrology for Safety.” NIST acknowledged this noteworthy date with a special program that

touched on the many areas where measurement plays an important role in ensuring that products meet rigid standards.

Weights and measures inspectors are well aware of the impact measurement standards and procedures have on checking

the accuracy of meters, scales, and other equipment, and the important role it has in consumer protection. 

NIST participates in areas of measurement well beyond the scope of the work performed in the Office of Weights and Meas‐

ures. NIST creates standard reference materials, improves measurement tools, and develops performance metrics and ad‐

vances metrology and safety for use in many fields. NIST’s work encompasses the health care fields in the calibration of

medical machines (MRIs, PETs, CATs, and X‐rays) to protect patients from harmful exposure. Ways are being developed to

measure the impact of the environment on human health. Measuring the safety of building materials, roads and bridges,

radio communications, radar, computer security, explosive and chemical detection, and body armor are just a few other

areas that are being worked on. Being able to test and measure the impact of the success or failure of products provides

you with the idea of the importance measurement plays in science and safety.

Take a few minutes to reflect on the impact measurement has on your daily life. How many gallons of fuel did you get at

the pump? And, was that really a pound of cherries? Happy measuring . . . ! 

(Based on an article in the NIST Tech Beat, May 17, 2012, “Improving Safety Measures and Measures of Safety for World

Metrology Day 2012,” URL:  http://www.nist.gov/pml/improving‐safety‐measures‐and‐measures‐of‐safety‐for‐world‐

metrology‐day‐2012.cfm)