Vaisala technology supports state-of-the-art laboratory conditions

MIKES, the Finnish Centre for Metrology and Accreditation, moved four years ago into its new facilities where the quality of the laboratories meets the highest international standards.
MIKES ensures that the measurements, tests and inspections carried out in Finland are reliable and internationally comparable. The stability of ambient conditions such as temperature and humidity is of the utmost importance for precision measurements. In the new facilities, the key was to achieve these conditions both in small instrument cabinets and in entire laboratories. The measurement spots are sheltered from external interference, as well as from disturbances created in other laboratories. Special attention was also paid to vibration control, electromagnetic shielding and electricity.

Focus on air conditioning

Building maintenance technology, mainly the air conditioning equipment, takes about 30 percent of the total area of the MIKES facilities. This is required for creating the optimal conditions for the 36 laboratories that are divided into 20 sections, each with its own dedicated air conditioning system. This is needed to ensure that the operations in one laboratory will not affect the operations of other laboratories in different sections.

The desired temperature and humidity conditions are generated in the technical space, where the fresh air is first cooled down and the humidity stabilized. This cool, moist air is then distributed to section-specific ventilation systems as replacement air. The performance of these machines is controlled with Vaisala humidity and temperature transmitters.

“We have reached remarkable measurement accuracy and resolution. To make sure this process runs 24 hours a day with absolute accuracy, we have constructed an independent humidity and temperature monitoring system from Vaisala humidity and temperature probes in the most critical locations for verification, logging and alarm. These measurements need to be in line with the building automation system,” says Tapio Mansten, Senior Research Scientist, Electricity, Time and Frequency at MIKES.

About MIKES

MIKES is the Centre for Metrology and Accreditation in Finland. It works to ensure that the measurements, tests and inspections carried out in Finland are reliable and internationally comparable, and acts as the Finnish accreditation service (FINAS) for laboratories, inspection and certification bodies, and for the Eco Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) verifiers.
MIKES also maintains and develops the national measurement standards system through research, and provides high-class calibrations and expert services in metrology. MIKES uses Vaisala HUMICAP® technology in its state-of the-art facilities.