Low Frost-Point Humidity Generator

A low frost-point humidity generator has been developed at NBS to provide a capability for calibration, testing and research at very low levels of water vapor content in such gases as atmospheric air, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The generator produces frost points from -30 to -100 °C at ambient pressures from 500 to 200,000 pascals (0.005 to 2 atm.). This is equivalent to mixing ratios of 4 × 10^-6 to 51 grams of water vapor per kilogram of dry air and to vapor pressures of 1.4 × 10 ^-3 to 38 pascals. The generated test gas can be fed to a test chamber with independent temperature control between +25 and -100 °C. The uncertainty of the frost point in the test chamber is estimated not to exceed 0.05 deg C. Intercomparisons with a frost-point hygrometer as well as two gravimetric checks gave results which in all cases agreed to within 0.2 deg C in frost-point temperature.