The Minamata Convention on Mercury has created a near-term need to develop alternative fixed points to replace the mercury triple point (Hg TP) for calibration of standard platinum resistance thermometers (SPRTs) on the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90). The sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) TP is a good candidate to provide adequate “drop-in compatible” replacements for the lowest costs. We report our first results of SF6 TP realizations performed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) using a new series of transportable and refillable triple-point cells. The melting curves are presented at various melted fractions F and compared to evaluate the reproducibility and overall uncertainty for the realizations. We obtained a TP temperature of 223.55587(33) K at F = 50 % and 223.55607(35) K at F = 100 % as a weighted average of realizations using two adiabatic-type cells and two immersion-type cells. (Unless otherwise stated, uncertainties are standard uncertainties corresponding to a 68 % confidence level.) Temperatures were derived using a combination of five different SPRTs as calibrated at NIST on the ITS-90. The data were evaluated over a region of the melting plateau for melted fraction F between 30 % ≤ F ≤ 80 % with a 0.2 mK wide melting range. The results from the immersion-type cells were used to derive an experimental value for the SF6 TP static head correction of −11.6(1.7) mK/m. This value implies an initial slope of the pressure-temperature (p-T) equilibrium melting line of 1.55 MPa/K, whichis in agreement with the value predicted via the Clapeyron equation. The uncertainties of these initial SF6 TP realizations are limitedby uncertainty in the realization of the ITS-90 (0.25 mK) and, to a lesser extent, static pressure head effects and chemical impurities.

Under the auspices of the Inter-American Metrology System (SIM), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) initiated a regional comparison for type K thermocouples from (100 to 1,100) • C with 11 participating countries. The use of type K material above approximately 200 • C is considered destructive. Therefore, each participating laboratory was sent new, unused wire from a lot of material characterized by NIST. The uniformity of the lot was remarkable, especially at temperatures above 500 • C; the standard deviation of the thermocouple emf values of multiple cuts tested at NIST was 2.7 µV or less over the full temperature range. The high uniformity eliminated any need to correct for variations of the transfer standard among the laboratories, greatly simplifying the analysis. The level of agreement among the laboratories' results was quite good. Even though test procedures and equipment varied significantly among the participants, the standard deviation of all emf values at each test temperature was less than the equivalent of 0.20 • C at 200 • C and below, and less than 0.60 • C from (400 to 1,100) • C. Of the 380 total bilateral combinations of the

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Type K thermocouples are one of the most commonly used temperature sensors in industry. The skills, personnel, and facilities necessary for calibrating type K thermocouples are also applicable to the calibration of other base metal thermocouples, and, to a lesser extent, calibration of platinum–rhodium alloy thermocouples. Under the auspices of the Inter-american Metrology System (SIM), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) initiated a regional comparison for type K thermocouples from 100 °C to 1100 °C, with 11 participating countries. The use of type K material above approximately 200 °C is considered destructive. Therefore, each participating laboratory was sent new, unused wire from a lot of material characterized by NIST. The uniformity of the lot was remarkable, especially at temperatures above 500 °C; the standard deviation of the thermocouple emf values of multiple cuts tested at NIST was 2.7 µV or less over the full temperature range. The high uniformity eliminated any need to correct for variations of the transfer standard among the laboratories, greatly simplifying the analysis. The level of agreement among the laboratories' results was quite good. Of the 380 total bilateral combinations of the data at the eight test temperatures, only 13 (i.e., 3.4% of all combinations) are outside the k = 2 limits, and of these 13, only 3 are outside k = 3 limits. All of the outliers occur at temperatures of 800 °C and below, which suggests that drift of the type K wire due to high-temperature oxidation did not cause changes in thermocouple emf comparable to or larger than the claimed uncertainties.Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/.The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the SIM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA).

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