Practical limitations of ITS-90 from the mercury triple point to the silver freeze point

The NPL published a forward to the ITS-90 text as follows:- 'The purpose of the ITS is to define procedures by which certain specified practical thermometers of the required quality can be calibrated in such a way that the values of temperature obtained from them can be precise and reproducible, while at the same time closely approximating the corresponding thermodynamic values.' [1]. The paper investigates the properties of thirty four lots of 6N pure metal used to make cells conforming to ITS-90 from mercury through silver over a period of twenty years. Three hundred individual cells are analysed by the impurities listed and supplied with each lot, melt and freeze curve slopes are also summarised for each lot and depressions calculated. These are then compared to the slopes and depressions suggested in the Supplementary Information for the ITS-90 and in CCT/2000-13 'Optimal Realizations'. Results are summarised, tabulated and discussed. Three lots of the thirty four were found to produce cells outside 6N expectations; however the remaining thirty one lots no matter how well or badly the accompanying certification was presented produced cells that conformed to 6N expectations as suggested in Supplementary Information to ITS-90 and CCT/2000-13.