Luxfer Non-SGS Aluminum Gas Cylinders

Procurement Summary

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST), Material Measurement Laboratory (MML), Gas Sensing Metrology Group (GSMG) of the Chemical Science Division is committed to supporting the NIST gas Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) and NIST-Traceable Reference Materials (NTRMs) programs. To support the SRM and NTRM programs, GSMG maintains groups of Primary gas Standard Materials (PSMs). Many gas PSMs are currently depleted, and GSMG is in urgent need of producing replacement PSMs. GSMG requires the purchase of new, highly stable, non-reactive aluminum gas cylinders for the production of new PSMs for both non-reactive and reactive gas mixtures. The production of PSMs requires the use of stable, long lifespan gas cylinders that exceed the specifications found in industry. These gas cylinders are required to hold gas mixtures stable for several years without any change in the composition of the gas. Gas mixtures range from non-reactive to reactive and at concentrations that range from low to high. Sources of deviation from long-term stability include impurities and moisture trapped in the cylinder walls during production, reactions with the gas cylinder walls, reactions with the gas cylinder valve, and the presence of any leaks. Particularly for the low concentrations that NIST sometimes uses, even small levels of reactivity will affect the stability of the gas mixture after years of containment. With proper maintenance typical cylinders provide mechanical stability lasts for about 10 years, but this does not imply that typical cylinders maintain chemical stability of the gas mixture for 10 years. MML’s GSMG requires a cylinder that provides chemical stability of gas mixtures for a minimum of 10 years, as verified by NIST-internal stability measurements.

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