A new,accurate single-sinker densitometer for temperatures from 233 to 523 K at pressures up to 30 MPa

A new apparatus for density measurements of fluids in the entire range from gas to liquid densities is presented. The instrument is a single-sinker buoyancy densitometer designed in a completely new way. The buoyancy force exerted by the sample fluid on an immersed sinker (buoy) is transferred by a new type of magnetic suspension coupling to an analytical balance. In order to reduce drastically the linearity error of the (commercial) balance. a special basic load compensation is applied which also avoids any buoyancy ellèct of the laboratory air on the balance. The new single-sinker densitometer covers a density range from 10 to 200(1 kg - m ' at temperatures from 233 to 523 K and pressures up to 30 MPa. A special compact version of such a single-sinker densitometer can even he used at temperatures from 80 to 523 K at pressures up to 100 MPa. Test measurements on densities of carbon dioxide at 233, 360, and 523 K at pressures up to 30 MPa show that the estimated total uncertainty of ±0.02% to ±0.03% in density is clearly met.Invited paper presented at the Twellth Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, June 19–24, 1994, Boulder, Colorado. U.S.A.Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.