Flow Meter Calibration for HPLC Pumping Systems

Calibrate a Flow Meter for HPLC Pumping Systems

Calibrating digital liquid flow meters that test high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) pumping systems is performed prior to units being put into service. In accordance with GLP and to comply with other regulations, flow meter calibration – recalibration – should be performed annually. Digital HPLC flow meter recalibration is an exacting procedure requiring experts using high-precision measuring instruments.  We describe it in this post after a brief explanation on

What Flow Meters Meter

As the name implies, flow meters measure the rate of flow of a product, usually through a pipeline or processing line. Gasoline pump flow meters at your local filling station are another common example.  Standards may apply to periodic certification by calibrating flow meters to confirm that you are getting the fuel you pay for.  Heating oil, natural or propane gas are also delivered via flow meters that vendors use to calculate your bill.

HPLC Flow Meter

As another example, … Read the rest

How to Connect Your HPLC Flow Meter to a PC

Accurate HPLC flow rate records not only indicate GMP but are crucial when the FDA comes to call. Digital liquid flow meters such as the FlowCal 5000 support FDA compliance for IQ, QQ and PQ validations in calibrating HPLC pump flow rates.  Connecting these meters to a PC with an RS-232 interface transfers flow meter readings into Excel via the Windows HyperTerminal program.  It is a three-step process whereby data are collected and displayed using HyperTerminl.exe, copied on a clipboard and pasted into Excel for analysis.

Before starting on this project be sure the flow meter is off, otherwise you risk damage to the RS-232 and/or the PC or printer.  Then follow these steps:… Read the rest