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Introduction
Congratulations! You’ve chosen the DryCal 800, featuring Proven DryCal®Technology from Mesa Labs. The DryCal
800 has ve interchangeable cells that oer ±0.25% to ± 0.15% of reading standardized accuracy within a portable
primary standard that’s ideal for both volumetric and standardized ow applications where a high degree of measure-
ment accuracy is required. Before you get started, we recommend taking a few moments to review this manual and
familiarize yourself with the DryCal 800. If at any time you have questions regarding its operation, please contact
Mesa through our web site (www.drycal.com), or call us at 973.492.8400 to speak with one of our knowledgeable
customer support representatives.
Register Your Product
Before we begin, please register your product with Mesa Labs. To complete your registration, log on to our website at
http://drycal.mesalabs.com/product-registration/ and complete the registration form. Registration of your new Proven
DryCal product ensures your instruments warranty claim information is properly documented in Mesa’s database, and
provides you the peace of mind that your new calibration equipment is covered under our warranty service plan.
Mesa recommends annual service and calibration of your Proven DryCal primary gas ow standard as a periodic quality
assurance measure, as well as to provide you and your organization with a defensible audit trail of premier quality.
About Your DryCal 800
The DryCal 800 is a positive displacement primary piston prover for gas ow measurements in either pressure or
vacuum applications. Using Proven DryCal Technology, it combines the accuracy of a primary standard with
unequaled speed and convenience. Volumetric or standardized ow readings are obtained with the push of a button.
The DryCal 800 can be set to take ow readings manually, one reading at a time, or automatically in the continuous
auto-read mode. The DryCal 800 can be programmed for up to 100 readings in an averaging sequence.
Operation
The versatile DryCal 800 can be used to measure the gas ow rates at atmospheric pressure ± 7mmHg. Its Proven
DryCal Technology features a near-frictionless piston and ow cell design that provides highly-accurate, liquid-free
ow measurements of unequaled speed and convenience. For more information about our patented Proven DryCal
Technology, please visit our website at drycal.mesalabs.com. The DryCal 800 consists of two primary components:
The base and the ow cell. There are ve interchangeable ow cell models, each with a designated ow range. The
ow cell plugs into the base unit in order to create a complete, functional DryCal 800 system. The base component
houses the main computer and timing circuitry. The ow cell is easily tted into the base unit’s interface connector
and two guide pins.
The ow cell performs the actual ow measurements. For this purpose, it houses a “piston and glass assembly”
comprised of a borosilicate glass tube housing a precision-machined graphite piston. The ow cell also contains an
integrated temperature sensor and barometric pressure transducer in the gas ow stream for instant conversion
of the volumetric readings into standardized ow.
DryCal Pro software captures ow data from your DryCal instrument to a PC. You can also utilize Mesa’s DryCal Pro
software package available for download from http://drycal.mesalabs.com/drycal-pro-software/.
The DryCal Pro software allows you to:
• View and plot the ow data in real-time.
• Export your data to a Windows environment.
• Enter ow data from a ow meter and compare the ow measurements from your DryCal®precision calibrator.
• Upload the latest version of the rmware to your DryCal®.