Vacuum pump oil barometer

Using vacuum pump oil as the working fluid in a barometer has led to the creation of the new
"World's Tallest Barometer" in February 2013. The barometer at Portland State University (PSU)
uses doubly distilled vacuum pump oil and has a nominal height of about 12.4 m for the oil column
height; expected excursions are in the range of ±0.4 m over the course of a year. Vacuum pump oil
has very low vapour pressure and it is available in a range of densities; the lowest density vacuum
oil was chosen for the PSU barometer to maximize the oil column height. [20]

Aneroid barometers

Aneroid barometer

An aneroid barometer is an instrument used for measuring air pressure as a method that does not
involve liquid. Invented in 1844 by French scientist Lucien Vidi,[21] the aneroid barometer uses a
small, flexible metal box called an aneroid cell (capsule), which is made from
an alloy of beryllium and copper. The evacuated capsule (or usually several capsules, stacked to
add up their movements) is prevented from collapsing by a strong spring. Small changes in external
air pressure cause the cell to expand or contract. This expansion and contraction drives mechanical
levers such that the tiny movements of the capsule are amplified and displayed on the face of the
aneroid barometer. Many models include a manually set needle which is used to mark the current
measurement so a change can be seen. This type of barometer is common in homes and
in recreational boats. It is also used in meteorology, mostly in barographs and as a pressure
instrument in radiosondes.
Barographs
Main article: Barograph
A barograph is a recording aneroid barometer where the changes in atmospheric pressure are
recorded on a paper chart.
The principle of the barograph is same as that of the aneroid barometer. Whereas the barometer
displays the pressure on a dial, the barograph uses the small movements of the box to transmit by a
system of levers to a recording arm that has at its extreme end either a scribe or a pen. A scribe
records on smoked foil while a pen records on paper using ink, held in a nib. The recording material
is mounted on a cylindrical drum which is rotated slowly by a clock. Commonly, the drum makes one
revolution per day, per week, or per month and the rotation rate can often be selected by the user.