Eco-celli Mercury-free Barometer for Schools

Liquid barometers definitely have a place in our schools as a teaching device allowing  students to actually see the affects of atmospheric pressure on the liquid in the barometer.  An electronic  digital barometer cannot provide this visual reinforcement as all the students see are numbers changing, much like a digital clock.  The problem with liquid barometers is that they are made using mercury, which has been proven to be an extremely hazardous material, especially to children.  

In August, 1998 DD Barometers of Belgium patented the first non-mercury liquid barometer having the same accuracy as a mercury barometer in measuring sea level corrected atmospheric pressure.   They named their barometer the Eco-celli after Evangelista Torricelli, the inventor of the barometer.  The Eco-celli contains no mercury.  The 64 inch long U-shaped glass tube is filled with a red fluid and gas.    Because of the length of the barometer tube, the barometers scale is four times larger than a standard mercury scale making it much easier for a student to read.  The physics involved is Boyle's Law - air pressure presses down on the red fluid which compresses the gas in the reservoir end of the barometer tube.

The precision thermometer is filled with blue colored methyl alcohol.  An increase or decrease in temperature can cause the fluid in the barometer to expand and affect the pressure reading.  This is corrected by setting the movable scale, which is attached to both the  barometer and thermometer, to the top of the blue fluid in the thermometer. 

The Eco-celli barometer costs 1/3 to 1/2 less than a comparable mercury barometer.  Given the low cost and non-mercury operation, replacing mercury barometers in the classroom now is a sensible option.  Each mercury barometer contains approximately one pounds of mercury and most middle, high schools and colleges in the nation have at least one, if not many more.  By replacing these barometers, we could remove tons and tons of mercury from ever becoming an environmental hazard.

 The new  E038.501 acrylic model pictured above is the model we recommend for school use.  Click on the links below for more details.

Model E038.501 Acrylic    

Also see the matching mercury-free, acrylic Psychrometer for measuring humidity.

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Last modified: April 02, 2007