Assessment of the air flowrate measurement in altitude engine tests by the national measurement standards system

• Published in: Journal of mechanical science and technology Vol. 33; no. 11; pp. 5271 - 5276
• Main Authors: Lee, Kyung Jae, Kim, Chun Taek, Kim, Yong Gyoo, Lee, Bo Hwa, Choi, Yong Moon, Lee, Saeng Hee, Kang, Woong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Seoul Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers 01.11.2019; Springer Nature B.V; 대한기계학회
• Subjects: Aerospace engines; Altitude; Boundary layers; Control; Dynamical Systems; Engine inlets; Engine tests; Engineering; Flow measurement; Gas flow; Gas turbine engines; Industrial and Production Engineering; Inlet flow; Mach number; Mathematical analysis; Measuring instruments; Mechanical Engineering; Performance measurement; Sonic nozzles; Static pressure; Vibration; 기계공학; Area-weighted average duct Mach number; Air flowrate; National measurement standards system; Altitude engine test
• ISSN: 1738-494X; 1976-3824
• DOI: 10.1007/s12206-019-1018-2

The air flowrate in the engine inlet is an important parameter used to calculate common performance metrics such as the thrust and specific fuel consumption of a gas turbine engine. In the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) altitude engine test facility, air flowrates are calculated by measuring the static pressure, total pressure and temperature in an engine inlet duct. In the present study, in order to verify the air flowrate measurements at the engine inlet duct of the KARI altitude engine test facility, inlet flow measurement devices which are a total pressure rake, total temperature rake, and boundary layer rake were tested in the national measurement standards system for high pressure gas flow of the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS). Sonic nozzles, calibrated for flows rate up to 10000 m 3 /h and pressure range up to 50 bar (with an uncertainty = 0.18 %), were used as reference meters. We compared the air flowrates obtained by the area-weighted average duct Mach number in the inlet flow measurement devices of the KARI engine inlet duct to the reference flowrates of sonic nozzles at KRISS up to a Mach number of 0.15.