What Is an Air Flow Measurement?
Air flow measurement is very important in measuring the amount of ventilation in a building. Since a typical building is airtight, there is very little air exchange in the building as it is.
Therefore, ventilation is provided by ventilation fans and ducts, but the amount of ventilation is regulated by the volume of the room and the number of people in the room. Air flow measurement is used to ensure that the ventilation maintains its designed capacity and that the human environment in the room is adequate.
Air flow measurement is similar to anemometers, but they measure velocity, from which the area of ducts, etc., must be calculated to determine airflow.
Uses of Air Flow Measurement
Air flow measurement is used to measure whether the airflow is being adequately controlled. The most common use is to verify that the building ventilation is being used as required.
The ventilation rate of a building is strictly determined by its intended use. Air flow measurement is used to measure the ventilation rate.
Airflow meters are also used to measure the airflow rate of dryers used to dry food and other products. Some foods cannot be dried at high temperatures.
Some foods cannot be dried at high temperatures, in which case they are dried by pouring a large amount of cold air with a low dew point. Air flow measurement is used to measure the airflow rate, which is as important as the dew point.
Principle of Air Flow Measurement
Air flow measurement, unlike anemometers, must measure all the airflow coming out of a duct or pipe. Air flow measurement can measure any part of the duct or piping, so they can measure the number of revolutions of a propeller or the pressure drop across a pitot tube, but they cannot measure the amount of wind.
Air flow measurement can be mounted directly on ducts and pipes by attaching a large cone or hood. Therefore, there are products with many types of cones and hoods, which can be used in many locations.
In addition, high-end models can measure not only at the outlet but also at the intake.
There is little room for error by the measurer, but care should be taken to avoid air leakage.
Air flow measurement, however, need to be mounted directly on ducts, and their size tends to be large, making them somewhat difficult to use.
Air flow measurement is easy to use and provide results at a glance, making them very useful for measuring ventilation rates.