Air flow component testing
How To determine the actual flow inside components
The sperimental determination of the actual flow through components such as turbine engine blades, vanes and nozzles, shrouds, manifolds and combustors is a crucial test before their use.
In fact, a reduced cooling air flow through a gas turbine first-stage nozzle can lead to a overheating of the component, causing its damage and failure.
An uneven fuel flow distribution through a set of combustors, installed on a circular combustion chamber of a gas turbine, can cause high temperature spots in the hot part of the machine, which can be detected by a high exhaust temperature spacial spread.
Sint Technology makes available its 25-years experience in measurements to provide all Customers with accurate air flow component testing.
Our air flow test rig can be used to determine the exact air flow through the component and the effective area according to Customer’s technical specification to set upstream pressure.
Why we suggest air flow measurement?
The air flow measurement is based on a calibrated differential pressure device, which is equipped with calibrated pressure transmitters and temperature sensors, traceable to ACCREDIA (Italian accreditation body, recognized in the ILAC-MRA mutual arrangement) certified standards.
The air mass flow calculation is based on the standards ISO 5167 – 2003 “Measurement of fluid flow by means of pressure differential devices inserted in circular cross-section conduits running full” and ASME MFC-14M-2003 “Measurement of fluid flow using small bore precision orifice meters”.
SINT Technology method for measurements and advantages
The advantage of Sint Technology’s air flow test rig is the robust and proven method for measurements and calculations.
Moreover, instrumentation and the data acquisition system are constantly checked and calibrated, in order to ensure high accuracy measurements. Instruments are installed in couples to provide the redundancy of the measurement and improve the accuracy.
Other fluid dynamic parameters in the pipe, such as Reynolds number, dynamic pressure and air viscosity are calculated for test data completeness.
Technical specifications
| Working fluid | Dry air |
| Max working pressure | 10 barg |
| Flow rates range | From 5.0 g/s to 100.0 g/s |
| Stabilization time before reading | 1.0 min |
| Test duration at selected operative point for each component | From 15 to 45 s |
| Flow measurement uncertainty | 0.8 % max |
| N.1 calibrated measurement orifice φ = 14 mm (2” line) | According to ISO 5167 code |
| N.1 calibrated measurement orifice φ = 25 mm (2” line) | According to ISO 5167 code |
| Upstream relative pressure transmitters uncertainty | 0.2 % max |
| Differential pressure transmitters uncertainty (range< 80 mbard) | 0.6 % max |
| Resistance thermometers measurement error | 0.2 °C max |