How to Convert Mass Air Flow to Volumetric Air Flow

The mass air flow rate refers to the rate at which a mass of air travels through a cross-sectional surface. Similarly, the volumetric air flow represents the rate at which a volume of air passes through a cross-sectional surface. Mainly used in scientific and engineering experiments involving air dynamics, the mass air flow is commonly converted to volumetric air flow to find how many air particles can be sealed in an enclosed area.

Things You'll Need

• Calculator

Instructions

1. Calculate the mass air flow with the equation m = dsA, where the "m" represents the mass flow rate, the "d" represents the density of a given fluid, "s" represents the velocity of the given fluid and "A" represents the surface area.

2. Convert the density equation to a volumetric air flow equation. The density of a given material is represented in the formula: d = m/v, where "d" represents the density in kilograms per meter cubed (kg/m^3), "m" represents the mass flow rate in kilograms (kg) and "v" represents volumetric air flow in meters cubed (m^3). In order to solve for the volumetric air flow, convert the equation to solve for "v." Divide both sides of the equation by 1/m to get the equation: v = m/d.

3. Plug in your values for the volumetric air flow equation v = m/d. Use the mass air flow you found in Step 1 and the density to solve for "v," the volumetric air flow.

References

• NASA: Mass Flow Rate