Most of us are familiar with wind tunnels and their use in the aviation and automotive industries, where controlled airflow is used to evaluate aerodynamic performance. At Air Monitor Corporation, we apply the same fundamental concept of controlled airflow to a different challenge: determining how accurately airflow measurement devices perform under actual flow conditions.

Rather than an aerodynamic wind tunnel, Air Monitor operates a purpose-built airflow test duct designed specifically for the development, testing, and calibration of airflow measurement equipment. It allows our engineers to create controlled airflow conditions, install flow elements much as they would be installed in the field, and compare their performance against reference measurements.

For customers in industrial processing, power generation, and commercial HVAC, airflow and gas-flow measurements can be critical to combustion control, process air, drying and heating systems, emissions-related processes, equipment performance, and overall process efficiency. Accurate and dependable airflow measurement systems support optimization, plant operation, safety, and system performance. Confidence in these measurements begins with knowing how the measurement device actually performs in the airstream.

A Controlled Environment for Airflow Measurement

At Air Monitor, our airflow test duct provides a controlled environment specifically designed to evaluate the performance of airflow measurement devices under representative duct conditions. Rather than relying on an unknown airstream, we can establish controlled airflow rates and compare the response of the device being tested against known reference measurements.

Our airflow testing facility is powered by a 36,000-CFM double-width, double-inlet centrifugal fan and utilizes four ASME flow nozzles as reference measurement devices. This capability allows us to test airflow measurement products across a range of velocities and operating conditions while evaluating how accurately they respond to the actual airflow within the duct.

The distinction between an airflow test duct and a traditional wind tunnel is important. Wind tunnels are commonly associated with evaluating the aerodynamic behavior of aircraft, vehicles, and other objects placed in an airstream. Our focus is different: we use a controlled airstream to evaluate how accurately the measurement device measures the airflow itself.

This in-house capability supports product development, performance verification, calibration, and application testing, providing an important connection between the products we manufacture and how they are expected to perform in real-world airflow applications.

Connecting Measurement Technology With Calibration

Our airflow measurement approach combines multi-point averaging Pitot technology with high-accuracy electronic differential pressure measurement to provide complete airflow measurement solutions. Our product portfolio includes airflow probes and measuring stations, differential pressure and airflow transmitters, pressure sensors, and purge systems designed for a wide range of applications.

In industrial environments, these applications can include combustion air and burner management, process air, drying and heating systems, furnace and kiln airflow, exhaust and flue gas measurement, dust collection systems, cooling and ventilation air, and other process-critical air and gas flows. These measurements may be used to support process control, combustion efficiency, energy management, equipment performance, and safe and reliable plant operation.

Our airflow test duct provides the controlled moving-air environment needed to evaluate and characterize the performance of our airflow measurement devices. Using the facility’s reference measurement system, we can compare the output of the device under test with known airflow conditions and evaluate its response and measurement performance.

Because this testing capability is located within our manufacturing facility, product development, manufacturing, testing, and calibration are closely connected. For our customers, that means they are receiving more than a fabricated probe or assembled measurement station. They are receiving airflow measurement equipment backed by the testing, calibration, and quality processes needed to support confidence in its performance.

Why the Lab Matters to Customers

The value of our airflow testing and calibration capabilities extends beyond the equipment inside the lab. For our customers, these capabilities provide greater confidence in how we develop, evaluate, and support airflow measurement solutions for demanding real-world applications.

Our solutions serve a broad range of operating environments:

• Industrial processes: Airflow and gas-flow measurements are used throughout industrial facilities for combustion air, process air, furnaces and kilns, drying and heating systems, exhaust and flue gas, dust collection, cooling air, and plant ventilation. These applications can involve large ducts, limited straight runs, elevated temperatures, particulate-laden airstreams, and other conditions that make reliable airflow measurement challenging.
• Power generation: Our airflow measurement solutions support applications including combustion and secondary air, flue gas, turbine inlet airflow, and other plant air and gas-flow measurements where accurate information can contribute to combustion efficiency, equipment performance, and process control.
• Commercial HVAC: Airflow measurement supports outdoor air monitoring, supply and return airflow control, building pressurization, and laboratory and hood exhaust applications, helping building systems maintain intended ventilation and operating performance.

Although these applications and operating conditions can be very different, they share a common requirement: accurate and reliable airflow measurement information. Our airflow test duct, calibration capabilities, and quality processes help us evaluate and support the performance of the installed airflow measurement systems.

Pairing Laboratory Work With Application Expertise

Laboratory testing and calibration are important parts of airflow measurement, but they are only part of the equation. Achieving dependable measurement performance also requires understanding the process, the measurement location, the operating conditions, and how the equipment will be installed and applied.

At Air Monitor, we combine our in-house airflow testing and manufacturing capabilities with experienced applications engineering in both standard and custom-engineered airflow measurement solutions. Our approach begins with understanding the application and defining the critical measurement requirements. From there, we can help determine the appropriate measurement technology and configuration, design and manufacture the equipment, and provide field startup and technical support when required.

This application expertise becomes especially important in industrial environments, where large duct sizes, limited straight runs, flow disturbances, elevated temperatures, particulate loading, variable operating conditions, and challenging installation locations can influence measurement performance. Understanding these conditions early allows us to consider the complete measurement application rather than simply selecting an instrument from a catalog.

Our airflow test duct and calibration capabilities help us understand and verify measurement performance under controlled conditions. Our applications engineering team helps translate that knowledge into solutions designed for the conditions customers face in the field.

More Than an Airflow Measurement Device

The most demanding airflow measurement applications are rarely solved by selecting a product from a catalog. Duct configuration, flow profile, operating temperature, particulate loading, available straight run, process conditions, and measurement objectives can all influence the appropriate solution and its performance.

That is why our approach extends beyond the measurement device itself. We combine application expertise and engineered solutions with in-house manufacturing, airflow testing, calibration, and quality verification. Our airflow test duct allows us to evaluate measurement performance in a controlled airstream, while our applications engineering team helps translate that knowledge into practical solutions for the conditions customers encounter in the field.

From understanding the application to engineering, manufacturing, testing, and supporting the final solution, our goal is to provide measurement equipment backed by the knowledge and capabilities needed to perform where it matters: in the customer’s process.

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Air Monitor has been delivering engineered airflow measurement solutions since 1967. As the premier solutions provider for Commercial HVAC, Industrial Process, and Power Generation markets, Air Monitor offers both differential pressure and thermal dispersion measurement technologies — because the right technology for the right application is never one-size-fits-all. Learn more at airmonitor.com.