What do mass flow systems measure?

What do mass flow systems measure?

• A. The mass of the flow
• B. The velocity of the flow
• C. The fuel temperature
• D. The volume of fuel per hour

Answer: (A)

Mass flow systems measure the amount of mass passing a point per unit time—the mass flow rate. This is the quantity used for fuel metering because it stays consistent even when density changes with temperature or pressure. The other properties listed are velocity (how fast the fluid moves), temperature (a property of the fluid), and volume flow rate (volume per hour), which is affected by density and not what the system reports. So describing what the system measures as the mass of the flow captures the correct concept.

Mass flow systems measure the amount of mass passing a point per unit time—the mass flow rate. This is the quantity used for fuel metering because it stays consistent even when density changes with temperature or pressure. The other properties listed are velocity (how fast the fluid moves), temperature (a property of the fluid), and volume flow rate (volume per hour), which is affected by density and not what the system reports. So describing what the system measures as the mass of the flow captures the correct concept.