- Product Summary
- System Specifications
- Comparison
- Software
- Facility Requirements
- Photos & Schematics
- Options
Product Summary
Description
An Automobile Manufacturer required a test stand to measure the airflow leakage through a vehicle cabin in order to improve quality and reduce warranty expenses on wind, road and powertrain noise issues.
System Requirements
Provide Pressure, Suction or Mass Flow Control within the Vehicle Under Test
Measure Air Mass Flow Over a Wide Range (See Specifications for Ranges)
User-Friendly Test System Controller
Highly Reproducible Results
Optional System Check Orifices
Data Output Corrected to Nominal Day Conditions
Custom Quick-Disconnect Fittings for Air Flow Hose, Filter and Check Orifices
Software for Data Logging, Corrections and Storages
HVAC, Fog and Air Heater Options
Solution
FLOW SYSTEMS designed and manufactured an Air Flow Metering System that employs a set of Bi-Directional Orifice
Plates. The Test Stand controls the pressure inside the vehicle as it undergoes leakage testing, and the pressure inside the vehicle body may be positive or negative with respect to the local barometric reading. The BLTS-4th Gen is designed to deliver a wide range of flow of air at an accuracy of +/- 0.8% of reading or better, with the maximum static pressure at the vehicle being +/-1000 Pa (+/- 4.0 inches H2O @ 4°C).
The Test Stand will allow the operator to easily change the flow direction. Indicators on the Operator Interface Panel display when the system is in either Pressure or Suction Mode.
The Test Stand includes System Check Orifices that allow for system verification. The test stand controller software includes the ability to set the flow at various rates and allow the operator to observe the percent difference between the check orifice and the test stand orfice meter reading.
System Specifications
Specification | Value(s) |
---|---|
UncertaintyEstimated to be better than 0.8% of reading with traceability to NIST standards. | |
RepeatabilityEstimated to be better than +/-0.5% as defined as 2 standard deviations divided by the mean of 20 identical samples |
|
Cycle Time30 to 60 seconds depending on percent of maximum capacity | |
UnitsSLPS, Pa, °C (SCFM, In H2O@4°C, °F.) |
UnitsSLPS, Pa, °C (SCFM, In H2O@4°C, °F.)
Connection Hardware From Test Stand To Vehicle |
|
---|---|
Pressure Line¼” OD poly tube 9 m long (30ft) | |
Hose Size9 m long (30ft). See table above for diameters |
Built with Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Components
All Flow Systems air flow test system designs, the test system controller, data acquisition and control subsystems, and all instrumentation are standard and readily available Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) items. This ensures that service or replacement of any item can be achieved in a timely manner, providing for high availability of our products. When applicable, this includes all of the Unit Under Test related instrumentation specified by the customer.
Comparison
Model | Flow Range | Pressure Range | Hose Sizes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BIP | 1.5 to | 75 slps | (3.2 to 159 scfm) | 125 to | 250 Pa | (0.5 to 1 “H2O@4C) | 4” (100 mm) |
G3 | 2.7 to | 185 slps | (5.7 to 392 scfm) | 125 to | 250 Pa | (0.5 to 1 “H2O@4C) | 6” (150 mm) |
HVAC | 0.5 to | 284 slps | (0.1 to 600 scfm) | + / – | 250 Pa | ( + / – 1 “H2O@4C) | 8” (200 mm) |
VOW | 15 to | 800 slps | (32 to 1695 scfm) | 125 to | 250 Pa | (0.5 to 1 “H2O@4C) suction | 8” (200 mm) |
125 to | 1000 Pa | (0.5 to 4 “H2O@4C) pressure |
Traceable to NIST
All Flow Systems air test stands utilize sonic nozzles which have been calibrated and are traceable to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Built with Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Components
All Flow Systems air flow test system designs, the test system controller, data acquisition and control subsystems, and all instrumentation are standard and readily available Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) items. This ensures that service or replacement of any item can be achieved in a timely manner, providing for high availability of our products. When applicable, this includes all of the Unit Under Test related instrumentation specified by the customer.
Managed by LabVIEW™ Based Controller Software
Sophisticated Windows™-based controller software was developed by Flow Systems for test automation and data management using National Instruments™ LabVIEW™. Controller software can be customized to fit customer needs including integration with external database systems.
Software


The system controller software controls and records air flow to the vehicle cabin, then records the data to the specified data storage location.
Controller software is written using National Instruments LabVIEW™.
Functions
Improved Vehicle Pressure Set-Point Adjustment
Button for Data Logging
Indication of Flow and Vehicle Pressure Stability
Correction of Flow Test Data Based on Ambient Conditions, Test Pressure, Flow Mode and Nominal Day Conditions
Data Record Organization with Comments
Check Orifice Data Analysis
Data Storage
On-The-Fly Change Between SI and English Units
Test Configuration
Test Scripting
Database for Test Results
Data Record Organization with Comments
Custom Database Mining Utilities
Custom Report Functionalities
Additional Software Screenshots
Production Screen: Graph View
Facility Requirements
VOW, HVAC, G3:
The facility requirements below are to be supplied by the customer at the installation site.
Electrical Power:
480 VAC/60Hz/3ph, 30 Amp
BIP:
120VAC/60Hz/1ph, 23 Amp
Photos & Schematics
Model | A = Length (bench) |
B = Length (w/ elbow) |
C = Depth | D = Height (w/ check orifice plenum) |
E = Height (w/ check orifice plenum) |
Ship Weight |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BIP | 52in / 1321mm | 62in / 1575mm | 46in / 1168mm | 59.6in / 1513mm | 75in / 1905mm | 1,500lb / 680kg |
G3 | 64in / 1626mm | 78in / 1979mm | 57.8in /1468mm | 50.3in / 1278mm | 67.9in / 1725mm | 2,000lb / 900kg) |
VOW/HVAC | 84in / 2134mm | 108.8in / 2762mm | 66in / 1676mm | 54.3in / 1380mm | 80in / 2031mm | 3,000lb / 1,360kg |



Options
The following is a list of options available for this test stand:
Fog Machine ( Inject Oderless, Non-Staining Fog into Vehicle)
On-Site Installation, Training, Commissioning, and Upgrades
Auto Orifice Changer – Automatically Switches Test Stand Orifice Plates as Flow Demand Requires
Air Heater (+10°C at 50 SLPS) for use with Thermal Camera
Hardware & Software to Conduct HVAC Tests
Plug & Play Instrument Calibration Panel
Remote Estop Monitor, Keyboard and Mouse