• Journal of ILASS-Korea
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.49-57
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• 2000

This study presents the flow visualization results, velocity and turbulence intensity measurements made within an air filter cover and entry region of a mass air flow sensor (MAFS) which is used in an induction system of 3.8L engine. Flow structure in two air filter cover assemblies were examined. The first was a clear plastic replica of the production cover while the second was a modified clear plastic cover with a geometry configured to reduce fluctuations. High speed flow visualization and laser doppler velocimetry (LDV) systems were used to reveal and analyze the flow field characteristics encountered in the sensor design process under steady flow conditions. A 40-watt copper vapor laser was used as a light source. Its beam is focused down to a sheet of light approximately 1.5mm thick. The light scattered off the particles was recorded by a 16mm high speed rotating prism camera at 5000 frames per second. A comparison of the flow patterns and LDV measurements in the original and modified air filter covers is presented to illustrate the controlling effect of the cover design on the turbulence structure formation near the bypass and on the sensor output signal. In both axial and radial planes of the main passage it was found that the turbulence flow pattern is remarkably influenced by the air filter cover and main passage configuration.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05b
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• pp.2482-2487
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• 2007

Numerical simulations are conducted for the analysis of a thermal mass air flow sensor with periodic heating pulses on silicon-nitride ($Si_3N_4$) thin membrane structure. This study aims to find the locations of temperature sensors on the thin membrane and the heating pulse conditions, that the higher sensitivity can be achieved, for the development of a MEMS fabricated mass air flow sensor which is driven in periodic heating pulse. The simulations, thus, focus on the membrane temperature profile according to variation of the flow velocity, heating duration time and imposed power. The flow velocity of the simulations is ranging from 3 m/s to 35 m/s, heating duration time from 1 ms to 3 ms and imposed power from 50 mW to 90 mW. The corresponding Reynolds numbers vary from 1000 to 10000.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.102-111
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• 2001

To describe the air flow characteristics within an air cleaner cover and mass air flow sensor (MAFS) entry region installed in a 3.0L engine air induction system, flow visualization, velocity and turbulence intensity measurements were taken in several view planes. A detailed knowledge of the interaction between the design parameters and the flow structures will enhance our understanding of the motions within the flow field and enable engineers to optimize the induction system and reduce the signal-to-noise ratio in the MAFS output. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of coherent motions and the controlling parameters which affect the air flow in the MAFS entrance region over a flow rate of 13-240 kg/hr. The high speed motion pictures illustrated that the air flow generated within the air cleaner cover under steady state condition is quite complex. In both axial and radial planes of the main passage it was found that the flow pattern is remarkably influenced by the air cleaner cover and main passage configuration. A comparison of the flow patterns and measurements in the original and modified air cleaner cover is presented. Measurements from the MAFS indicated an significant reduction in pressure drop and signal noise for the modified cover as compared with the original cover, over an air flow rate of 13-240 kg/hr.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.542-548
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• 2008

A thermal mass air flow sensor (MAFS), which consists of a micro-heater and thermo-resistive sensors on the silicon-nitride ($Si_3N_4$) thin membrane structure, is micro-fabricated by MEMS processes. Two thermo-resistive temperature sensors are located at $100{\mu}m$ upstream and downstream from the micro-heater respectively. The thermal characteristics are measured to find the best measurement indicator. The micro-heater is operated under constant power condition, and four flow indicators are investigated. The normalized temperature indicator shows good physical meaning and is easy to use in practice. It is found that the configurations and heating power of thermal-resistive elements are the dominant factors to determine the range of the flow measurement in the MAFS with higher sensitivity and accuracy.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.573-579
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• 2009

A thermal mass air flow sensor, which consists of a micro-heater and thermal sensors on the silicon-nitride thin membrane structure, is micro-fabricated by MEMS processes. Three thermo-resistive sensors, one for the measurement of microheater temperature, the others for the measurement of membrane temperature upstream and downstream of the micro-heater respectively, are used. The micro-heater is operated under the constant temperature difference mode via a real time controller, based on inlet air temperature. Two design models for microfabricated flow sensor are compared with experimental results and confirmed their applicabilities and limitations. The thermal characteristics are measured to find the best flow indicator. It is found that two normalized temperature indicators can be adopted with some advantages in practice. The flow sensor with this control mode can be adopted for wide capability of high speed and sensitivity in the very low and medium velocity ranges.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.1783-1788
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• 2004

In the present paper, a micro flow sensor, which can be used at bio-delivery systems and micro heat pumps, is developed. For this, the micro flow sensor is integrated on a quartz wafer ($SiO_2$) and is manufactured by simple and convenient microfabrication processes. The micro flow sensor aims for measuring mass flow rates in the low range of about $0{\sim}20$ SCCM. The micro flow sensor is composed of temperature sensors, a heater, and a flow microchannel. The temperature sensors and the heater are manufactured by the sputtering processes in this study. In the microfabrication processes, stainless steel masks with different patterns are used to deposit alumel and chromel for temperature sensors and nichrome for the heater on the quartz wafer. The microchannel is made of Polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS) easily. A deposited quartz wafer is bonded to the PDMS microchannel by using the air plasma. Finally, we confirmed the good operation of the present micro flow sensor by measuring flow rate.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.876-883
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• 2007

Numerical simulations are conducted for the design of a micro thermal mass air flow sensor (MAFS), which consists of a microfabricated heater and thermopiles on the silicon-nitride ($Si_3N_4$) thin membrane structure. It is important to find the proper locations of these thermal elements in the design of MAFS with improved sensitivity. Three heating modes of the micro-heater are considered: constant temperature, constant power and heating pulses. The analyses are focused on the membrane temperature profile near the sensing section. Considered are the practical flow velocities, ranging from 3 m/s to 35 m/s, and the corresponding Reynolds numbers from 1000 to 10000. The results show that one of optimum sensing locations is about $100{\mu}m$ away from the microheater. It is concluded that the heating mode and configurations of thermal elements are the main factors for the MAFS with higher sensitivity.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.394-399
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• 1999

An automobile hot-film air flow sensor is deposited with platinum by sputtering method, patterned by photoresisted lift-off method, annealed in $1,000^{\circ}C$ and passivated with PI-2723. The TCR of the fabricated hot-film is about $3500\;ppm/^{\circ}C$. In the experiment, the output voltage of the sensor is in proportional to the fourth power root in the air mass flow range of 300 kg/h. The error in the full flow range is about ${\pm}0.7%$. In the range of air temperature of $-20^{\circ}C{\sim}120^{\circ}C$, the error is about ${\pm}1%$ that is ${\pm}2%$ lower than that of the reference sensor. Therefore, the fabricated hot-film air flow sensor satisfies the specification for automobile. Lower temperature error of the sensor provides to control the precise air/fuel ratio of automobile engine and results in improvement of a fuel mileage and the less amount of toxic gases emitted by automobile.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.363-367
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• 2011

This paper proposes a highly-sensitive gas flow sensor with a simple structure. The sensor is composed of a micro-heater for heating the gas medium and a pair of temperature sensors for detecting temperature differences due to gas flow in a sealed chamber on one axis. Operation of the gas flow sensor depends on the transfer of heat through the air medium. The proposed gas flow sensor has the capability to measure gas flow rates <5 $cm^3$/min with a resolution of approximately 0.01 $cm^3$/min. Furthermore, this paper reports some additional experiment results, including the sensitivity of the proposed gas flow sensor as a function of operating current and the flow of different types of gas(oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen). The fabrication process of the proposed sensor is very simple, making it a good candidate for mass production.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1994.07b
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• pp.1339-1341
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• 1994

In this paper, the flow velocity/mass sensor which is based on the principle of CCT(Constant Chip Temperature) and its digital operating circuit and system have been developed and tested. The experimental result for flow velocity shows that the sensitivity is $644.01{\mu}W^2/[m/sec]$ for air, and there is nearly no hysteresis for full measured range of velocity. Response tine is between 1 second and 8 seconds for low and large velocity variation, respectively.