subject: Engines Carry The Correct Amount Of Fuel By Using Mass Air Flow Meters [print this page] A combustible engine works by providing just the right amount of fuel into a chamber where it is then ignited. That energy is what powers your car, your lawn mower, or whatever else moves you. How does the engine know how much fuel to insert into the piston chamber, or turbines, and such? The engine knows how much to deliver because it has a mass air flow meter in place. A mass air flow meter measures the amount of air in the chamber.
Air expands and contracts at various temperatures, so the mass air flow meter will gauge how much air is in the chamber, and at what temperature, and will thus deliver just the right amount of fuel to do the job. Mass air flow meters are extremely precise and they're very necessary. The problem comes when the mass air flow meters malfunction, which can happen from time to time.
Malfunctioning Flow Meters
Older combustible engines run the risk of having their air flow meters wear away. When this happens, the air flow is no longer calculated accurately. What you're left with is either too much fuel, or too little, entering the chamber. If too much fuel enters the chamber, the fuel may not ignite. Fuel is mainly ignited by the fumes.
Fuel is still a liquid, which won't burn as efficiently as a mist, which is how the mass air flow meters calculate the amount of fuel to enter the chambers. Too little fuel and the same effect can happen; there will be a little sputter and nothing will happen. Mass air flow meters should last quite a while but if you have problems with your fuel injection system, you may want to look at the mass air flow meter as that may be the culprit.
On a Much Bigger Scale
Mass air flow meters are fine for using such miniscule amounts of fuel and gas, such as in your car or lawn mower. When it comes to large power plants, such as nuclear power plants, or any facility that uses high amounts of volatile gases, instead of using a mass air flow meter, the plant or facility will use a thermal mass flow meter. Thermal mass flow meters specialize in very high temperatures which only occur with certain gases and fuels and at really high amounts.
When you're working with fuel, gas, or any other combustible substance, it's important to know exactly how much you're using, and you want to make sure the measurements are very accurate. That makes a mass air flow meter, or a thermal mass flow meter, extremely useful when working with such substances.
