Local engineering firm utilizes Michigan Aerospace wind tunnel to test pollution sensors
Livonia based engineering consulting firm Airflow Sciences utilized the University of Michigan’s 5’x7’ Wind Tunnel to test sensors used to monitor pollution from industrial exhaust stacks
Aerospace alumnus, Robert Mudry (BSAE ’89 MSAE ’94), is president of Airflow Sciences Corporation, an engineering consulting firm based in Livonia, MI. Nearly half (10) of the 25-person company is operated by University of Michigan engineering alumni. In 2019, they were contracted by the EPA to calibrate probes used to measure exhaust in industrial smoke stacks. The EPA sets strict guidelines for probe testing, including a requirement that the probe occupy less than 2% of the tunnel area. ASC’s own wind tunnel was too small to test the largest PM10 probe, so last summer a team from Airflow Sciences visited the University of Michigan to test the PM10 probe in the University’s 5’x7’ wind tunnel.
Michigan Aerospace Technicians Tom Griffin and Chris Chartier assisted the Airflow Sciences team, which included a student intern from Michigan Aerospace and another from Michigan Mechanical Engineering. The test campaign utilized several important features of the University wind tunnel, most importantly the probes and sensors already built into the tunnel. The Airflow Science team could also test the probe at high flow speeds, since the University tunnel is capable of reaching flow of 250 ft/s (170 mph).
