valved flowmeters

Jet-X Engineering, a club for Glasgow University students who are jet engine enthusiasts, is designing scaled-down models of jet engines using 3D printing. As part of the Club's process for making these engines, the students designed a pneumatic control unit (PCU) using a Cole-Parmer flowmeter. The PCU has 32 components housed in a 3D-printed, custom-designed casing. The main section of the casing was printed at once, making it Jet-X Engineering's longest single print at 58 hours and 30 minutes. The PCU is designed to handle a range of compressed air sources and regulate them to the desired flow rate and pressure before being injected into the jet engine's propulsion chamber via the onboard pneumatic assembly. In normal operation, the PCU can supply up to 24.5 gallons (100 liters) of air per minute, monitored and adjusted using the Masterflex® valved acrylic flowmeter. Machined from solid acrylic blocks, this meter with a valve provides flow control through a highly durable meter body. It has integral metering tubes that provide precise readings even in aggressive plant environments. The meters’ inlet/outlet ports and mounting studs are extended for easy panel installation. It is ideal for process plant applications, on air sampling equipment, gas analyzers and chemical feed systems for water treatment. The club's first jet engine, X-plorer 1, was a successful project. Now the students are working on their second jet engine called X-plorer 2. They hope to be able to take their ideas and someday turn them into a full-scale jet engine. To learn more about Jet-X Engineering, visit www.jet-x.org Photo Credit: Jet-X Engineering