A joint venture between a British University and two Commercial Research and Development Companies intends to develop accurate simulation models to better predict the behavior of fuel systems to enhance the future design of valves, pumps and control systems in an effort to find the best fuel economy and the lowest emissions in aircraft engines. The project is focusing on rapid transience and instability within the lines themselves. The researchers need to measure high-frequency flow fluctuations, which cannot be done with traditional methods. Their approach is to use pressure sensors at various points along a pipeline and then analyze the measurements on a computer using wave theory. By breaking down the pressure measurements into the waves traveling in the pipeline, the flow and pressure can be measured to indicate dynamic flow rates over very short timescales and at high frequencies.http://www.theengineer.co.uk/Articles/Article.aspx?liArticleID=311580www.theengineer.co.uk
