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by Jeff Lucius
This web page is designed to help predict air and fuel flow or the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 and Dodge Stealth TT turbocharged cars when these cars are operated at wide-open throttle (WOT). Dataloggers for our cars, at least for 1991-1993 OBDI models, cannot report volume air flow because of a "too few bits reported" response from the ECU after a query. So another method must be used to determine air flow, and from that to determine fuel requirements for our engine. For background information on some of the theory and formulas used on this page, please see my Pressurization Primer. My Pressurization Primer has a dyno chart that can be used to estimate "natural capacity" volumetric efficiency for our engines (explained below). Unit conversion calculators can be found at Unit Convertors. As you use a calculator, note that some input and result values will be assigned in the empty input fields in the calculators that follow it. You will have to reset these "lower" calculators before changing values in the "upper" calculators if you want the values to carry through. Text boxes with a white background can be changed at any time. Text boxes with a yellow background (maybe still white in Netscape, Opera, and other browsers) are read-only. Please remember that by using your browser to "View Source" and saving the HTML file to your local disk drive, you can have this page available offline. NOTE: These calculators may not work correctly in Netscape, Opera, or another browser besides MS Internet Explorer. For those of you with IE 7 (or beyond), you may get a warning about my web site using ActiveX controls. It does not. I do use JavaScript for my calculators. If you want the functionality of the calculators, allow "ActiveX" controls (see instructions by clicking on the IE bar above my web page, if it is there).
Air Density
Air density can be calculated using the following equation or the JavaScript calculator below. D = D0 x (T0/T) x (P/P0), where T0 = 545.69R (86F) or 303.15K (30C), P0 = 14.7 psi (= 1 atm = 760 mm Hg = 29.92 in. Hg = 1.033 kg/cm2 = 1.013 bar = 33.9 ft H2O), and D0 = 1.1649 g/L = 32.986 g/CF = 0.072751 lb/CF. T, P, T0, and P0 must be in absolute temperature and pressure. Values for T0, P0, and D0 were taken from tables in the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. For F add 459.69 to get Rankine and for C add 273.15 to get Kelvin. Just use Fahrenheit or Celsius below. For the Air Density calculator, use the underhood air temperature and the absolute atmospheric pressure. The underhood air temperature for our cars when driving is usually 5F to 20F above ambient temperatures. Atmospheric pressure decreases at the rate of about 1 in. Hg or 0.49 psi for every 1000 feet (304.8 m) increase in elevation. Where I live at (5500' elevation), "standard" air pressure is about 12 psi (24.42 in. Hg), not the 14.7 psi (29.92 in. Hg) found at sea level.
Temperature F C
Displacement
cubic inches
liters
CFM
LPM
Mass air flow (MAF) is calculated using the volume air flow as determined and explained above, and a value for density calculated from the temperature and pressure near the air filter. Once the mass air flow is known, the engine electronic control unit (ECU) can calculate the amount of fuel to add to achieve a pre-determined air/fuel mixing ratio. The same data entry restrictions used above apply to the MAF calculator with the additional restriction that air density is in grams per cubic foot (g/CF) and must be greater than 0. For air density, use the value from the air density calculator for uncompressed, outside air. For normally-aspirated engines use a DR equal to 1.
Displacement
cubic inches
Mass Air Flow RPM Volumetric Efficiency Density Mass Air Flow
Natural capacity, % Density ratio
liters
g/CF
g/min
lb/hr
Fuel Flow
Air/Fuel Ratio Limits Of course, once we know MAF we can calculate fuel flow using a specific air/fuel mixing ratio (A/F). MAF must not be negative, and A/F can range from 6 to 22. Using an average density of gasoline of 6 pounds per gallon, then lb/hr (mass) fuel flow times 10.5 is equivalent to (volume) fuel flow in cc/min.
6.0:1 Rich run limit 9.0:1 Low power, black smoke 11.5:1 Rich best torque at WOT 12.5:1 Safe best power at WOT 13.2:1 Lean best torque at WOT 14.7:1 Chemically ideal 15.5:1 Lean light load, part throttle 16.2:1 Best economy, part throttle 18-22:1 Lean run limit
Optional input: You can predict engine power (HP) output by assuming a certain brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC). BSFC must be a value between 0 and 1. High-performance race engines can have BSFC values (they vary a little across the RPM range) below 0.4. The average street engine has BSFC values near 0.5. Turbocharged vehicles' BSFCs are often near 0.6. I think values from 0.55 to 0.60 are representative for our stock to mildly modifed Mitsubishi 6G72 turbocharged engines. Our highly modified engines may have a BSFC as low as 0.45.
Fuel Flow
A/F
Fuel Flow
BSFC Power
g/min
lb/hr
lb/hr
cc/min
HP
12.0
0.50
The JavaScript calculator below will calculate total fuel flow based on the injector size (static fuel flow rating), fuel line pressure, number of cylinders, and the injector duty cycle (IDC). The industry recommends a continuous, maximum IDC of no more than 80% (that is, injectors opened 80% of the time avaliable to them). 90% is probably OK for brief intervals. Injectors may actually flow less fuel above 95% IDC than predicted as they may just cycle between partly opened and partly closed. You should leave the injector rated pressure (@ psi) at 43 unless you know that the injector was tested at another pressure. When the base fuel line pressure is different than the rated injector pressure, then the injectors will flow differently than rated according the following formula. FN = F0 x SQRT(PN/P0), where FN equals the new flow rate when the differential fuel line pressure is PN and the injector has a rated flow rate of F0 at a rated pressure of P0. The differential fuel line pressure (psi) is the difference between the actual line pressure and the boost pressure in the manifold. Our cars are designed to maintain a 43 psi differential pressure. Optional input: If you assign a value for BSFC then engine power (HP) will be estimated. If an A/F value from 6 to 22 is entered then mass air flow (lb/hr) is calculated. In addition, if you also assign values for the underhood air temperature and the ambient air pressure, then volume air flow (CFM) is calculated.
Fuel Injector Sizing Injector Rated Flow Fuel line Cylinders IDC Total Fuel Flow BSFC Power cc/min lb/hr @ psi psi cc/min lb/hr HP %
43 43 6 90 0.55
Temperature F C
A/F
12.5