PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION OF ALUMINIUM (U) TYPE VIBRATION BASED ELECTROMECHANICAL CORIOLIS MASS FLOW SENSOR USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY

In this study, the application of response surface methodology (RSM) for modelling and optimization of the influence of some design variables on the performance of a Coriolis mass flow sensor is discussed. Three design variables, namely sensor location, drive frequency, and mass flow rate were changed during the experimental tests based on Central composite design (CCD). The range of values of the variables used in the design were a sensor location of 60-120 mm, drive frequency of 62-64 Hz and mass flow rate of 0.1-0.3 kg/s. A total of 20 tests were conducted using the experimental setup developed at laboratory. In order to optimize the performance of mass flow sensor, mathematical model equations were derived by computer simulation programming using design-Expert software (DX6). These equations that are second-order response functions representing phase shift were expressed as functions of three design parameters. Predicted values were found to be in good agreement with experimental values ( R 2  values of 0.97 for phase shift). In order to gain a better understanding of the three variables for optimal performance, the models were presented as 3D response surface graphs. This study has shown that the RSM and CCD could efficiently be applied for modeling the performance of Coriolis mass flow sensor and it is an economical way of obtaining the maximum amount of information in a short period of time and with the fewest number of experiments. http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.17.3.501