"Mass flow" is the movement of a mass of material; often it is expressed numerically in pounds. "Volumetric flow" is the movement of a volume of material; often it is expressed numerically in cubic feet.
Normally when calculating flows, materials that are gases or liquids are considered. The density of a gas or liquid is what relates the mass flow to the volumetric flow. Density is the mass (or weight) of material contained in a given volume; often it is expressed numerically in pounds per cubic foot.
Instructions
-
-
1
Look up the density of your material of interest in pounds per cubic foot. Links to material densities are in the Resources section.
-
2
Choose a mass flow for your material, in pounds, that you want to convert to a volumetric flow.
-
-
3
Divide the mass flow by the density. The result is the volumetric flow, expressed as cubic feet of material. An example is: 100 pounds (mass flow) / 10 pounds per cubic foot (density) = 10 cubic feet (volumetric flow).