Is there a way to figure out how much pressure drop a IC will have before you install it? I ask becasue I have to volvo ic's that are only 1 1/2" thick and I am thinking about getting custom end tanks and sticking them togeather, giveing me a total of 3" of thickness, but i worry what the drop would be to do it that way.

Chris

 

I forgot most of my physics and don't have any books in the lab laying around. I remember PV=nRT.
It probably is not pertinent in your analysis.

You want to make the transition between the inlet of the endtank to the split heat exchanger cores (Volvo ICs) since you can lose a lot of efficiency of it's not a smooth transition or "inlet" to the volvo ICs.

Try to have the endtank built such that the inlet/outlet of the medium (air) is routed to the middle of the endtank. It should have a smooth curve into the endtank. The endtank should also have a nice smooth transition to the cores (imagine the inlet on the top of a rhombus shape and the cores are at the bottom of the rhombus).

Having the air going to the side of the endtank will not be efficient for spreading the air across the core(s).


J

 

Pressure drop depends on flow, so it isn't one number. You can sometimes get graphs for different cores, or a flow rating at which the pressure drop reaches a standard level (like 1.5 psi or something like that). But you aren't likely to find that information for your new core.

I used to think that size was a failrly reliable indicator of flow capability, but I no longer think that, or at least it isn't a very precise predictor. Finding flow numbers for a few cores with similar internal flow areas might be useful as a predictor, but it won't tell you for sure what the core you have is capable of flowing. I would do this research, but with the understanding that even if I find one with the same area that it isn't going to flow exactly the same as the one I have.

Perhaps some good-old backyard process could help you make the determination. Get a leaf blower, hook it up to the IC, and measure the pressure. The absolute number won't tell you much, but:

A: If you have a known good IC that gives 3 psi with the leaf blower
B: And the one you are considering shows less pressure
C: then the new one flows better than the old one
D: and since the old one flowed enough, so also must the new one

You might have to clean the IC after the leaf blower testing. Try not to blow dirty air through there.

-Max

 

what about a design like this, using a peice to force the air into the two seprate cores. This is not to scale and crudely made, it just to give an idea of what i'm thinking about.

 

The picture of the splitter (red shape) is similar to my suggestion. You may want to make it a bit sharper (by making it a bit longer) and have the ramp be a lot linear as opposed to exponential (like a skateboard ramp).
It looks decent.

I like the endtank. It's very good for air distribution and flow into the core.

Details.... smooth out the corners where the splitter (red shape) meets the endtanks if possible. It's probably a small affect if any.

If the core is too wide, you can also have the intake of the endtank along the z axis in the "front" picture of the endtank.

After you finalize your endtank design, you'll need to think about the routing (pipes) and interconnects (silicon). A lot of people can miss the importance of the routing which is equally important as the core/endtank design itself. Terrible routing (sharp and multiple bends) and interconnects (incorrect fitting of two pipes in a silicon joint). Minimize the gapping between two pipes in the silicon. Try not to put stress on the silicon joints. You can also add bracing to the piping so the stress is taken away from the joint.

J

 

AJatx your the one that gave me the idea