Del Johnson wrote:

I have some questions about the cooling system and would like to float my
design by the group before proceeding.

Attached is a drawing that depicts the proposed system.  The red lines
indicate the pressure side of the cooling system (outflow from the pump) and
the green lines reflect the low pressure side ( return flow).

I would like to use the Mazda thermostat, to control the re-circulation of
coolant in the water pump during cold operating conditions.  The high
pressure output line to the radiator will be through a welded on tap that is
located below the thermostat so there should not be any restriction in the
flow to the radiator.  The primary reason for using the thermostat is that I
would like to use an exhaust augmentation system which precludes using a
cowl flap to regulating the exiting cooling air.

I'm tight on vertical space in the cowling.  Placing the radiator cap
immediately above the thermostat might require a small bump in the cowling.
I therefore included a separate small reservoir that has the pressure cap so
that it can be located elsewhere under the cowling.  This unit also contains
one or more bleed line taps that will purge the system of steam vapors
should the system overheat.   I included in the design a low pressure check
valve that will prevent the high pressure coolant from backflowing to the
low pressure side.  Any buildup in steam pressure will open the valve.

What is the minimum size (volume) of the overflow bottle?
How many lbs of pressure should the overflow bottle hold?
If you are using standard car overflow bottles which make / model car
overflow bottle are you using?

Any comments or suggestions on the design that I presented?

That looks like it will work Del but you will be giving away some
MPG and speed by using a thermostat instead of a cowl flap to control
engine temperature. A cowl flap will reduce the cooling drag 
when max cooling is not required during cruise.

The pressure in the system is about 25 psi when a 25 psi pressure cap
is used. I recommend a 25 psi pressure cap as it increase the all important 
boiling temp. If the coolant boils that is a catastrophic engine failure IMHO.

Something around a gallon seems right for a pressure bottle.

Here is the system I recommend. Note the pressure cap controls the pressure
on the pump inlet side. There will be pressure drops throughout
the rest of the cooling system.

The Corvette has a nice metal pressure bottle. I had Ed Klepies weld
one up for me so I could use highly reliable AN hose. More rotary
powered airplanes have crashed by using low automotive quality plumbing 
than for any other reason.

Paul Lamar
 
The Rotary Engine NewsLetter.  Powered by Linux.
ACRE NL web site. http://home.earthlink.net/~rotaryeng/            
Copyright 1998-2004 All world wide rights reserved.