SR Chevy Cowl/Cooling design and cabin heat
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2012 9:50 am
I heartily agree with the frequent comments about keeping the subject line
appropriate for list submissions so I have changed it with this response,
but I still want to thank the folks that responded with Rebel firewall
dimensions.
I found some photos of the Rotax V6 installation on the MAM website. It
appears as if the inlet is indeed a giant NACA scoop and the radiator
appears to be mounted horizontally clear back against the firewall and seems
to be the only outlet. It doesn't look ducted. It looks as if the air just
comes in the NACA scoop and wants to get out and the only way out is through
the radiator. I wonder about general air circulation around the rest of the
engine compartment in this configuration. Of course, the pictures aren't
very revealing and there could be a lot you can't see in the pictures.
Interestingly, the ROTAX site shows the radiator way up front. I have read
that positioning close to the prop isn't the best idea due to the turbulent
air flow and impulses from each prop blade as they pass by. MAM's radiator
position is better but with the NACA scoop directly behind the prop I wonder
if there is still a problem with turbulent air and prop pulses. It wouldn't
look as clean but theoretically it would be better to keep the radiator
where it is, or even farther back, but lower it, placed in it's own scoop
with the inlet farther away from the prop. However, the bottom line is,
does MAM's design work? If it does, I'd like to go that route for the
simplicity and clean look.
I also had another idea. If I mounted the radiator in it's own scoop behind
the firewall on the bottom of the fuselage could I then somehow direct hot
air into the cabin from there or tap off the cooling lines to a separate
heat exchager in the cabin for cabin heat and avoid the already crowded
firewall area to get heat into the cabin? If I could redirect the air from
the scoop outlet into the cabin I could do away with a separate heat
exchanger. But the design would have to be such that I didn't interfere
with the airflow through the radiator.
I was thinking about general air circulation around the rest of the engine
because I was not planning on ducting air to the carburetor. I was going to
just take air in from the engine compartment just like my 1968 Mustang
California Special/GT. I was trying to figure out why I have never
encountered carburetor ice in the many old carbureted cars I have owned,
driving in perfect conditions for carb ice, yet I have encountered carb ice
in airplanes. One thing I came up with is that airplanes duct air from
outside the engine compartment to the carb and old cars do not. (Many new
cars do, but they generally are either throttle body or multi-port
injected.) I was hoping that by taking air in from inside the engine
compartment, combined with the top mounted carb (heat rises) I would not
have to add a carb heat provision. I would be giving up the temperature and
RAM induced air density increase a ducted system would give me but I have
surplus horsepower and I continue to follow the KISS (keep it simple stupid)
philosophy.
Mike Kimball
SR044
-----Original Message-----
From: mike.davis@dcsol.com [mailto:mike.davis@dcsol.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2004 8:36 PM
To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Subject: Re: Rebel firewall dimensions
Mike, you should give MAM a call and ask what they used on the "Rotax" V6
plane... that seems like it should be similar to what you're trying to do
with the V8.
Mike
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Kimball" <mkimball@gci.net>
To: "Rebel List" <rebel-builders@dcsol.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2004 2:57 PM
Subject: Rebel firewall dimensions
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appropriate for list submissions so I have changed it with this response,
but I still want to thank the folks that responded with Rebel firewall
dimensions.
I found some photos of the Rotax V6 installation on the MAM website. It
appears as if the inlet is indeed a giant NACA scoop and the radiator
appears to be mounted horizontally clear back against the firewall and seems
to be the only outlet. It doesn't look ducted. It looks as if the air just
comes in the NACA scoop and wants to get out and the only way out is through
the radiator. I wonder about general air circulation around the rest of the
engine compartment in this configuration. Of course, the pictures aren't
very revealing and there could be a lot you can't see in the pictures.
Interestingly, the ROTAX site shows the radiator way up front. I have read
that positioning close to the prop isn't the best idea due to the turbulent
air flow and impulses from each prop blade as they pass by. MAM's radiator
position is better but with the NACA scoop directly behind the prop I wonder
if there is still a problem with turbulent air and prop pulses. It wouldn't
look as clean but theoretically it would be better to keep the radiator
where it is, or even farther back, but lower it, placed in it's own scoop
with the inlet farther away from the prop. However, the bottom line is,
does MAM's design work? If it does, I'd like to go that route for the
simplicity and clean look.
I also had another idea. If I mounted the radiator in it's own scoop behind
the firewall on the bottom of the fuselage could I then somehow direct hot
air into the cabin from there or tap off the cooling lines to a separate
heat exchager in the cabin for cabin heat and avoid the already crowded
firewall area to get heat into the cabin? If I could redirect the air from
the scoop outlet into the cabin I could do away with a separate heat
exchanger. But the design would have to be such that I didn't interfere
with the airflow through the radiator.
I was thinking about general air circulation around the rest of the engine
because I was not planning on ducting air to the carburetor. I was going to
just take air in from the engine compartment just like my 1968 Mustang
California Special/GT. I was trying to figure out why I have never
encountered carburetor ice in the many old carbureted cars I have owned,
driving in perfect conditions for carb ice, yet I have encountered carb ice
in airplanes. One thing I came up with is that airplanes duct air from
outside the engine compartment to the carb and old cars do not. (Many new
cars do, but they generally are either throttle body or multi-port
injected.) I was hoping that by taking air in from inside the engine
compartment, combined with the top mounted carb (heat rises) I would not
have to add a carb heat provision. I would be giving up the temperature and
RAM induced air density increase a ducted system would give me but I have
surplus horsepower and I continue to follow the KISS (keep it simple stupid)
philosophy.
Mike Kimball
SR044
-----Original Message-----
From: mike.davis@dcsol.com [mailto:mike.davis@dcsol.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2004 8:36 PM
To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Subject: Re: Rebel firewall dimensions
Mike, you should give MAM a call and ask what they used on the "Rotax" V6
plane... that seems like it should be similar to what you're trying to do
with the V8.
Mike
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Kimball" <mkimball@gci.net>
To: "Rebel List" <rebel-builders@dcsol.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2004 2:57 PM
Subject: Rebel firewall dimensions
Can someone tell me what the dimensions are for a Rebel firewall? I'm
trying
to see if the Aircraft Spruce MC-3B nosebowl will work for my Super Rebel.
If the Super Rebel firewall is not much bigger than a Rebel I think it
will
work without looking too funny with a sharp angle from the firewall to the
nosebowl. My Chevy is only about 24" across at the widest and the MC-3B
is
35 inches across. Plus, the PSRU is much smaller in width up where the
nosebowl sits.
Mike
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