----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2005 11:39
AM
Subject: Message with possible fraud
attempt: [FlyRotary] Re: Coolant Leak
On 6/26/05, Al
Gietzen <ALVentures@cox.net>
wrote:
Al, all I can tell you is
that the pressure would go immediately (within 2 seconds) to
21-24 psi. Then as the engine warmed up the pressure would drop to a
nominal 8 psi or so
It makes sense to me Ed. Heat the coolant just
a little, and it needs to expand just a little. In order for any of
the coolant to flow out past the cap (even just a little coolant), it must
reach the pressure rating of the cap.
How much can the
coolant heat up in 2 seconds after start? Just about zero. The
only thing that is heated a little in that time is the rotor housing walls.
Maybe that reduces coolant volume. In any case, if you have any
radiator hose in the system, it will expand enough to keep the pressure from
increasing that much. There is some weird science in here somewhere.
Al
Do you mean "just about zero", or absolutely zero?
Just about zero would imply something slightly larger than
zero. Which means that the coolant expands something just a little
more than zero. If you truly have no air in the system, an
expansion of just about zero still has to open the pressure cap, which
requires opening pressure. If you sealed water in a steel box with no
air, heating the water a fraction of a degree would raise the pressure
hundreds of psi. Just a few degrees will deform the steel box. Its
not weird science, its just weird freaks of nature. Not
even a weird freak of nature, everything in the engine is related, in terms of
stress and pressure transfer, under Hooke's and Pascal's Laws. The eensiest
bit of expansion of the coolant must displace it's container walls in
proportion to the pressure.
If you mean absolutely zero heating of the coolant a few seconds after
starting I will take exception. That flame is well over 2000 deg F and
the rotor housing water jacket is not very thick. Easy to
calculate if we know the BTU quantity per time and the heat tranfer
coefficients (heat conductivity), thicknesses and areas of the materials
present. Some (although small) heating of the coolant easily
occurs within one second after starting the engine. Has
to, or it wouldn't occur later, either.
Someone mentioned radiator hose expansion. I don't know about your
system, but my steel braided hose is going to take a lot more than 25 psi
before it allows any expansion. Reread Hooke's
Law. Will probably add to the
"springiness" of the whole system). 25 PSI is nothing. Not
going to harm any part of anyone's cooling system except maybe with
multiple cycles. Not likely even with multiple
cycles, because the pressure is an insignificant fraction of the yield
strength of any of the materials we are dealing with. That
said, I also believe in having an air spring/absorber. The main part of
my cooling system I keep full, but have a 1 qt pressurized overflow can that
is empty at engine start. I like that so much I'm going to
incorporate it (Shameless copy of an excellent idea).
Jack Ford
(The friendly nit-picker).