I was embarrassed to ask about this originally,
but it seems I am not alone with questions. having viewed several flying
cooling system flow designs at the rotary round-up, perhaps it isn't that
critical.
one aspect I trying to understand is the
expansion tank. there shouldn't a big flow thru there, right? if the
pressure is greatest at this far rotor housing top port, then it must be lower
in the expansion tank, and a slow flow will take place towards the expansion
tank, right? the small diameter line will tend to push bubbles thru
and they will separate in the expansion tank. so, if they enter the tank
above water level, this line will suck air from the expansion tank as the
cooling fluid cools and has a lesser volume, right? not good. if the
expansion tank feeds the cooling circulation system by T'ing into the water pump
output, then it is all on the higher pressure side of the system, and the air in
the expansion tank won't have a tendency to be sucked into the
circulation? is the design intention to keep the expansion tank under
pressure, rather than have it part of the flow [circulation]?
if the expansion tank was plumbed into the water pump inlet port, then a second
circulation route is created, which doesn't involved the radiator [rear rotor
port to tank to water pump, thru engine block to rear port....],
right?
as far as the bubble line for the radiator it
seems that it would work by allowing trapped bubbles in the higher end of the
radiator to travel uphill to the expansion tank. is the pressure at the
radiator also higher, as with the rear port?
enough questions. clear as mud,
right? kevin