Mailing List flyrotary@lancaironline.net Message #23877
From: Jim Sower <canarder@frontiernet.net>
Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] Re: fuel pump mounting
Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005 23:18:30 -0500
To: Rotary motors in aircraft <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
WHOSE best practices? Everyone flying has what seems to work for him. Which ones are you going to pick and which are you going to exclude (and why)? And folks will pick this attribute from this best practice and combine it with that attribute from that best practice ... and end up with ... ?
Is this actually going to work? ... Jim S.

George Lendich wrote:

The group keeps getting the same questions from people - which I know is normal and it's good to re-establish the points mentioned.
However a list of best practices AND THE REASONS FOR THEM could make the process of learning and responding much simpler.
MO - FWIW
George ( down under)

    Can the inlet be fed from a tube

    that goes into a tank close to the bottom 1.5" but is bent down in
    a 90

    degree bend? The sump is lower than the tanks and the pumps would
    be at the

    level of the bottom of the sump. My concern is how much of a
    "hump" in the

    plumbing will the pump tolerate? Thanks for any help.

    Joe Berki

    Joe;

    A “hump” in the plumbing is not necessarily and issue, but your
    situation as I understand it is questionable. The head at the pump
    inlet (neglecting line losses) is the difference between the level
    of the surface of the fuel and the pump inlet. Any “hump” should
    not go higher than the surface of the fuel when the fuel is at its
    lowest point.

    If I understand your case correctly, you would have to rely on
    “siphoning” to get gravity feed from your tank below the level of
    where the tube exits the tank; or if you are pumping out of the
    tank, the pump could “normally” draw that last 1.5” of fuel out,
    but in either case I’d say this is not a desirable condition, as
    it will take a negative pressure, however slight, to get it out.
    With 100LL it would probably not be a problem as it is formulated
    with a higher vapor pressure than mogas.

    The other issue with a high spot in the plumbing is the potential
    for trapped air. When you fill from an empty condition there will
    be air trapped at the high point. That’s not necessarily an issue;
    if it has some place to go, like the sump tank with a vent, and
    enough head to push it through. If you partially filled your tank
    with air trapped in the line you may get no flow.

    The supply line from the tank needs to go steadily down hill,
    either to a pump or gravity feed to a sump tank. Any air in the
    line should be able to migrate back to the tank.

    FWIW - I don’t know the details of your system, so can only speak
    in generalities.

    Al

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