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Monty,
When
you suggested using a pitot style air intake for the cooling, what exactly did
you mean by 'pitot'. I envision it to be a tubular structure that extends
forward of the wing's leading edge, but would the extension be a slight bump or
a lance worthy of slaying dragons? As it stands, I have about 32" from the
leading edge for a duct to feed a 4" thick, 13.5"x9" radiator. (I'm still trying
to source a radiator without going the custom build route.) I don't need any
more length to get a fully developed K&W streamlined duct, but if I need to
extend the opening out significantly from the leading edge it will need to be
incorporated into the design.
Ernest,
I was a little unclear. I meant a standard leading
edge inlet. Nothing too fancy. If you look at the leading edge of the Corsair
you will see the inlets for the oil cooler. That is what I had in mind. I
would keep the ducts as short as possible while still maintaining reasonable
efficiency. You don't need a really long diffuser to get good performance. That
extra length only adds a small amount of pressure recovery, but it adds a lot of
weight and internal drag. Pressure recovery is nice, but it isn't everything.
You only need enough pressure differential to make the air go through the
radiator. Remember the idea of making a "jet" out of this thing is a loosing
proposition. People like to talk about the air "squirting" out through the exit.
That is pretty unlikely. More likely is reducing the internal flow and lowering
momentum and internal viscous drag. Twist the big knob first, leave the
fine adjustment for later :-).
I would locate the inlets in the outer portion of
the prop arc. There is much more velocity there for ground cooling. You have a
unique situation where that is possible.
Monty
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