I have a plain vanilla 80HP Mono Classic. Plumbing of the coolant
radiators are as per the book and the oil cooler is mounted underneath
the spinner as recommended by Europa.
Cylinder head and Oil temps were totally unsatisfactory until I made two
ugly fixed cowl flaps (temporary ones) that allow a better air exit
path. Today, with a ground temp of 38C (@400 ASL) I climbed from ground
level to 8,500 ft at 80kts IAS on full throttle and 5500 RPM. Max CHT
and Oil Temps reached were 102C and 116C respectively. In cruise at
8500 ft on full throttle (22" MAP) and 5000 RPM with OAT of 17C, the
temps dropped to 70C and 84C respectively which is a bit cool but easily
fixed. I'm happy with the cooling at this moment but am unsure how it
will be in the hot conditions of North Western Queensland where the
ground temp is often around 42C to 45C but I digress.
After shutting down today, the OAT was 39C. CHT was 91C and Oil temp
88C. After opening the hatches on top of the cowl, I felt the temps of
the two coolant radiators in the front of the cowl and one was
noticeably hotter than the other. This is understandable as both
radiators are in series.
Ignoring the complexity of the required plumbing, I then contemplated
what might happen if the coolant radiators were connected in parallel.
I reasoned that if in parallel :-
a.. The temperature differential (deltaT?) between the coolant temp
and the OAT would be maximum on both radiators giving more efficient
cooling as opposed to different differentials in the series set-up .
b.. The flow rate through each radiator would be halved so coupled to
the higher deltaT, I assume better cooling as a result.
My question,
Does anybody have first hand experience with such a set-up and if so, do
you have any documented evidence of improved cooling as a result?
Cheers and all the best for the Festive Season to all.
Kingsley in Oz.
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