Oil heat

[Charles Davis]

Someone asked about our oil heat system.

I don't have any pics right now, but this description might help.

We went with downdraft cooling, so closed off the big naca scoop on the belly and put in two small naca scoops.  One feeds the carburator and the other blows direct into a big oil cooler mounted at an angle so the air goes in and then right out of the cowling.

A second oil cooler (we will use a small Honda motorcycle unit for this) is mounted in the hell hole.  We use a marine blower from West Marine
(Atwood model 1731-4, 3" duct, 2.7 amps, 145 cufm)
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/50052/0/0/blower/All_2/mode+matchallpartial/0/0

This will blow through the oil cooler so we don't have to worry about over heating the blower.  It goes from there to a scat tube up to the pilots and GIB's feet, with the pipe necking down.

The blower recirculates the air, the thinking is that we can always get fresh air by opening a vent.

Everything is encased in a housing to contain the heat from the oil cooler, and it will be isolated such that it won't heat any of the structure.

That's the plan.  It's not done yet, but should be soon.  When it is, I'll put together a write up and make it available.

My brother, Mike, is the brains behind all this.  I just write the checks and ask lots of questions.

[wvshoem]

Charles,

Are you planning on controling the flow of oil through the heat exchanger to control the amount of heat? If not, how are you controling the heat flow?

I haven't done anything except create a design in my head, but my thought was to use a low pressure electric pump to control oil flow through the exchanger. The faster the pump turns - the more hot oil goes throught he exchanger. Then, like you, I'll have a blower that pushes air forward.

Again, this is all still in my head so I am very open to new and better solutions, thus very interested in what you are doing.

William

[Charles Davis]

The idea is to have a rheostat control the fan.  no fan, no heat flow from the exchanger to the toes.