by jfholm » Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:01 pm
We have discussed at some length what fluid to use in our manometers. MMO at sg of .826 or DOT 5 silicone brake fluid at .989 ? I think or water at 1.00.
Here are some things I have noticed when using Ed's spreadsheet to calculate the Dp of the orifice you are using in your bench. The Dp gets higher with the SG being higher for the fluid you use, that is also a given as you have to suck harder to get the fluid to rise in the manometer the same distance as a lighter SG fluid.
So if you used a fluid that has a higher SG and your Dp of your orifice is higher that means you can use smaller orifices in your bench to get a higher CFM reading when using the same inclined manometer. As an example with my manometer, id on the tubing is .250" and the reservoir id is 1.430", 12" rise with MMO the Dp is 10.82 and with the DOT 5 the Dp is 12.96
So with MMO a 300 cfm orifice would need to be 2.615" diameter and with DOT 5 a 300 cfm orifice would need to be 2.499" diameter. This may help on the exhaust flow accuracy where the orifice is getting close to the size of the hole in the divider between the chambers. With the higher SG fluids you can use a smaller orfice.
I am even considering a heavier fluid for the manometer.
John
It is a wise man that learns from his mistakes, but it is a wiser man that learns from the mistakes of others.