Publication Date:
2019-07-12
Description:
This paper is one of several dealing with methods intended to reduce the drag of present-day radial engine installations and improve the cooling at zero and low air speeds, The present paper describes model wind-tunnel tests of blowers of three designs tested in conjunction with a wing-nacelle combination. The principle of operation involved consists of drawing cooling air into ducts located in the wing root at the point of maximum slipstream velocity, passing the air through the engine baffles from rear to front, and exhausting the air through an annular slot located between the propeller and the engine with the aid of a blower mounted on the spinner. The test apparatus consisted essentially of a stub wing having a 5-foot chord and a 15-foot span, an engine nacelle of 20 inches diameter enclosing a 25-horsepower electric motor, and three blowers mounted on propeller spinners. Two of the blowers utilize centrifugal force while the other uses the lift from airfoils to force the air out radially through the exit slot. Maximum efficiencies of over 70 percent were obtained for the system as a whole. Pressures were measured over the entire flight range which were in excess of those necessary to cool present-day engines, The results indicated that blowers mounted on propeller spinners could be built sufficiently powerful and efficient to warrant their use as the only, or chief, means of forcing air through the cooling system, so that cooling would be independent of the speed of the airplane.
Keywords:
Aeronautics (General)
Type:
NACA-SR-117
Format:
application/pdf
Permalink