First review. There doesn't appear to be much written on this.
Background:
Installing EFI into a Rocket. It will be an electrically dependent aircraft that utilizes dual electric fuel pumps and in a full-flow fuel system; so, a six-way fuel selector and dual pump module are incorporated. The OEM supplied prefilter is a single use cartridge type modified with AN flare type fittings.
I want to minimize suction losses in the event that 100LL becomes unavailable or too expensive to use in the future. A system design that would accept lower vapor pressure fuel was part of my concern, so minimize fittings, tubing lengths, bends, elevation changes (I know. It’s technically recoverable), component losses, etc.
The OEM supplied pre-filter could have been made to work; though, not without more tubing gymnastics than I wanted to tackle and any associated losses from such. Two@2” ducts will also be occupying the same area. My approach was to use an Aerolab Gascolator.
Pros:
- “Compact” design frees up real estate
- Tubing efforts (and associated losses) reduced. YMMV
- It appears to be very well made
- Automatic fuel shut-off (See associated “Con” below)
- Does not require fabrication of any mounting brackets. 0.032” skin is
sufficient
- Very easy installation though I still muffed it to a degree
- Sump-able and serviceable from outside the aircraft
- No associated fuel spills/leaks inside the aircraft related to servicing
- Finer filter beta. (This is not always good but it removes a lot of questions
for applications). See following bullet
- More filter effective area. Citation needed here as I haven’t cut apart the
original canister. That said, increased diameter beats the snot out of
length (talking filter elements, here) when it comes to surface area. This
should easily offset any concerns about fouling/blockage from too fine a
beta rating
- Adaptable orientation. On par with other gascolators but way better than
canister filters
- It shipped the same day. This shouldn’t be a “pro” but if you’ve dealt with
Andair, you’ll understand
- Element is (readily) inspectable/cleanable/replaceable versus canisters
- Probably more
Cons:
- It’s not cheap. Though it probably saved me enough fab time/anguish to
mostly justify on this alone. Price appears to very close to other
domestically sourced similar items; not the cheap stuff
- Not sold on the automatic cut-off. I’ve inquired and may remove this
feature. There’s only ~ 8” of fuel line between the selector (with off
position) and the gascolator.
- My system doesn’t require a gascolator, only a pre-filter so this is a bit of
overkill. As I understand it, one is required for our brothers in the True
- North.
- The cap protrusion may add some drag though probably unmeasurable
Other:
Some pix are included below from my feisability layout. Only the gascolator is hard mounted. Everything else to loose. The OEM canister filter is included for reference. The doubler is not required but the hole I cut in place did not meet my expectations for tolerance and appearance. I didn’t include pix of the collator proper but there are plenty in the supplier’s site.
I will do a total suction loss measurement when I’m far enough along. Link to US suppler
https://www.flyboyaccessories.com/product-p/72rr02.htm
I haven’t seen much reference to this component here or anywhere else. Anyone else here with some related experience they can share? Would love to hear it.
Background:
Installing EFI into a Rocket. It will be an electrically dependent aircraft that utilizes dual electric fuel pumps and in a full-flow fuel system; so, a six-way fuel selector and dual pump module are incorporated. The OEM supplied prefilter is a single use cartridge type modified with AN flare type fittings.
I want to minimize suction losses in the event that 100LL becomes unavailable or too expensive to use in the future. A system design that would accept lower vapor pressure fuel was part of my concern, so minimize fittings, tubing lengths, bends, elevation changes (I know. It’s technically recoverable), component losses, etc.
The OEM supplied pre-filter could have been made to work; though, not without more tubing gymnastics than I wanted to tackle and any associated losses from such. Two@2” ducts will also be occupying the same area. My approach was to use an Aerolab Gascolator.
Pros:
- “Compact” design frees up real estate
- Tubing efforts (and associated losses) reduced. YMMV
- It appears to be very well made
- Automatic fuel shut-off (See associated “Con” below)
- Does not require fabrication of any mounting brackets. 0.032” skin is
sufficient
- Very easy installation though I still muffed it to a degree
- Sump-able and serviceable from outside the aircraft
- No associated fuel spills/leaks inside the aircraft related to servicing
- Finer filter beta. (This is not always good but it removes a lot of questions
for applications). See following bullet
- More filter effective area. Citation needed here as I haven’t cut apart the
original canister. That said, increased diameter beats the snot out of
length (talking filter elements, here) when it comes to surface area. This
should easily offset any concerns about fouling/blockage from too fine a
beta rating
- Adaptable orientation. On par with other gascolators but way better than
canister filters
- It shipped the same day. This shouldn’t be a “pro” but if you’ve dealt with
Andair, you’ll understand
- Element is (readily) inspectable/cleanable/replaceable versus canisters
- Probably more
Cons:
- It’s not cheap. Though it probably saved me enough fab time/anguish to
mostly justify on this alone. Price appears to very close to other
domestically sourced similar items; not the cheap stuff
- Not sold on the automatic cut-off. I’ve inquired and may remove this
feature. There’s only ~ 8” of fuel line between the selector (with off
position) and the gascolator.
- My system doesn’t require a gascolator, only a pre-filter so this is a bit of
overkill. As I understand it, one is required for our brothers in the True
- North.
- The cap protrusion may add some drag though probably unmeasurable
Other:
Some pix are included below from my feisability layout. Only the gascolator is hard mounted. Everything else to loose. The OEM canister filter is included for reference. The doubler is not required but the hole I cut in place did not meet my expectations for tolerance and appearance. I didn’t include pix of the collator proper but there are plenty in the supplier’s site.
I will do a total suction loss measurement when I’m far enough along. Link to US suppler
https://www.flyboyaccessories.com/product-p/72rr02.htm
I haven’t seen much reference to this component here or anywhere else. Anyone else here with some related experience they can share? Would love to hear it.
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