ChiefPilot
Well Known Member
A while back, scsmith shared the concept of a diffuser on the oil cooler to smooth the airflow and thus make the cooler more efficient (thread here). I liked the idea, and decided to give it a go except with aluminum. I sized it such that the outlet is approximately 1.5x the inlet, and this is the result :
I'd never really had issue with warm oil temps, except when doing sustained climbs at Vy to > 10,000' or when doing extended ...umm... formation maneuvering with another aircraft at high power settings and relatively low airspeeds. Both of those arenas are no longer an issue.
Objectively, flight testing comparing under conditions as close as possible, a full power Vy climb hit 230º oil temps well before hitting 10,000' while the same test got to 10,000' with temps at only 204º. There's more flight test info, but that was enough to convince me this was a good idea. Thanks Steve!
I'd never really had issue with warm oil temps, except when doing sustained climbs at Vy to > 10,000' or when doing extended ...umm... formation maneuvering with another aircraft at high power settings and relatively low airspeeds. Both of those arenas are no longer an issue.
Objectively, flight testing comparing under conditions as close as possible, a full power Vy climb hit 230º oil temps well before hitting 10,000' while the same test got to 10,000' with temps at only 204º. There's more flight test info, but that was enough to convince me this was a good idea. Thanks Steve!