To talk on Icrontic, just register!

It only takes 30 seconds.

Have an account? Sign in:

Forgot?
Omega65
EPoX Evangelist!
Omega65
2,891 Posts

Radiator (AirFlow) Resistance Article

Overclockers.com: Radiator (AirFlow) Resistance Article
excerpts...

As the radiators' system resistance curves show, it takes a LOT of pressure to get a LOT of airflow through these radiators. Mounting a 92 cfm fan on a radiator does not mean you'll get anywhere near 92 cfm through it - more like 50-60%.
.
.
.
CONCLUSIONS

One aspect of picking a radiator for a watercooling system is the amount of airflow through it. The "denser" the radiator, the less air gets through. In addition, a radiator with a plenum for the fan is more likely to yield better flow than directly mounting a fan on its fins.
__________________ Moderator: System Core Forum - Got a question??...shoot me a PM

Dell E1705 Core Duo 1.66ghz 1GB X1400 100GB
DFI NF4 SLI-DR - Opty 170 @ 2.5ghz - 7900GT - 2GB Corsair PC4400 Pro - Raptor 74GB
Abit AV8 - X2 4400+ @ 2.5ghz - 2GB G.Skill PC4000 - Raptor 74GB

Heatware: Omega65 150-0-0
Ebay Feedback Omega365 62-0-0

Athlon 64 Comparison: 12 CPUs - Single vs Dual Channel - 512K vs 1MB Cache
WuGgaRoO
Rat Catcher
WuGgaRoO
2,351 Posts
i hate to sound like a newbie but...whats a plenum?
Superducky55
Icrontic Regular
Superducky55
33 Posts
Wow, i was just wondering the same thing.

Main Entry: ple·num
Pronunciation: 'ple-n&m, 'plE-
Function: noun
b : an air-filled space in a structure; especially : one that receives air from a blower for distribution (as in a ventilation system)


Never heard of it.
Nice article though, good link
mmonnin
Veteran Icrontian
mmonnin
10,545 Posts
A funnel of some sort? So the air HAS to go thru the radiator?
__________________ Stanford Team Stats_____________Team Short-Media
Statsman Team Stats______________EOC Team Stats
shwaip
elaborate bot
shwaip
5,730 Posts
my guess:

The fan is elevated slightly off the radiator. In the article, the BE cooling one does not, and the fan will be mounted very close to the fins, while the other two have a slight air gap in between the fan and the fins.
WuGgaRoO
Rat Catcher
WuGgaRoO
2,351 Posts
ooooo... that makes sense!!
leishi85
JUMP JUMP JUMP
leishi85
2,451 Posts
plenum is the same as a shroud i'm guessing
GHoosdum
tequilavangelist
GHoosdum
10,277 Posts
In this case, yes it is.
__________________ My flickr photostream.
aznblueeboi
Getting settled in
aznblueeboi
6 Posts
that sounds like a shroud to me too
__________________ EPoX 8K3A+
Athlon XP 1700+@2512MHz
256 Meg Corsair PC3500
Thermalright SLK-800
Vantec Tornado 84CFM
Radeon 8500LE 64MB
Sound Blaster Audigy 2
Antec 550 Watt PSU
muddocktor
Wandering about
muddocktor
6,250 Posts
They are definitely talking about a shroud. Why do you think a car has a shroud around the fan? If you don't think it makes a difference, try removing the fan shroud on your car and go get in some bumper to bumper traffic and watch your temps.
shwaip
elaborate bot
shwaip
5,730 Posts
muddocktor said
They are definitely talking about a shroud. Why do you think a car has a shroud around the fan? If you don't think it makes a difference, try removing the fan shroud on your car and go get in some bumper to bumper traffic and watch your temps.
that's what i thought too, until i read the def. from the dictionary and this:

Then it hit me - the Swiftech and Black Ice radiators use a plenum and the BE Cooling does not - the fan was mounted right on top of its fins. This caused interference with the fan blades, thereby lessening flow compared to the other two radiators.
muddocktor
Wandering about
muddocktor
6,250 Posts
Same difference, they are just using a built on plenum/shroud on the Swifty and Black Ice radiators. If you look at the pic of the 3 radiators, you will notice that the sides are closed in and the mounts for the fan are raised off the surface of the fins. I guess you could say that a plenum is a built on shroud whereas a shroud is a bolt on plenum.

The shroud I use on my watercooled dually effectively acts the very same as the way the plenums on the Swifty and Black Ice radiators do in that it seals the area between the radiator and the fan for more effective airflow and mounts the fan away from the radiator fins for less turbulence, hense better airflow.
MarkTAW
Icrontic Duke of Haxor
MarkTAW
168 Posts
In architecture, the plenum is the area above the ceiling where all the ducting and wiring goes. I know this because in a previous life I worked for a company that made industrial lighting fixtures.

Google Glossary has more accurate & thorough explanations than mine:

http://labs.google.com/glossary?q=plenum

Google Glossary is your friend. =)
__________________ www.marktaw.com
Go Back   Icrontic Forums > Tech: Hardware > Mods & Cooling
Jump to
This Thread Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search


Current time: 9:26am (GMT)
Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Get Vanilla instead. Trust me.