anyone ever succeed with electric fan / fans

[vwjetboat]

So the vw powered jetboat.. I want to run a flat fan on top like the corvair but no alternator under it.. that will be hung under the engine and run off front crank pulley.. so my Question is.. I have seen a few dual electric fans on drag bugs.. but they only run for a few minutes at most.. has anyone ever found an electric fan setup and shroud that will keep an Air cooled vw cool idling around town?

[SBD]

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[modok]

Not that I have seen.

These days things you can get stuff like cheap brushless motors, hybrid cars, DC to DC converters, lithium battery powered leaf blowers, which is all fairly new stuff, so, maybe someday soon.

[vwjetboat]

[sawed off]

Don't want to sound discouraging but my opinion is for the area you have to mount fan in you will never get the air flow that the belt driven fan will put out. New cars that have electric fans have very large radiators with the fan surface area to match.

[Bashr52]

If you want to get super crazy down the electric motor route, why not throw one of these on as well?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Electric-3-Inch-Intake-Sup...mp;vxp=mtr

[Dale M.]

[vwjetboat]

[TinCanFab]

I think it could be done, but the electric fan components would have to be massive to flow the same air as a belt driven system. The size, weight and efficiency don't make it worth it to me IMO.

I look at my 4ft round fan in my shop at the air it pushes and wish that it didn't have to be so large. It takes up a ton of room, but really pushes some air! Other times I just run a small box fan and on a hot day, it's a joke! I agree with Modok that the technology is good today but we aren't there just yet.
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[TinCanFab]

Double post
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[[email protected]]

have you ever seen how big a 10hp electric motor is?
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[raygreenwood]

While electric motor sizes have dropped by a factor of about 50%.......and efficiency of voltage use as dropped as well......the CURRENT or amperage draw required for high torque motors has not dropped nearly as much.

Almlost all of the high efficiency electric motors you see out there....hybrid car hub motors and generators, wind turbines etc......use neodymium magnet technology.

The problem you run into with trying to cool an engine without a high efficiency transfer medium (meaning water).....you are trying to cool hot metal with a fluid (air) that is 5X less dense than water......and that also is much less efficient than basic water......because anti-freeze and water which boils at a much higher temperature is even MORE efficient than normal water......so antifreeze/water mix is about 7X or so more efficient than ajr alone.

To be able to make air work more efficiently.....you need to make it more dense.

This is done on air cooled engines by compressikg it slightly....meaning increasing the static pressure of the air. This requires TORQUE.

Easily 50% of the equation for cooling an air cooled engine with air.....is not just high volume.....its high pressure air. The engine driven fan has very high constant torque and the cooling air is driven at high static pressure.

You can fairly easily get a modern electric fan and motor that will deliver the air VOLUME needed.....but to get one also delivers the high STATIC PRESSURE......requires a motor that pulls a LOT of volts and amperage......more than you can easily deliver with any sane size of alternator.

It confuses people that an electric fan can cool a water cooled car but not an,air cooled car....because they forget about that HUGE radiator which increases surface area dozens of times....AND.....the fact that water and antifreeze is at least 7X more efficient at heat transfer than air alone.

No.....it will not work without an alternator that pulls about 30hp or more from the engine. Ray

[vwjetboat]

Nice Right Up Ray... yes I know all about the difference in water and Air cooling..only thing I was ASE certified in.. Heating & Air.. I did not think I would find a good answer as I have searched pretty hard to find.. and you pretty much put nail in it.. I will stick with that flat fan with Alt under it and belt driven as the plan for now..
Thanks

[mark tucker]

my electrick riding mower has some nice small motors for the cutter blades(2). these days there are lots of motors eazely avaliable, look at some bycycle motors.and cheep from china where everything comes from. there flat so no mounting issues. take that blower you have and remove the end peice that creates the velosity and see how much air it moves.or get a old shroud and make a plate to attach the blower and see how much comes out the bottom discharge to determan how well it might work....heck do it on a engine and feel underneeth. just be sure to remove the belt. you coudl stack 2 or 3 of the 12" raidaitor fans togeather so there not pushing agnist each other...then you will have the setup you posted !!! also you could just make a box to go around the motor and add water.

[vwjetboat]

[vwjetboat]

Found this but not much info.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuhOK8kezT8

[Boolean]

[[email protected]]

The biggest issue is the electrical requirements of a 10hp motor.

The stock system is fantastic because the belt can do it.

I believe the stock system is limited to around 17hp draw before the belt slips. Do the math on the amps required for that, or even half that, before you continue down this path.

[vwjetboat]

[vwjetboat]

found this
http://www.dragracermag.com/youre-buggin-me-man-competitors-feel-the-bite-of-this-insect