What does the swirl pot do ?

[steve-V8s]

I have been pondering on the cooling system and have a question. What does the swirl pot do ?

It is a convenient highest point to fill the coolant and presumably the expansion tank pipe is attached at the top so any air can escape but other than that what is it for. Seems to me it can only be a hindrance to the flow making the pump get the water up that hose to the top and through the tank, apart from being a convenient filling point why not simply connect the thermostat housing directly to the rad ?

[carsy]

Good point. I cant see what it does other than a convenient filling point. Thinking back when i have run RV8`s in kit cars i have done just that, thermostat straight to rad. If you did away with it how would you fill it.

[spend]

Smooths out the spitting the engine does and separates the air out...

[Bluebottle]

Increases the coolant capacity to improve the cooling efficientcy of the system.

[spend]

Bluebottle said:

Increases the coolant capacity to improve the cooling efficientcy of the system.

That's arguable, surface area & heat transfer would be main 'improvers'. Increasing volume just creates an instantaneous reservoir supply, but as soon as steady state is reached??? The drawback of volume & extra surface area of the swirl tank itself is that it is so close to manifolds & cat that it is likely to gain heat into the coolant rather than shed it I guess.

[Barreti]

spend said:

The drawback of volume & extra surface area of the swirl tank itself is that it is so close to manifolds & cat that it is likely to gain heat into the coolant rather than shed it I guess.

Am I the only one who finds that statement not only true but actually quite funny

[Colin RedGriff]

Due to the design of the Griffith cooling system it's difficult to refill the system without leaving any air in the system. I believe it's to allow air left in the coolant system to rise to the top and be expelled by pressure into the expansion tank. On cooling, coolant would be drawn back from the expansion bottle.

[tuscanlad 2]

I would suggest that the swirl pot is for expansion the level should be in the bottom third when cold , you cannot compress liquid so an air cushion is what is required , "swirl pot" is just a fancy name.
Simon

[Del 203]

tuscanlad 2 said:

I would suggest that the swirl pot is for expansion the level should be in the bottom third when cold , you cannot compress liquid so an air cushion is what is required , "swirl pot" is just a fancy name.
Simon

That'll be the seperate expansion tank then

[CHGRIFF]

A swirl pot removes air from the coolant, the intake tube being offset from the pot centreline to induce swirl, the air created by leeeky TVR engines. Copied this from Graham Goode Racing as it a pretty good explanation of why there is a swirl pot. Certainly convenient to top up and bleed air from system.

It is standard race car practice to use a swirl pot in the cooling system. If hot spots in the engine cause localised boiling of the water, small pockets of air will form. Air in the water will reduce the heat transference properties of the cooling system. If correctly positioned & designed, the swirl pot will spin the water around inside it, making any water pockets form in the middle of the water. Percolation will then make this air rise inside the swirl pot, and exit out of the small bleed tube in the top, back to the header tank.

Edited by CHGRIFF on Friday 7th January 12:53

[crackedfinger]

Best not get confused about the air bleed hose from the top, as it's on the bottom on a grif ...

[steve-V8s]

um.. not on mine.

The expansion pipe exits at the very top of the swirl pot

[Del 203]

crackedfinger said:

Best not get confused about the air bleed hose from the top, as it's on the bottom on a grif ...

Del 203 said:

tuscanlad 2 said:

I would suggest that the swirl pot is for expansion the level should be in the bottom third when cold , you cannot compress liquid so an air cushion is what is required , "swirl pot" is just a fancy name.
Simon

That'll be the seperate expansion tank then

[Guillotine]

so that'll be the swirl pot in front of the engine, and the expansion tank thats behind the rad then.

[carsy]

What about my pre cat. Doesnt have a header tank, only swirl pot.

[Pushrod-Power]

CHGRIFF said:

A swirl pot removes air from the coolant, the intake tube being offset from the pot centreline to induce swirl, the air created by leeeky TVR engines. Copied this from Graham Goode Racing as it a pretty good explanation of why there is a swirl pot. Certainly convenient to top up and bleed air from system.

It is standard race car practice to use a swirl pot in the cooling system. If hot spots in the engine cause localised boiling of the water, small pockets of air will form. Air in the water will reduce the heat transference properties of the cooling system. If correctly positioned & designed, the swirl pot will spin the water around inside it, making any water pockets form in the middle of the water. Percolation will then make this air rise inside the swirl pot, and exit out of the small bleed tube in the top, back to the header tank.

Edited by CHGRIFF on Friday 7th January 12:53

Correct.

[TVR Beaver]

CHGRIFF said:

air created by leeeky TVR engines.

But why are they leeeeky?.. are they saying the HG's leeeek... or the Liners... or pipes may be?... I find it strange that there is some expectation of air leeks?.. I get the boiling bit if that is the reason??

[ben240z]

It is like a motorsport Pensieve

It allows memories of a pink hat to swirl slowly round and round in the mists of time.

Happy new year to you and yours
xxxxxhugsxxxxxxxx

Edited by ben240z on Wednesday 12th January 13:13