90 degree bends in water cooling?

[TailsNZ]

Hi!

I'm building a custom case, but air flow and space above the CPU are really limited. Since I'm planning on putting a quad core unit in, I thought water cooling would be the way to go.

Someone suggested to me 90 degree adaptors to solve the space issue, but another person recommended I avoid those. So I was wondering what you all think? Good idea? Or risky?

Thanks so much!!

 

[ChefJoe]

I don't have any numbers to prove it but bends in a tube do cause turbulence in water flow and would increase resistance. If that actually causes any real world performance decreases on a modest system/loop is another thing entirely.

If 90 degree bends are going to make things much easier to use and hook up then you should use them. While not ideal, it's no reason to scrap plans entirely.

 

[EarthwormJim]

I remember someone on xtremesystems saying a good 90 degree bend is the equivalent to ~5" of tubing or so.

So if you have a few I wouldn't worry about it.

If you really want to avoid getting a 90 degree fitting, try using those coils that you wrap around your tubing. You'd be surprised at the bends you can get out of them.

 

[aigomorla]

Heres a detailed flow chart of a 90 degree bend:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...ighlight=mother+elbows

I own a couple of martin's 90's degree :T


He sells them also. You need to email him.

 

[Rike]

Originally posted by: aigomorla
Heres a detailed flow chart of a 90 degree bend:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...ighlight=mother+elbows

I own a couple of martin's 90's degree :T

He sells them also. You need to email him.

Those are just pretty. Marked for future reference.

 

[ChefJoe]

Originally posted by: aigomorla
Heres a detailed flow chart of a 90 degree bend:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...ighlight=mother+elbows

I own a couple of martin's 90's degree :T


He sells them also. You need to email him.

His flow rate _estimator_ says the 90 degree fittings drop the GPM a little, but it looks like drops are like 1% less GPM for each crappy nylon 90 degree elbow. Doesn't look like enough to worry about if you're just doing the block.... maybe if you kept adding them to make your own murderbox.

 

[Rubycon]

This depends on the radius of the elbow fitting. A sharp 90 is going to give approx equiv of 1' head pressure. Soft turns less. Either way if the design has lots of 90's just factor this into your pump's flow/head chart.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: ChefJoe

Originally posted by: aigomorla
Heres a detailed flow chart of a 90 degree bend:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...ighlight=mother+elbows

I own a couple of martin's 90's degree :T


He sells them also. You need to email him.

maybe if you kept adding them to make your own murderbox.

LOL.... now do you see why i was so angry.... did you see how many he had at usless points?

 

[TailsNZ]

Wow, thanks for all the quick replies! It sounds like I have nothing to worry about with just using them on the CPU block, which is good news indeed.

I've been recommended the Apex Ultra H20-220, which seems to have gotten really good reviews.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: TailsNZ
Wow, thanks for all the quick replies! It sounds like I have nothing to worry about with just using them on the CPU block, which is good news indeed.

I've been recommended the Apex Ultra H20-220, which seems to have gotten really good reviews.

piece one out yourself.

there are better blocks then the apogeeGT now.

 

[Zepper]

smooth curves always better than sharp bends, but sometimes can't be avoided.

.bh.

 

[TailsNZ]

Thanks, I had a quick look around today after reading that, and one item I see is the Swiftech Apogee? Self Powered Drive 350. Quite pricey, gulp, but it looks very low profile and interesting. What do you think?

 

[wwswimming]

Originally posted by: ChefJoe
I don't have any numbers to prove it but bends in a tube do cause turbulence in water flow and would increase resistance.

if you can get a hold of it, an engineer last name
"Scott" at Varian spent his career taking measurements
on all the various cooling fixtures he designed, then
used curve-fitting to create formulas to describe what
he saw. and published a book.

very useful text for air-cooling. where 90 bends
do considerably slow things down.

Steinberg's mechanical engineering text might
have similar info about 90 degree bends & liquid
cooling.

 

[ChefJoe]

Originally posted by: TailsNZ
Thanks, I had a quick look around today after reading that, and one item I see is the Swiftech Apogee? Self Powered Drive 350. Quite pricey, gulp, but it looks very low profile and interesting. What do you think?

If space is so limited that you think you'll need 90 degree bends then something with the pump right on top of the cpu block might be a bad idea. The pump can go just about anywhere on the loop.