Oil pressure

[lhanscom]

I have a pretty basic question regarding oil pressure, and really any fluid would be the same. How much, if at all, does the flow in a pressurized system change when the shape of it's path changes? So if I have a straight line going to one oil passage, with another line conecting to it in the middle somewhere, forming a T will the amount and/or pressure of the oil change going to one location or another? Is it anything to worry about, or is the difference nominal?
Thanks

[Hap Call]

Re: Oil pressure

I have a pretty basic question regarding oil pressure, and really any fluid would be the same. How much, if at all, does the flow in a pressurized system change when the shape of it's path changes? So if I have a straight line going to one oil passage, with another line conecting to it in the middle somewhere, forming a T will the amount and/or pressure of the oil change going to one location or another? Is it anything to worry about, or is the difference nominal?
Thanks

There are many variables with this. First, any turn in a system will have an effect on pressure and flow...it would be considered a restriction. The fact that you are changing the direction of flow uses energy. This is compounded as the velocity and/or viscosity of the fluid is increased. Second, the viscosity of the fluid has an extreme effect on flow and pressure. Third, the "T" you are describing could act as either a pressure passage feeding another location or (depending on the speed and back pressure of the fluid going down the straight line) it could act as a venturi and actually suck oil out of the other line connecting in the middle of the straight line. This is all tied to Bernoulli equation and several other equations involved in hydrodynamics.

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[lhanscom]

Interesting. The reason I ask is the topend oiler I'm making has a line coming up from where the oil pressure switch is located up to the intake cam oil journal with a T then continues on to the exhaust cam journal with a 90 at the end. I could change it to having a T in the middle with 90s on both the intake and exhaust, with the feed coming up from the middle. Would that be a better plan? It wouldn't be as clean but I don't want oil starvation.

[Hap Call]

Interesting. The reason I ask is the topend oiler I'm making has a line coming up from where the oil pressure switch is located up to the intake cam oil journal with a T then continues on to the exhaust cam journal with a 90 at the end. I could change it to having a T in the middle with 90s on both the intake and exhaust, with the feed coming up from the middle. Would that be a better plan? It wouldn't be as clean but I don't want oil starvation.

Either way would work fine. You are basically pushing pressure into a "T" that has equal flow resistance on both ends so you will get a good distribution of oil to both the intake and the exhaust cams.

You get the venturi effect when you have unequal pressure effects on the two different lines.


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