<VV> Electric cooling fan results

[Bill Hubbell]

Actually, my recent purchase of a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid leads me to think
there might actually be an electric motor set-up that could work on a
Corvair - sort of.

You see, the Civic Hybrid air conditioner features a hybrid compressor that
is powered by both the engine and the motor. When the engine is in Idle Stop
mode the compressor is powered by the motor; if rapid cooling is required it
is powered by the engine and motor combined. When the temperature is stable
it runs off the motor alone.

Now, imagine using something like this to power the Corvair blower.  At low
speeds, it would run off the electric motor, as speed picks up, the
belt-drive would be activated and the engine would take over the job of
driving the blower.

Now, if we could just get somebody to design it...

Bill Hubbell


-----Original Message-----
From: virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org
[mailto:virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org] On Behalf Of Sethracer at aol.com
Sent: Sunday, July 29, 2007 4:21 PM
To: ronh at owt.com; mfrancis at wi.rr.com; virtualvairs at corvair.org;
fastvair at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: <VV> Electric cooling fan results

 
In a message dated 7/29/2007 11:59:27 AM Pacific Daylight Time, ronh at owt.com

writes:


Looks like the results are just what one would expect from the design
information.  I noticed that that electric fan car didn't participate in 
any
of the tours at the Portland meet and that said a lot all by itself.

RonH

Unfortunately, Ron, that is the same "empirical" evidence that caused all
the 
differences in "opinion" that the scientific evidence of the instrumented 
tests finally put to rest. It doesn't matter if "it worked for me once" or
"it 
didn't work for me once". What matters is that the tests showed that, on a
stock 
engine, the proposed design couldn't cool enough to keep up with the heat 
input - at more than about 40 mph. Not to mention hills or other heavy
loads. The 
electric fan I am looking for, and I know there are several others who would

be interested in it, would be a motor drive that would spin the stock fan
(or 
a re-designed mechanical fan) at the optimum RPM for cooling. It would have
to 
do that without adding too much weight - BUT - it would only have to do it 
for about 5 minutes at a time (Think an autocross run or two). I also
wondered 
whether another gas motor - small, maybe something like a weed eater or
chain 
saw, could power the fan at the optimum speed - or close enough. Now, that 
would attract some attention. Before beginning your runs, you walk around to
the 
rear and pull-start your cooling fan drive engine. Or, better yet, have a 
starter drive sticking up through the deck lid and use a wireless impact
wrench to 
start it. Cool! - Seth Emerson