Compressibility and Heating Effects on Pressure Loss and Cooling of a Baffled Cylinder Barrel

Theoretical investigations have shown that, because air is compressible, the pressure-drop requirements for cooling an air-cooled engine will be much greater at high altitudes and high speeds than at sea level and low speeds. Tests were conducted by the NACA to obtain some experimental confirmation of the effect of air compressibility on cooling and pressure loss of a baffled cylinder barrel and to evaluate various methods of analysis. The results reported in the present paper are regarded as preliminary to tests on single-cylinder and multicylinder engines. Tests were conducted over a wide range of air flows and density altitudes.