Does anyone have experience casting copper tubing into a lead keel?
To function as a keel cooler

I am in the process of doing that now. Formed loops of 1/4" OD 70/30
copper/nickel alloy tubing running horizontally along either side of the
keel bolts wired to sit about 1/4" inside the surface. Tubing is about 5'
long. Theoretically it is a good bit more than needed but without definite
data on the heat transfer through the lead and having only one chance I
figured it was better to be a bit bigger rather than not big enough. Kept
the diameter small and the runs as horizontal as possible to keep the
velocity up and prevent oil from getting trapped at the bottom of the
condenser.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"Hess cutter 56" wrote in message
oups.com...
Does anyone have experience casting copper tubing into a lead keel?
To function as a keel cooler

Glenn,
Are you planning to us this as an evaporator?
Matt Colie

Glenn Ashmore wrote:
I am in the process of doing that now. Formed loops of 1/4" OD 70/30
copper/nickel alloy tubing running horizontally along either side of the
keel bolts wired to sit about 1/4" inside the surface. Tubing is about 5'
long. Theoretically it is a good bit more than needed but without definite
data on the heat transfer through the lead and having only one chance I
figured it was better to be a bit bigger rather than not big enough. Kept
the diameter small and the runs as horizontal as possible to keep the
velocity up and prevent oil from getting trapped at the bottom of the
condenser.

"Matt Colie" wrote in message
...
Glenn,
Are you planning to us this as an evaporator?
Matt Colie

No. It will be the condenser. The evaporator goes in the refrigerator.
The keel will be cold enough already. :-)

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

Glenn-
I recollect that you cast your ballast keel years ago, so will this be set
in some kind of bog between the lead keel and the hull's (wood epoxy &
glass) keel?
Seems to me to be a very good idea to be putting such plumbing, if it can be
made to work, in a place where it can be gotten to, if need be. I was
beginning to worry a lot about pipes actually cast into a lead keel.

Getting back to the original post- maybe if there were troughs cast (or
machined) into the top of the lead casting, pipes for heat transfer could be
set in them.

A few thoughts from the barnyard engineer,
Jim


"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
news:4p2Qf.492510$0l5.375670@dukeread06...

"Matt Colie" wrote in message
...
Glenn,
Are you planning to us this as an evaporator?
Matt Colie

No. It will be the condenser. The evaporator goes in the refrigerator.
The keel will be cold enough already. :-)

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

No. I cast the bulb years ago. Everything is ready to cast the fin except
my intestinal fortitude. :-) The fin is a lot more complicated and I have
this recurring nightmare that I am going to get something slightly out of
alignment and then have to sail through life slightly catawampus. But then
I have been accused of that by the neighbors already. :-)

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"Jim Conlin" wrote in message
...
Glenn-
I recollect that you cast your ballast keel years ago, so will this be set
in some kind of bog between the lead keel and the hull's (wood epoxy &
glass) keel?
Seems to me to be a very good idea to be putting such plumbing, if it can
be
made to work, in a place where it can be gotten to, if need be. I was
beginning to worry a lot about pipes actually cast into a lead keel.

Getting back to the original post- maybe if there were troughs cast (or
machined) into the top of the lead casting, pipes for heat transfer could
be
set in them.

A few thoughts from the barnyard engineer,
Jim


"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
news:4p2Qf.492510$0l5.375670@dukeread06...

"Matt Colie" wrote in message
...
Glenn,
Are you planning to us this as an evaporator?
Matt Colie

No. It will be the condenser. The evaporator goes in the refrigerator.
The keel will be cold enough already. :-)

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

Glenn,
If it is a condensor, then the liquid refrigerant should carry the oil
along and should not pool in the turns of the coil (notice please the
"shoulds"). But I like th idea as you have it because:
-You have separate turns so a damaged turn could be eliminated from the
circuit.
-You may decide to rework the refrigation to be reversable and so
provide heat from the pond at little cost.

Just be sure that you keep the keep above freezing in fresh water. If
this idea appeals to you, you migth think of putting a little loop like
a trap at the outlet end just before the lift so the oil has someplace
to collect a form a big enough plug so it gets lifted out of the cooler.

Sounds interesting - I'd love to hear how it works out.

Matt Colie ex reefer guy (among the rest)


Glenn Ashmore wrote:
"Matt Colie" wrote in message
...

Glenn,
Are you planning to us this as an evaporator?
Matt Colie


No. It will be the condenser. The evaporator goes in the refrigerator.
The keel will be cold enough already. :-)

The down side of casting a condenser in the keel is that it is an extremely
permanent installation. No way to fix it once it is done so I added one
extra loop. If one of the working loops springs a leak I can just switch
over to the spare. I have had them pressurized with nitrogen to 250pis for
3 months now so hopefully they will not leak once they are inside the lead.

The loops are a continuous downward slope so the oil will pool right at the
return end. Probably could have made it a bit more efficient with a larger
OD tube to slow the refrigerant down, get more surface area and less
pressure drop but I read so much about oil getting trapped in the condenser
and starving the compressors that I got scared.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"Matt Colie" wrote in message
...
Glenn,
If it is a condensor, then the liquid refrigerant should carry the oil
along and should not pool in the turns of the coil (notice please the
"shoulds"). But I like th idea as you have it because:
-You have separate turns so a damaged turn could be eliminated from the
circuit.
-You may decide to rework the refrigation to be reversable and so provide
heat from the pond at little cost.

Just be sure that you keep the keep above freezing in fresh water. If
this idea appeals to you, you migth think of putting a little loop like a
trap at the outlet end just before the lift so the oil has someplace to
collect a form a big enough plug so it gets lifted out of the cooler.

Sounds interesting - I'd love to hear how it works out.

Matt Colie ex reefer guy (among the rest)


Glenn Ashmore wrote:
"Matt Colie" wrote in message
...

Glenn,
Are you planning to us this as an evaporator?
Matt Colie


No. It will be the condenser. The evaporator goes in the refrigerator.
The keel will be cold enough already. :-)