Dave et al, many thanks for responding.
Hmm, your description raises a very interesting point. Since the cooling
reservoir (not the closed-loop engine supply) is vented to atmosphere it
will boil at LESS than 212 F because Bonneville altitude is about 4400 ft.
That in itself, is like a great thermostat! The RATE of boiling can increase
but the boiling TEMP will never get above the ambient boiling point. So now
you have a , thermostated, pressurized, closed-loop, engine coolant system,
(that could have a boiling point way ABOVE 212F) conducting heat into a
coolant reservoir that can never get above 180F-190F (my guess) and it
doesn't even have a thermostat in it!
How do you insure circulation of the cooling fluid through the engine's
radiator? Is a pump imbedded in the cooling reservoir?
Brian, I wasn't sure of what your alcohol mix was referring to. The engine
coolant or the ambient coolant reservoir? Either way I don't think it is
necessary (unless you are worried about freezing) because a thermostat does
the same thing for the engine and the ambient tank will boil (at altitude)
below 212F. Properly sized it should never boil, but why care if it boils
anyway as long as the steam is collected.
Sizing the volume of the coolant tank is fairly straight-forward. Both Mayf
and I have provided those calcs in the past. Check the archives. -Elon
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