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HP pressure drop through elbows

Eric H

Well-known member
I am about to redo the low pressure functions in an older 4bay SS. I am putting together a parts list and I have a question: When the HP goes through a 90 degree elbow is there a significant amount of pressure drop vs using two 45 degree? For example when the HP line comes across the ceiling and connects to the low pressure manifold it then goes into a 90 degree elbow and down to the boom. Is there an advantage to using two 45 degree elbows to make a "long sweep" instead of a hard turn?
 
My hydraulics expert says there is not enough resistance and that going from a solid 90 to 2 45's won't make a difference.
 
If you're concerned, I'd suggest using a forged elbow instead of a machined barstock one. It's still an elbow but it's a smoother flow inside. That said, I don't think there would be a measurable difference.
 
Since we are not talking about cryo turbo pumps for a NASA rocket, it won't matter.
I didn’t think it would matter but thought it would be worth asking.
I think I am going to work Cryo Turbo Pump into my vernacular when speaking with customers...
 
Loss is related to flow and the diameter of the pipe. The greater the flow, the greater potential for pressure loss. Since we're talking low pressure and low flows I doubt they'll be any noticeable difference.
 
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