Thoughts on Reverse Return?

[jhandel]

Hey guys,

I am designing a new layout based on some hydrolics knowledge I recently gained while talking with the guys that installed my Geo-Thermal Heatpump for my house.. They use a pipe layout called "Reverse Return" which does a few things.. 1 it lowers the calculation on the size of pump you need and two it (in theory) self equalizes.

Basicly instead of having a serial loop, where the pressure drop for each block and the radiator and the res have to be calculated to size your water loop, if all of your blocks are the same (or similar enough) pressure drop you link them up in parallel but (and here is the key) you have to reverse the in to the out. (so the first block getting water, is put at the end of the chain of water going out. (check out this image of home Heating to get the idea http://highperformancehvac.com/images/graphics/water-pipe-loops/two-pipe-reverse-return.jpg)

The layout is a little wierd, and you have to do a little more advananced planning around piping and where components are going to be.. But the upside is each block gets "fresh water", each block gets the same pressure (no pressure drop as you go along the run because it self balances) and you can run a smaller pump (or dial back a big pump to give you more room to move more water if you need to.

Anyways, I was just wondering if anyone has gone down this road before and had any thoughts.. Seems to me the cost in tubs, thinking and fittings may be worth it.

(in my case I have a CPU and 3 GPUs to cool and quite down so thinking ahead is going to save my arse in the end ..

Thanks

~Hands

 

[mayhem]

Yes Pumps have been tested in serial and Duel and bypass, so have rads you can find the info over at extreme systems.

 

[C3mods]

The biggest problem I see with the whole theory is that the cpu block is set up for a specific flow for max cooling performance, hence the in and out on the block. So you would lose cooling performance on that block where others that are not specific you wouldn't lose any cooling performance.

Also it might be self equalizing system, but at the same time if you had a blockage or reduced flow in a block, the water would take the path of least resistance and pump more through the high flow lines and blocks, let the part that is blocked burn up. So you would need to monitor the flow of all of your lines to make sure you don't get a blockage or to little flow.

But since you have 3 way graphics you could do a system like that with them. Just have them on their own loop, pump split to the three, then combine back before going into the res. But I honestly wouldn't put the cpu on that kind of loop, it will not get enough flow through it to keep it cool like it should imho.