Cobalt radiator fan amps?

[Silverback]

Anybody know what the amperage draw is for the Cobalt OEM dual radiator fans?

 

[Briann1177]

No, but I think the circuit is protected by a 30A fuse.

 

[Silverback]

No, but I think the circuit is protected by a 30A fuse.

Not sure about other models, but the SS/TC have two fans on the radiator shroud and two 30A fuses (Fan1, Fan2.) I want to re-employ the fans and A/C condenser for an air compressor heat exchanger/moisture trap. That should solve my soda blasting problems and I can get back to prepping and building again

 

[Briann1177]

You would be correct. I forgot all about the second 30A fuse. I'm curious to know what you have in mind for converting the radiator fan for use in air compressor. Will there be duct tape and baling wire involved?

 

[SliderR1]

I want to re-employ the fans and A/C condenser for an air compressor heat exchanger/moisture trap. That should solve my soda blasting problems and I can get back to prepping and building again

Soo ironic you mention this. I'm in the process of building an aftercooler for my compressor right now. I thought about using the old A/C condenser from the Cobalt, but due to the weird fittings on mine and the enormous size, I ended up buying a B&M transmission cooler (1/2" FPT ports). My setup is nearly complete. The guys over on garagejournal have seen 200° temp drops through one of these without a fan, so I'm hoping it will solve my humid air problems, too.

Apologize for thread jacking...

 

[Silverback]

...Will there be duct tape and baling wire involved?

No way, I'm saving that for the Goblin

 

[Silverback]

Although it would be nice to reuse the Cobalt's dual radiator fans on the air compressor aftercooler, they're overkill for the purpose. Plus, 60 amps would require an expensive constant current power supply, well beyond the cost of alternative solutions. It will still happen, 'got to get that soda blaster working.

 

[SliderR1]

I found some cheap 240v case fans on Amazon. I think they were less than $20 ea. They don't even pull 1 amp and are supposed to flow around 100cfm. Planning to wire them into the motor so they run when the motor is on.

 

[Silverback]

They'd be perfect. Got a link?

 

[Briann1177]

You think that's enough flow? 100 CFM really isn't much at all. A couple of those fans in a case could dissipate heat 1500W or so server, but a compressor is probably 2-4x that amount of power. The air output lines on my compressor get sizzling hot. I just don't see how two of those relatively small fans will make any significant impact. It will help though.

What about that and a desiccant system? An intercooler would really be ideal.

 

[ctuinstra]

I'm confused, SliderR1, you're going to use a radiator/trans cooler for the input line to the compressor? I was thinking that I never thought of that, but my compressor pumps up to 150PSI and most radiators see only 15PSI. I guess a A/C unit might see pressures that high and that would work, but I don't know if I would trust a radiator or heat exchanger for those types of pressure.

Neat idea, I have a lot of humidity in my small compressor, but wouldn't that have more to do with compressing the air than the temp of the air?

 

[SliderR1]

100cfm isn't much, but it's better than 0 and my location of the compressor sort of limits exposure to any natural air movement. I wanted to have something moving air across it, cheaply, and this ticked that box.

The aftercooler will be between the compressor and the tank - sorry if my first picture was misleading - it wasn't complete in that shot - just mocking up brackets. With the temp drop across the trans cooler the moisture will condense out of the air and end up in a water trap I'm placing after the trans cooler. This is not an original idea by me. See this thread for more details.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50946&page=2

 

[Silverback]

Finding an inexpensive 240V fan with a decent CFM is a challenge. If I run a 120V fan from another outlet, then I'd need to set up a relay to switch it on/off. Another possibility is mounting two 120V fans each connected to one side of the switched 240V on the compressor, maintaining a balanced load for the compressor motor.

 

[SliderR1]

I think McMaster-Carr has a few 240v fans that supply around 600cfm for less than $100, but you are right - most 240v fans that move much air are expensive.

 

[Andy]

You might get lucky if you can find a main blower fan from a dryer or house HVAC they should be 240v and pass more than enough CFM. Dryer fans should be cheap or free usedused if your willing to pull a dryer apart.