I'm going to plumb another fuel cooler into the return line to help the VP. Is one typr better than the other? Is it a wash?

TIA...

 

Long (makes many of the plate coolers) claims 30% more than the tube and fin units.

 

I prefer a tube and fin in some applications were flow might be an issue. However, thats my bias.
I know stacked plates are great but a good tube and fin is pretty good too. Most issues with them are they were sized too small to begin with so performance suffered.

If you do go tube and fin look for those that are double stacked- two rows every level. The one I used on my '97 PSD for a tranny cooler was 15 double rows that added up to about 60 feet of tube in the fins. (15 rows 2' long x 2 = 60).
I got that from the junkyard for 15 dollars. (ac condenser from a buick)

 

By far, plate coolers are more thermally efficient than the tube units......however, the size (# of rows of plates) is directly related to ultimate flow.....if the cooler is too small (not enough rows) for the intended flow, obviously, flow will suffer. Ultimate flow is unaffected by the size of the cooler on a tube unit. I will only use plate style coolers for their superior thermal efficiency.

 

B&M has a 11x11x1.5 plate style oil cooler but they don't have any flow numbers for it. It does have a max rating of 200 psi and considering oil is a lot more viscous than diesel I assume it won't restrict the 75gph @ 20 psi that the Walbro flows.

If I have a full tank of fuel the Walbro should cycle the tank through the cooler 2.3 times per hour. I need to get a infrared gun so I can verify what effect this has on in tank fuel temps.

 

The 11"X11" B&M cooler will vastly outflow your fuel system.....you will not have any restriction issues with a cooler of that size.

 

Either style is good, but each one has it's advantages in particular applications. The tube and shell style are easy to clean out and are best for fluids that may contain particles or other contaninants in the cooling fluid (like sea water with algae or seaweed). They also can be rodded out if clogged with heavy salts. The plate style are smaller for the same BTU transfer so they are best in tight areas and when the fluids are in a closed loop (like in radiant heating or engine oil or engine coolants) and all contaminants can easily pass through. It's not completely accurate to say one is less restrictive than the other because in order to be effective they must have turbulance. Flow rates are always figured into the equation and higher restriction means more heat transfer in a given size. A big manufacturer of plate type exchangers is Triangle Tube and the tradional Navy tube and shell ones are often Young.

Wetspirit