PC radiator flow ponderence

Rocketdog2112 · December 25, 2020

Question about water cooled PC radiators if you will. I'm currently in the process of upgrading my Dell oem H2C water cooling system. Something i've noticed about most if not all PC radiators is that both the inlets and outlets are in a horizontal plane across from each other in the same header. For reference, an automotive style radiator has an inlet on the top header and an outlet on the bottom header allowing water to cool as it flows top top bottom. These outlets are usually positioned to where the water also cross flows across the top header before entering the tube and and fin area right to left or vice versa. Back to the PC radiator... theoretically looking at the the inlets and outlets being directly across from each other and in the same header, the water could simply flow from one to the other and not actually enter the cooling tube and fin area of the radiator. This would be especially true if the radiators positioned with the fittings at the bottom and would have a drastic effect on the cooling efficiency of the radiator unless there was some sort of internal dividing wall built into the radiator between the two ports. Otherwise the radiator is simply flooded and not truly flowing through the tube and fin area. I wish I had a junk one laying around to cut open and either prove or disprove my theory.

Zenedge · December 25, 2020

the inlet and outlet are not connected in a horizontal plane to each other. the inlet and outlet are both connected 50/50 to the radiator. so the water flow to the inlet, then 50% of the fins. then reaches the end, then goes back the other 50% of the fins and out the outlet.

at least. thats how i think the flow is going

Rocketdog2112 · December 25, 2020

18 minutes ago, Zenedge said:

the inlet and outlet are not connected in a horizontal plane to each other. the inlet and outlet are both connected 50/50 to the radiator. so the water flow to the inlet, then 50% of the fins. then reaches the end, then goes back the other 50% of the fins and out the outlet.

at least. thats how i think the flow is going

That why I was wondering if there was a internal divider wall located half way in the header containing the inlets and outlets.