cribbj wrote:
Kinda sorta looks like turbine wheels from a big, slow speed diesel engine
Or pump impellers
Yes. The difference is a pump is designed to efficiently rise the pressure or a flow vs a water brake the is designed to run smoothly deadheaded at 0% efficiency. A $1500-$2500 5hp well pump or pair of 2hp pool pumps in series will fully supply the water needs of a 1000hp brake by my math...if I setup nates 1200hp unit a single 2hp pool pump might be enough as the brake is bigger and doesn't need to be kep full so the system would be at lower pressure. A Big pump might work though...I know hydraulic pumps are used to build smaller dynos.
This is from the dynomite site:
Quote:
Water brakes are similar to centrifugal water pumps. They typically have one or more vaned rotors spinning in between pocketed stator housings. Load is controlled by varying the volume of water recirculating within the brake with adjustable inlet and/or outlet valves and orifices. Raising this water level increases the rotational drag of the pump's rotor, applying more resistance to the engine turning it. Interestingly the water brake is, by design, a very inefficient pump. It uses up your engine's horsepower output by making "instant hot water"! Since the discharged hot water is clean, it can often be allowed to just run off, or air cooled and recirculated.
Then they slide this in randomly elsewhere:
Quote:
Optional 3,000 Hp toroidal-flow absorber responds twice as quickly as ordinary vane-type brakes