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instructions
section page
1.0 Flow-testing
The amount of flow is read from the inclined flow meter (manometer).
The flow meter measures the pressure difference across the 5 flow
orifices at the top of the Superflow 110. By selecting different
combinations of orifices, the flow meter can be used in any of
9 different ranges to obtain high accuracy over a wide range of
flows. The flow meter reads 0 to 100% of any flow range selected
with the rubber stoppers.
Before installing the test adapter, install only the staritiard test
orifice plate onto the Superflov. Install all the rubber stoppers
in the orifice plate on top of the Superflow and set the direction
knob to Intake. Close the intake and exhaust flow control knobs
lightly against their seats.
Zero the vertical test pressure meter and level and zero the inclined
flow meter. With only the small .312" diameter test orifice open,
turn on the machine and slowly open the intake flow control until the
test pressure reaches 10.0" of water. The flow meter should now read
approximately 45% on the 10.0 cfm range (#1 orifice open on top).
This indicates a flow of .45 x 10 cfm = 4.5 cfm. If flow is within
1 cfm of this reading, the machine is working properly.
Now remove all the rubber stoppers from the top orifice plate (185
cfm range) and open both the .312" and the 1.875" diameter holes
in the test orifice. Adjust the intake flow control again until the
test pressure reads 10.0". Allow the machine to warm up for several
minutes until the upper thermometer reads about 25F higher than the
lower thermometer. Multiply the flow meter reading times 185 cfm to
obtain the test orifice flow. It will be 153.2 cfm under standard
conditions. If the flow meter does not read 153.2 cfm, the flow
readings will all have to be corrected by a correction factor.
This factor is equal to:
If Superflow will not draw 10" due to low line voltage, use 8"
test pressure. Then:
Flow correction factor - t e s t O rijice flow
All tests should be performed at the same ratio of valve lift to
valve diameter, or L/D ratio. Then the flow efficiencies of any
valves can be compared, regardless of size. Multiply the valve
diameter by each of the six L/D ratios to obtain the valve lift
test points. Fill these in on lines A and B of the data sheet.
Choose the proper test pressure for the intake valve diameter
the exhaust valve at the same test pressure. Fill the test pressure
in on line 3 of the data sheet.
Remove the test orifice plate from the machine and install the test head,
cylinder adapter, and valve opener onto the flow tester for the actual
flow tests. Set the dial indicator to read 0 with the valve closed.
Install either the intake manifold or an air inlet guide on the intake port.
inclined flow meter. Close the intake and exhaust flow control
valves lightly against their seats (do not force or they will be
damaged). Place the rubber stoppers into orifices 5, 4, 3 and 2.
Turn the mode selector switch to intake.
Turn on the Superflow and adjust the intake flow control until the
test pressure meter reads the test pressure you intend to use.
Determine the leakage flow from the flowmeter and chart. Because
only the #1 orifice is open, the flow meter reads L0 cfm at 100%.
A reading of 47% would indicate a leakage flow of .47 x 10 cfm
4.7 cfm. Leakage will usually be from 1 to 10 cfm. If there is
no leakage, the test pressure may rise to the top of the meter.
This does not matter as long as the flow meter reads zero. The
leakage wilL not affect the test provided that you correct for it in
your results. Turn off the Superflow, Repeat this test before the
exhaust tests. Enter the leakage on line 8 of the data sheet to be
subtracted from the chart cfm.
Open the valve in the head to a lift of .20 valve diameter. Remove
all four rubber stoppers from the flow orifices and turn on the
Superflow. Adjust the flow test pressure to 10.0" and allow the
machine to warm up for 5 minutes. This step may be omitted if the
Superflow has been warmed up previously.
The flowmeter is designed with multiple ranges so that the flow
can be measured very accurately. For greatest accuracy, use only
the orifice ranges which give readings above 70% of the scale. If
the reading exceeds 100%, switch to the next higher range shown
on the flow chart by changing the combination of orifices open at
the top of the Superflow. If you have previously determined the
proper flow ranges, fill in line 5 and skip the next step. If not,
open the valve to the first of the six lift points.
To select the proper flow range, begin with the largest stopper
and re-install the stoppers in the flow orifices until the flow
meter reads above 70%. This is the proper number of orifices for
this test pressure, head, and valve lift. Always use the same
combination for future tests at this point. From the chart on the
front of the machine, determine the full scale range value, then
record the corresponding corrected flow range from line D on line
5. Re-adjust the test pressure to the recommended value and record
the readings of the flowmeter and the temperature difference
between the top and bottom thermometers onto the Superflow F-120
data sheet. Turn off the machine. Go to the next valve lift and
repeat the above steps. (Each valve lift may require a different
flowmeter range.) Continue this procedure until you have reached
the maximum lift test point.
and close the intake flow control valve. Move the valve opener
and dial indicator to the exhaust valve and repeat the above pro-
cedures. This completes the test. .
For intake manifold tests, remove the radiused inlet air guide
and replace it with the intake manifold. Repeat the intake tests
and compare the results to determine the effect of the intake
TEST DATA SHEET
1. Test Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 n 12
SI - se
/C >-
4. Valve lift (in.) .O9J .'94 .sap 485 .C7S ./So 3oo 375 .-Ob
5. Corr. flow range(cfm) ess Z86.9 zs Mi 'S3 Sc.7 too B5.S es.s 8S.C
6. Flowmeter ,eti 765" .9/ ezj 9O6 .:>* .736 .-V3 7/8 798 .BCZ
7. Chart cfm (L6xL5) 335 iS.1 97J 1/73 I&J /.^ />.z 471, 1/4 bS.Z 7z.e
8. Leakage cfm ,S l.o
9. Test cfm (L7-L8) 33.O (.43 X.g ,/c.s Itgi. '^39 'S.I 3,4 46-C (a.4 (72. 7/-B
10. Temp, difference So 40 So 45' 4o 3C '- si 4i' / 44
11. Temp. diff. factor 570 I.<S4 W14
377 .370 3CZ Sit l.o/Z. lai '.,34 1.014
12. Corr. test cfrr.(J.llxL9) 32Z a.o &'/ ,ve /cV7 ,X.4 /. 3^.z fg.l bz.z. 74z.
13 Corr cfm/in 2 ( L12
) /(*- Z2.C ^.e 764 Wl 9Z /Si IS9 3 74 4*4
Potential cfm/in.2
'*' (from Fig.6,p.21) Z73 47o S?J Ut Z7J 47/c <r*s sec be./
15. 7. f l o . rating ( i l | ) & t, 79 S4 84 68 r/ 7c eg 7/ 74
~ TsJ 700 X
Test Notes:_
Superflow Fo:
SAMPL-ET
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Valve diameter
1.7 Analyzing the test data
Diff. 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55
Intake .996 .992 .988 .984 .981 .977 .973 .970 .966 .962 .958
Exhaust 1.004 1.008 1.012 1.016 1.019 1.023 1.027 1.030 1.034 1.038 1.042
The result is line 12 the corrected test cfm. To obtain the valve
efficiency, it is necessary to calculate the flow in c_fm tier square
inch of valve area and then compare that to the best yet achieved.
Divide line 12 by the valve area in square inches to obtain line 13.
Then fill in line 14 from the chart in section 7, figure 6. Divide
line 13 by line 14 and multiply by 1007o to obtain line 15, the %_
flow rating.
The percent flow rating can be used as an indicator of the room left
for futher improvements in flow.
These results can also be plotted on the graph printed on the back of
each test data sheet (see sample). The arrows shown indicate the
scale to which the data is plotted. Circles are used to indicate the
intake test points and triangles for the exhaust test points.
1. Always use the same orifice range at the same test point.
2. Keep the leakage CFM to a minimum by making a good seal on all
surfaces, including the valves in the head.
3. If light valve springs are used, make sure the valves are
not sucked open by the vacuum of the intake tests.
4. Always level and zero the meters before each test.
5. Always use a flow inlet guide on the intake side of the
head and always use the same guide and cylinder adapter.
6. Try to conduct your tests when there are no frequent changes
in line voltage. Voltage changes will not affect the accuracy
of the Superflow, but they will cause it to surge and be unstable
The intake airflow rate for a single cylinder will be about 2.5 times
the average airflow for the cylinder because the intake occurs during
only 407o of the total cycle.
The average pressure drop is about 23 inches of water (or about 2"
of mercury) at the 220 cfm flow rate. When testing with the Superflow
it is not important whether a test pressure of 5 or 10, or 15
inches of water is used, provided the same pressure is used for each
subsequent test that will be compared to the original test. A head
that measures 1 0 % better at 5 inches of water test pressure will also
measure 107. better at 10 or 23 or 145 inches of water.
Conveniently, the bigge r the opening, the lower the required minimum
test pressure
11
"' Large carburetors may be tested and compared on the Superflow, but
only at a reduced test pressure. At a test pressure of 1" of water,
the carburetor will flow 22X of its rated capacity at 1.5 inches of
mercury. For example, at 1" test pressure, a 660 cfm carb will flow
.22 x 660 = 145 cfm.
4000 5000
2. Volumetric Efficiei
12
The total air-flow thru a gasoline engine determines its maximum HP.
At peak power, a racing engine will use 1.67 cubic feet of air (cfm) per
minute for each HP it develops. For example, a 100 HP engine will use
167 cfm. This will hold true for any four-cycle gasoline burning racing
engine. Alcohol burning engines will use 1.47 cfm per HP developed.
To put more air thru an engine, the flow resistance of the carburetor,
intake manifold and cylinder head must be reduced. This need has led to
hundreds of after market carburetors, manifolds and ported out cylinder
heads, all designed to get more air thru the engine.
But what is the relationship between the capacity on the flow bench
and the horsepower of the engine? Tests have shown that if the complete
intake system air-flow is measured at maximum valve lift and at a test
pressure of 10" of water, a well developed racing engine will produce the
following HP per cylinder:
The intake system flow lso determines the RFM at which the racing
engine will develop peak HP:
2000
CID (cfm at 10" at water)
where CID is the engine displacement in cubic inches per cylinder. For
super-stock and engines which are not all-out racing engines, peak power
will occur at 10% higher RPM than formula 4 indicates, so use 2200 instead
of 2000.
So the engine has a maximum potentail of 361 HP at 6330 RPM. But remember,
this is the maximum potential HP. The engine will only approach this if
everything else is optimized.
Now, let's try another example to show how changes in the intake
system will effect the engine performance. For this example, we will
use a small block Chevy 302, displacement 37.75 CID per cylinder.
The "Normal ported" head is about the best that can normally be
achieved, even with careful flow-bench testing. However, it is possible
to improve the head up to the "best ported" level, though welding might
be required.
For the last two heads, the engines must be wound up to 8500 and
9300 RPM to take full advantage of the additional flow. This brings us
to the need for another guideline. If the engine must hold together
for more than a couple runs down the drag strip, the peak power should not
be developed at a piston speed in excess of 3700 feet per minute,. If a
few runs down the strip are all you want, this limit may be raised to
4600 fpm, but the engine will need super internal parts to last even one
These rules can be reduced to a simple formula for the RPM for peak
HP (remember, your shift points may be 1000 RPM or more above peak H P ) :
Returning now to the example of the 302 engine, a well ported head
would be adequate for most road-race applications for the 302 because the
peak power is already being developed at slightly more than the 3800 fpm
piston speed, if the power peak was pushed to an even higher RPM, the
engine would frequently fail to finish the race.
To use the graph, determine the CID per cylinder of your engine and
then you can read the RPM required for any particular HP and the CFM of
flow capacity that will be required on the flow-bench at a 10" test
pressure.
Intake System CFM ( at 10'test pressure}
For an example, suppose you have a 427 CID V-8 engine which will
hold together up to 7500 RPH. From the graph for 53.4 CID (1/8 of 427),
the maximum power per cylinder would be 85 HP if you can improve your
intake system to 196 cfm on the flow bench at 10" of water test pressure.
For all eight cylinders, the engine could produce 680 HP at 7500 RPM.
For maximum flow, the ideal intake system would have a single
carburetor per cylinder with a slide-plate throttle and a venturi equal tc
.85 times the intake valve diameter. Below the venturi, the carburetor
bore should gradually open up to the size of intake valve at the intake
manifold entrance and gradually taper down to about .85 times the intake
valve diameter at a point about 1/2" below the valve seat. The optimum
length for the port will be discussed in Section 9.0.
17
If flow losses are caused by port expansLons, not contractions, you may
wonder why the port should be necked down below the valve seat. The
reason is that the air must both turn 90 and expand as it flows out of
the valve into the engine cylinder. "Humping" the port inward just
below the seat allows the air to make the turn outward toward the valve
edge more gradually, reducing the total flow loss. Unfortunately, many
stock ports are too large in this area already.
The chart below shows approximately where the flow losses occur
in a stock Chevy head with a 1.94" diameter intake valve. Note that
the flow losses are negligible in the straight part of the port where
it is easy to grind.
The valve seat has three purposes: to seal the port, to cooj the
valve, and to guide the air thru the valve. Sealing and cooling are
promoted by a fairly wide seat between .060" and .100". Maximum
flow is frequently achieved with a narrower seat, usually around
.030" wide.
Multiple angle to fully radiused seats are essential for good air
flow. A typical competition intake valve seat will consist of a 30 top
cut .100" wide, a 45 seat .040" wide, and a 70 inside cut .180" wide.
An exhaust valve will work well with a 15 top cut .060" wide, followed
by a 45 seat .060" wide, and a 75 inside cut .100" wide. The O.D. of
the valve should coincide with the outside of the 45 seat. Flow-bench
experimentation will frequently uncover a superior shape for any parti-
cular head. A three angle seat will out-flow a simple 45 seat by up
to 25% at lower valve lifts.
The graph in figure 4 shows how flow varies with lift for a well-
designed valve and port. Up to .15 d, the flow is controlled mostly by
the valve and seat area, but at higher lifts the flow peaks over and
finally is controlled by the maximum capacity of the port. Wedge-chamber
intakes have lower flow at full lift due to masking and bends, and are
port-limited at a 15% lower level.
1 i
::
1 ft.L
-I - -
50 -
4f-
y e g L u L
L: T/ I -
X -
1
20 -
10 -
z 1
i
I
-1-
I
nt * i
.20
Figure 6 can be used as a guide for judging the performance of any
valve. To get the flow rate cfra for a particular valve, simply multiply
the cfm per square inch from the chart by the valve area minus the valve
stem area. The flow rate you get is not the "expected" flow rate, buC
rather the maximum potential flow rate for a particular head at the test
pressure. The maximum potential flow for some of the popular heads are
shown in the comparison chart in figure 5 at 10" of water test pressure.
V a l ve Lift/Valve Diameter
Intake Valves .10 .15 .20 .25 ,30d
cfm Ci 1U" test pressure
VW 1200, 1.24" D. 15 . 3 30. 8 46.2 53.0 56.6 58 . 9
Norton 850, 1.50" D. 25 . 4 50. 9 76.5 102.4 109.2 112 . 5
Yamaha TX 650, 1.62" D. 26 . 9 54. 1 81.2 108.7 115.8 119 . 0
Chev. Small Block, 1.72' D. 30.3 60. 9 91.5 104.8 112.0 116 . 7
Chev. Small Block, 2.02' D. 42 . 3 84. 9 127.6 146.3 156.2 162 . 7
Chev. Westlake, 2x1.5" D. ja 8 153.0 .JOJu-L 218.4 225 .0
Ford 302, 2.25" D. 52 . 8 106. 0 159.2 182.6 195.0 203 . 1
Chrysler Hemi, 2.25" D. 106.0 159.2 213.2 227.2
The head-flow figures shown in Fig. 4, 5 and 6 are for the cylinder
head alone with just a radiused inlet guide on the inlet port.
When the intake manifold is installed the total flow will drop off
from 5% to 30%, depending on the flow efficiency of the manifold.
By measuring the flow at each valve lift with and without the in-
take manifold, it is possible to accurately measure the flow
efficiency. Frequently, the intake manifold will have even more
room for improvement than does the cylinder head. It is the total
flow with the intake manifold installed which must be used in
formulas 3 and 4 described on pages 12 and 13.
Fig. 6 Valve flow pote
When the inlet valve closes, a pressure pulse bounces back out the
intake tract, and then in again toward the valve. By making t*he intake
tract the proper length, the returning pulse can be timed to arrive at top
dead center of the next intake cycle, shoving extra air in and keeping
exhaust gases out of the intake port. To visualize what occurs, imagine
that one end of a steel bar is placed against a hard surface. If the
other end is struck with a haumer, a strong pulse (tne hammer blow) will
travel down the bar to the other end, and then back to the hammer end.
The pulse will actually cause the bar to jump back towards the hammer!
While the bar (or the air in the port) moves very little, a strong pulse
has been transmitted through it.
To use this pulse, the intake port must be the correct length. The
pulse will help only through a narrow range of RPM. Above or below a
certain range the pulse will actually decrease power so proper synchroni-
zation is essential. There are actually several pulses which can be used,
corresponding to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th time the pulse arrives at the valve.
The 2nd pulse is best, the others being weaker and shorter.
The chart in Figure 7 shows the pulses which can be used. To obtain
the inlet system length, divide the number shown by the RPM for peak HP *tt&
as determined by the flow measurements (see Section 3.0). For example, at
8000 RPM for the 2nd harmonic;
length = 132,000
16.5"
8,000
This is the desired length from the intake valve to the air inlet entrance.
For engines with a plenum chamber type intake, the length is from the valve
to the plenum chamber. The pulse in the example will benefit from 89%
up to 1087= of 8000 RPM, or from 7120 RFM up to 8640 RPM. The greatest
benefit will occur at about 3% below 8000 RPM. Below 7120 RPM or above
8640 RPM, the pulse will actually work to decrease engine power.
24
When the intake valve starts to close, the fast moving air
column tries to keep ramming itself into the cylinder. If the
inlet valve is closed at just the right instant, the extra charge
will be trapped in the cylinder (called inertia-supercharging).
Volumetric efficiencies up to 1307= can be obtained. To determine
the proper valve timing for maximum inertia-supercharge, it is
necessary to determine the inertia supercharge index, Z,and then
the valve closing timing can be determined from Figure 9.
The C v will generally be between 0.35 and 0.45 for good engines. This
is a total rating of the intake system flow for any engine. The higher
the C v , the better the engine.
engi
z - EPM
126,000 V CID x Inlet Length
averaj t area
'
10 20 30 40 50 0abc
Intake Valve Closing Angle at L / D = .10
11.0 FLOW-BENCH TEST PRESSURE CONVERSION CHART
3" 1 .00 1.29 1.63 1.82 2.00 2.24 2.45 2.58 2.89 3.05
5" 774 1.00 1.26 1.41 1.55 1.73 1.90 2.00 2.24 2.37
8" 612 .791 1.00 1.12 1.22 1.37 1.50 1.58 1.77 1.87
10" 548 .707 .894 1.00 1.09 1.22 1.34 1.41 1.58 1.67
12" 500 .645 .816 .913 1.00 1.12 1.22 1.29 1.44 1.53
15" 447 .577 .730 .816 .894 1.00 1.09 1.15 1.29 1.37
18" 408 .527 .666 .745 .816 .912 1.00 1.05 1.18 1.25
20" 387 .500 .632 .707 .774 .866 .949 1.00 1.12 1.18
25" 346 .447 .566 .632 .693 .775 .349 .894 1.00 1.06
28" 327 .422 .534 .598 .654 .732 .802 .845 .945 1.00
Sif>erFlow
3512 North Teion
Colorado Springs. Colo 80907
!303i 471-1746