i know that a fuel swirl pot should be round so that the fuel spins round and the air is removed from the fuel.

now i want to make a square one

the reason for this is that im going to mount the high pressure fuel pump inside the tank and i need a bigger volume to offset the size of the pump etc.. and it will fit much better in the location i want it.

Now the question, does anybody see any problems with making it square?

i've got a square mug i drink coffee from, when you stir it, it stirs in a cool square pattern, but i don't think theres any problems with air. should be fine i'd think

I think that most people use a swirl pot as a fuel collector device more than an air removal device....so a square one should be fine to my mind....

I stand to be corrected...

I think that most people use a swirl pot as a fuel collector device more than an air removal device....so a square one should be fine to my mind....

I stand to be corrected...

Should be fine - I don't think the fuel tends to "swirl" in a swirl pot anyway or at least I don't think there is any advantage in it doing so.

I would tend to think of it more like a "sump" and what you are trying to ensure is that the fuel pickup within that sump is never uncovered. Just make sure your fuel return pipe feeds directly into the sump and try to size your sump inlets to ensure that you can flow enough fuel for peak demand while at the same time restrict flow due to lateral acceleration forces.

It should swirl- hence the fuel in line should really come in at an angle in the same way that dry sump "in" lines do. Then again my swirl pot doesn't.....

It should work fine. But it might not

Square should be fine as really we are using "Swirl pots" as a surge resistant container. In some tanks there are sump with baffles that perform this function and i have seen them square.

I am also making one that is square at the minute! How are you going to pass the wires to supply power to the pump through the removable top?

If you can find a Mk2 golf gti they have a reservoir tank with inbuilt high pressure pump. Unfortunately it is too big to fit in the available space in my car.


Golf fuel pump

[Edited on 29/12/09 by jimmyjoebob]

The onl reason they are round that i can think of is to stop the fuel from foaming when driven hard, and these are also used as effectively expansion vessels, so that if the fuel runs low in the tank, then the swirl pot eliminates air being sucked in through the system.

I may be corrected, but thats my understanding....

You could compromise.
Make it cylindrical but the same height as the diameter. That way it will still swirl but look square from the front.

Sorry, couldn't resist it.