Curious if anyone knows if the distance between baffles in a sump impacts the flow of water. Assuming 3000gph would the space between baffles make a difference on how it exists into the return pump area. I'm wondering if this has the same effect of narrowing the nozzle on a hose to increase pressure.
Baffles on large sumps/high flow
- Thread starter djam
- Start date
i think it doesnt make much of a difference, as long as the cross sectional area between the baffles is not much smaller than that of the incoming drain, which would be hard to do, i think you could design it in a number of ways.
fluid flow through the incoming drain pipe is usually turbulent but still dependent on the radius of the pipe. when the pipe dumps into an open system, like a sump, the flow changes to bulk flow because the radius is enssentially infinite. the flow rate to the next compartment will depend on the cross sectional area in the baffles. if somehow this is less than the incoming drain (only possible if the baffles are REALLY close together or there is a blockage) then the water just backs up in the upstream compartment. the wider the baffles are spaced, the more quickly the incoming water redistributes. assuming you are keeping the height in the 1st chamber constant, wider spacing = faster flow (more gph) but slower velocity and vice versa.
I think people get confused when they want to create a "slow flow" or "high flow" sump and get all caught up in the baffle spacing or sump dimensions. flow is gph, and all dependent on the incoming water flow (drain). in the case of an aquarium the incoming flow depends on the the return pump gph (return gph), because it just so happens its recirculating system.
HTH
fluid flow through the incoming drain pipe is usually turbulent but still dependent on the radius of the pipe. when the pipe dumps into an open system, like a sump, the flow changes to bulk flow because the radius is enssentially infinite. the flow rate to the next compartment will depend on the cross sectional area in the baffles. if somehow this is less than the incoming drain (only possible if the baffles are REALLY close together or there is a blockage) then the water just backs up in the upstream compartment. the wider the baffles are spaced, the more quickly the incoming water redistributes. assuming you are keeping the height in the 1st chamber constant, wider spacing = faster flow (more gph) but slower velocity and vice versa.
I think people get confused when they want to create a "slow flow" or "high flow" sump and get all caught up in the baffle spacing or sump dimensions. flow is gph, and all dependent on the incoming water flow (drain). in the case of an aquarium the incoming flow depends on the the return pump gph (return gph), because it just so happens its recirculating system.
HTH
Well said Mr. rayray
Also keep in mind bubbles travel faster in high flow so dealing with them is a must for clear DT. I don't like using sponges so baffle's are important to me along with spacing, I like fast but calm so wider spaces between three. Now if your using refugium in the next chamber maybe no Baffs
Also keep in mind bubbles travel faster in high flow so dealing with them is a must for clear DT. I don't like using sponges so baffle's are important to me along with spacing, I like fast but calm so wider spaces between three. Now if your using refugium in the next chamber maybe no BaffsBaffles used as bubble traps do not work if you place them too close together. There's a fairly complicated formula to figure out how fast a bubble will rise, same formula will tell you how fast raindrops will fall based on the radius of the bubble or drop. If you have a large enough sump you probably don't even need a bubble trap as most of the bubbles will rise before reaching the return anyways.
Thanks everyone for the response. I'm doing a bean animal overflow, so I shouldn't have very many bubbles in the sump, other than what I throw out from my skimmer. I'm splitting my overflow into two parts, 60-65% into the sump and 40-35% into the fuge. Seems like I should space the baffles at maybe 2" to help the flow stay smooth. Also, hard to plug 2" baffles.
