Push vs pull through a radiator

[CoW]8(0)]

In my own non-scientific reasoning, I would believe that pull would relieve more heat from the radiator. But under ideal circumstances, wouldn't both be the same? Yet ideal is very often not the case in the real world.

 

[J-Pepper]

no... it'll be more different

you got to realise how air is 'pulled' or 'pushed ' through... because it's really neither.

air is moved by a pressure gradient ... a fan creates a gradient and thus air moves along it from high to low pressure.

thus if you have a fan 'pull' air through a rad, you create an larger low pressure area between the rad and the fan where air will be more inclined to flow to. it will work better because you are creating a gradient where the air will natural move along it through the rad

on the otherhand, if you havd a fan 'push' air through a rad, you are creating an area of high pressure inbetween the fan and the rad... thus air 'naturally' (theorectical sense) will want to flow to that area... but that's the opposite direction to what you want..

wonder if that made sense!

<- represents the direction of air flow given no other force other than the pressure gradient.

(low pressure) fan <- (high pressure) rad -> (low pressure)

wants to flow in opposite directions.

(high pressure) <- fan (low pressure) <- rad (lower pressure)

nb pressures are relative.

erm.. that's the most simple, i.e. very simplified!

 

[Kingey]

I'm curious as well.

As far as temps go, would it be a big difference?

 

[darkisz]

But under ideal circumstances, wouldn't both be the same?

If by 'ideal' you mean 'in a vacuum', then yes

Otherwise, I think what J-Pepper said makes sense, and pull is more effective than push.