The effects on pressure loss of the separation and orientation of closely coupled duct fittings in RVAC systems were investigated using computational fluid dynamics to analyse the pressure distribution in a system containing two 90° bends in two common configurations; an S bend and a U bend. Fittings that are separated by less than 8 to 10 hydraulic diameters· of the duce behaved in very different ways depending upon the orientation of the fittings in relation to one another.