Intercoolers do just that and can be used in a few different combinations to help produce more horses. Before we delve into the ins and outs of intercoolers, take a look at my piece on cooling systems to provide some background reading.
An intercooler is what is called a cross-flow heat exchanger, as the cooling fluid removing the heat the air is moving at ninety degrees to the warm fluid the air, water or oil. The interaction of these fluids is accomplished by the use of tubes and fins within the intercooler.
Hollow tubes travel along the length of the heat exchanger and are used as channels for the warm fluid to make its way from the inlet, through the intercooler and then to the outlet once it is sufficiently cooled. The real cooling happens through the use of the fins however, which cover the surface area of the intercooler.
Aligned in a corrugated fashion, they allow for the surface area of the heat exchanger to be maximised so that heat can be dissipated to the surroundings as efficiently as possible. Put simply, intercoolers take warm air entering your engine and make it colder through heat exchange. The rules of thermodynamics state that the larger the temperature difference between the inlet air through the manifold and the temperature of combustion within the cylinder, the more energy is converted through the combustion.
So a colder intake means a bigger temperature difference and therefore more power. The most effective use of an intercooler happens to be when installed on a turbocharged or supercharged vehicle, where the inlet air will be made too warm by the turbocharger or supercharger spooling up if left otherwise.
Using yet more thermodynamic principles, if a fluid is increased in pressure, the temperature of that fluid also increases. Therefore, the boost pressure of a turbocharger suddenly increases the inlet air pressure and temperature which, if not cooled, will lead to a lack of engine efficiency.
To combat this, an intercooler is placed between the turbocharger and the inlet to the engine so that the air can be sufficiently cooled in time for it to enter the cylinders and interact with the incoming fuel. Without an intercooler performing this job, the warm air from something like a supercharger would create a breeding ground for pre-ignition. These seemingly simple intercoolers use a colder airflow to cool a warm flow of turbocharged air before it enters the cylinders to be mixed with fuel.
Using channels that travel horizontally across the intercooler, air passes from the turbo outlet through to the intercooler inlet where it is cooled by an outside airflow.
This cooling airflow interacts with fins of the heat exchanger to dissipate heat away from the induction airflow to the surroundings. This can damage the delicate cooling fins, reducing the cooling efficiency of the intercooler, and is extreme cases and also damage the tubes through which the boosted air passes through.
The most common effect is an underperforming intercooler, resulting in increased inlet air temperatures, but in the worst cases the intercooler can puncture and you can end up with a boost leak.
This means the oil gathers in the bottom of the intercooler, reducing the performance of the intercooler itself. It also introduces oil vapours to the boosted air, so will have a negative affect on engine performance too. To check, remove the boost hoses and inspect for signs of oil contamination.
If there are any, remove the intercooler and flush our with engine degreaser to remove all the oil from the inside of the intercooler. Go to front page. What is an intercooler and what does it do? You are here Home What is an intercooler and what does it do? The fix is quite simple; new hoses and clamps.
Different types of intercooler There are two main types of intercooler, which work in different ways: Air-to-Air The first variant is the air-to-air intercooler, which works by passing the compressed air through a network of small tubes, past a series of cooling fins. Air-to-water As the name suggests, air-to-water intercoolers use water to lower the temperature of the compressed air.
Placement of intercoolers Whilst in theory, air-to-air intercoolers can be located anywhere between the turbo and the engine, they are most effective where there is better airflow, and are usually placed at front of the vehicle, behind the grille. How AET can help? Contact Us. VAT Registration no. Useful Links. Follow Us.
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