An intercooler, or charge air cooler, is an air-to-air or air-to-liquid heat exchange device used on turbocharged and supercharged internal combustion engines to improve their volumetric efficiency by increasing intake air charge density through isochoric cooling. A charge air cooler (also known as an Intercooler) is used to cool engine air after it has passed through a Turbocharger, but before it enters the engine A heat exchanger is a device built for efficient Heat transfer from one medium to another whether the media are separated by a solid wall so that they never mix or the media A turbocharger, or turbo, is an air Compressor used for forced-induction of an Internal combustion engine. A supercharger is an air compressor used for Forced induction of an Internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the Combustion of Fuel and an Oxidizer (typically air occurs in a confined space called a Volumetric efficiency in Internal combustion engine Design refers to the efficiency with which the engine can move the charge into and out of the cylinders An isochoric process, also called an isovolumetric process, is a process during which volume remains constant A decrease in air intake temperature provides a denser intake charge to the engine and allows more air and fuel to be combusted per engine cycle, increasing the output of the engine.
The inter prefix in the device name originates from historic compressor designs. A gas compressor is a mechanical device that increases the Pressure of a Gas by reducing its Volume. In the past, aircraft engines were built with charge air coolers that were installed between multiple stages of supercharging, thus the designation of inter. Modern automobile designs are technically designated aftercoolers because of their placement at the end of supercharging chain. This term is now considered archaic in modern automobile terminology since almost all production vehicles have single-stage superchargers.
Intercoolers can vary dramatically in size, shape, and design, depending on the performance and space requirements of the entire supercharger system. Common spatial designs are front mounted intercoolers (FMIC), top mounted intercoolers (TMIC), hybrid mount intercoolers (HMIC). Each type can be cooled with an air-to-air system, air-to-liquid system, or a combination of both.
Applications to supercharging
Turbochargers and superchargers are engineered to force more air mass into an engine's intake manifold and combustion chamber. A turbocharger, or turbo, is an air Compressor used for forced-induction of an Internal combustion engine. A supercharger is an air compressor used for Forced induction of an Internal combustion engine. In Automotive engineering, an intake manifold or inlet manifold is the part of an Engine that supplies the Fuel / Air mixture to Intercooling is a method used to compensate for heating caused by supercharging, a natural byproduct of the semi-adiabatic compression process. Increased boost pressure can result in an excessively hot intake charge, significantly reducing the performance gains of supercharging due to decreased density. The density of a material is defined as its Mass per unit Volume: \rho = \frac{m}{V} Different materials usually have different Increased intake charge temperature can also increase the cylinder combustion temperature, causing detonation, excessive wear, or heat damage to an engine block. Knocking (also called knock, detonation or spark knock, pinking in UK English or pinging in US English in spark-ignition The cylinder block or engine block is a machined casting (or sometimes an assembly of modules containing cylindrically bored holes for the Pistons of a multi-cylinder
Passing a compressed and heated intake charge through an intercooler reduces its temperature (due to heat rejection) and pressure (due to flow restriction of fins). If properly engineered, the net result is an increase in density. This increases system performance by recovering some losses of the inefficient compression process by rejecting heat to the atmosphere. Additional cooling can be provided by externally spraying fluid on the intercooler surface, or even in the intake air itself, to further reduce intake charge temperature through evaporative cooling. Water injection, also known as anti-detonant injection, is a method for cooling the Combustion chambers of Engines by adding Water to the incoming Evaporative coolers (also called swamp, desert, or air coolers) are devices that cool air through the simple Evaporation of water
Intercoolers that exchange their heat directly with the atmosphere are designed to be mounted in areas of an automobile with maximum air flow. These types are mainly mounted in front mounted systems (FMIC). Cars such as the Nissan Skyline, Saab, Dodge SRT-4, 1st gen Mazda MX-6 and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and all use front mounted intercooler(s) mounted near the front bumper, in line with the car's radiator. Nissan Skyline GT-RThe Nissan Skyline is a Mid-size car originally produced by the Japanese automaker Prince Motor Company starting in 1957 and later by Nissan Saab Automobile AB, better known as Saab, is a Swedish car manufacturer and currently a wholly-owned Subsidiary of General Motors. The Dodge SRT-4 is a Turbocharged variant of the Neon introduced by DaimlerChrysler 's Street and Racing Technology ( SRT) in-house The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, colloquially known as the Lancer Evo, or Evo, is a car manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors.
Many older turbo-charged cars, such as the Toyota Supra (JZA80 only), Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo, Mitsubishi 3000gt, Saab 900, Volkswagen, Audi, and Turbo Mitsubishi Eclipse use side-mounted air-to-air intercoolers (SMIC), which are mounted in the front corner of the bumper or in front of one of the wheels. Mark I (1979-1981 1979 In 1978 Toyota began production of the Mark I Supra in Japan, as the Toyota Celica XX. The Mitsubishi GTO is a sports grand tourer built by Japanese Automaker Mitsubishi Motors between 1990 and 2001 although in most export markets it The 900 is a car that was made by Saab Automobile from 1978 until 1998 in two generations AUDI AG, ( Xetra: NSU commonly known as Audi (aˈʊdi is a German Automobile manufacturer which produces Audi branded cars with headquarters The Mitsubishi Eclipse is a four-seat sports Coupe that has been in production since 1989 for Left hand drive markets including the United States, Side-mounted intercoolers are generally smaller, mainly due to space constraints, and sometimes two are used to gain the performance of a larger, single intercooler. Cars such as the Subaru Impreza WRX, MINI Cooper S, Toyota Celica GT-Four, Nissan Pulsar GTI-R, MAZDASPEED3, MAZDASPEED6 and the PSA Peugeot Citroën turbo diesels, use air-to-air top mounted intercoolers (TMIC) located on top of the engine. The Subaru Impreza WRX, is a turbocharged version of the Subaru Impreza, an All-wheel drive automobile Mini (styled as MINI) is a British automotive brand owned by the German BMW Group that has produced a redesign of the traditional Mini The Toyota Celica GT-Four is a high performance model of the Celica liftback with a Turbocharged 3S-GTE engine and full-time 4WD. The Nissan Pulsar GTI-R (chassis code RNN14 - Aka GTiR i-R and 'R is a special vehicle that was manufactured by Nissan between 1990 and 1994 in order to enter The Mazdaspeed3 or Mazdaspeed Axela is a Sport compact Hatchback introduced by Mazdaspeed for the 2007 model year as a performance-enhanced The 2006 MAZDASPEED6 (known as Mazdaspeed Atenza in Japan and Mazda 6 MPS in Europe and Australia is a high-performance version of the Mazda 6 PSA Peugeot Citroën (previously Peugeot Société Anonyme) is a French Automobile and Motorcycle manufacturer; these Air is directed through the intercooler through the use of a hood scoop. A bonnet/hood scoop is an air vent on the bonnet of an Automobile that either allows a flow of air to directly enter the engine compartment or appears to do In the case of the PSA cars the air intake is the grille above the front bumper, then flows through under-hood ducting. Top mounted intercoolers sometimes suffer from heat diffusion due to proximity with the engine, warming them and reducing their overall efficiency. Some World Rally Championship cars use a reverse-induction system design whereby air is forced through ducts in the front bumper to a horizontally-mounted intercooler. History Early The World Rally Championship was formed from well-known international rallies nine of which were previously part of the International Championship
Because FMIC systems require open bumper design for optimal performance, the entire system is vulnerable to debris. Some engineers choose other mount locations due to this reliability concern. FMICs can be located in front of or behind the radiator, depending on the heat dissipation needs of the engine.
As well as allowing a greater volume of air to be admitted to an engine, intercoolers have a key role in controlling the internal temperatures in a turbocharged engine. When fitted with a turbo (as with any form of supercharging), the engine's specific power is increased, leading to higher combustion and exhaust temperatures. In Engineering, the term specific power can refer to power either per unit of Mass, Volume or Area, although power per unit of The exhaust gases passing through the turbine section of the turbocharger are usually around 450 deg. Celsius (840 deg. The Celsius Temperature scale was previously known as the centigrade scale. Fahrenheit), but can be as high as 650 deg. Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736 a German Physicist who proposed it in 1724 C. (1200 deg. F. ) under extreme conditions. This heat passes through the turbocharger unit and contributes to the heating of the air being compressed in the compressor section of the turbo. If left uncooled this hot air enters the engine, further increasing internal temperatures. This leads to a build up of heat that will eventually stablise, but this may be at temperatures in excess of the engine's design limits- 'hot spots' at the piston crown or exhaust valve can cause warping or cracking of these components. A piston is a component of Reciprocating engines Pumps and Gas compressors It is located in a cylinder and is made gas-tight by Piston This effect is especially found in modified or tuned engines running at very high specific power outputs. An efficient intercooler removed heat from the air in the induction system, preventing the cyclic heat build-up via the turbocharger, allowing higher power outputs to be achieved without damage.
Air-to-liquid intercoolers
Air-to-liquid intercoolers (aka Charge-Air-Coolers) are heat exchangers that reject intake charge heat to an intermediate fluid, usually water, which finally rejects heat to the air. A heat exchanger is a device built for efficient Heat transfer from one medium to another whether the media are separated by a solid wall so that they never mix or the media These systems use radiators in other locations, usually due to space constraints, to reject unwanted heat, similar to an automotive radiator cooling system. Air-to-liquid intercoolers are usually heavier than their air-to-air counterparts due to additional components making up the system (water circulation pump, radiator, fluid, and plumbing). The Toyota Celica GT-Four had this system in the 1988-89 version and also in the Carlos Sainz RC Version. The Toyota Celica GT-Four is a high performance model of the Celica liftback with a Turbocharged 3S-GTE engine and full-time 4WD. Carlos Sainz (born April 12, 1962 in Madrid, Spain) is a former Spanish Rally driver.
A big advantage of the air-to-liquid setup is the lower overall pipe and intercooler length, which offers faster response (lowers turbo lag), giving peak boost faster than most front-mount intercooler setups. Some setups can use reservoirs that can have ice put into it for intake temperatures lower than ambient air, giving a big advantage (but of course, ice would need constant replacement).
Ford had adopted the technology when they decided to use forced induction (via Supercharger) on their Mustang Cobra and Ford Lightning truck platforms. The Ford SVT Mustang Cobra is a Pony car built by Ford since 1993 The Ford SVT Lightning is a sports / performance version of the F-150 Pickup truck designed by Ford's truck-division and eventually It uses a water-cooled intercooler inside the intake manifold, just under the supercharger, and has a long heat exchanger front mounted, all powered by a Bosch pump made for Ford. Ford still uses this technology today with their Shelby GT500
The Shelby Mustang is a high performance variant of the Ford Mustang, built by Ford from 1968 through 1970Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic