Fusion Intercooler - A good read

[s_cleary84]

Check this out...

http://autospeed.com/A_110772/cms/article.html

A very interesting method of intercooling - lighter and less complex than water/air and suited to applications where airflow is tricky.

[GregHoon]

I see the potential merits for what was written in the article. Intercoolers are limited in their efficiency as they need to be much larger in volume when presssurised air (from the turbo) temperatures are increased. So you have an intercooler volume - to - heat proportion. More heat being generated, bigger intercooler required (all else being equal in design etc).

In an air-air exchange the heat transfer between charged air and ambient air are relatively slow compared to the speed that heat is exchanged to solid or liquid Because the molecules are more densely packed so in the same square inch there are more moleculas to 'absorb' the heat energy). So at initial use this system would have advantages in being able to keep charge air cooler. Even though the 'solid' material would melt, however, it would indeed continue to increase in temperature in it's liquid state and rather than have air pass over the fins at a lower temperature (as in many fan cooled intercoolers) the heat would remain largely within the volume of the material now coating the intercooler and as the article said only be able to lose heat to the charge air from the turbo and going into the engine. Coating the intercooler in a solid, sleaved material would decrease the surface area of the intercooler as a whole and the unit would be less able to lose heat to the atmosphere.

So the end result (it seams) would be a slightly better system for absorbing heat under boost that would eventually just manage to keep intake temperatures higher under non-boost conditions.

A chargecooler effectively absorbs heat from the charged air and seeks to transport it to an external radiator to be lost to the atmosphere under greater air flow and hence quicker heat exchange. However you then have an increase in weight, additional motor required to pump the water and potential heat soak if it is placed over the engine and the 3sgte can kick out some fantastic heat, i can testify to that. But then it is proven as amethod for cooling in many high power applications.

Good article s cleary, cheers, Greg.

[s_cleary84]

Yeah maybe a good idea would be an alloy heatsink on the 'cooler itself. That way the molten wax could cool & solidify quicker from the airflow in the engine bay.
If you isolated the 'cooler from engine bay heat with insulation and had a vent in the engine cover, that might keep average (and off boost) temps down.

[GregHoon]

Yeah i see where you're coming from cleary. In my 1.5 it's the bog standard intercooler and it is in the back boot and oriented lengthways with the car (front to back) and upright. Maybe having an alloy heatsink that protrudes from the back bonnet and has air flow directly over it when moving would be an idea. Some on here have taken to making vents on the top for air to pass into the boot and back out through another cut exit to increase air flow past the intercooler). And of course the intercooler would be directly below it and manouvered so it was flat against the heatsink. Not sure how the boot could be oppened without moving the intercooler unless it was all fixed and the hole was simply in the boot lid.

Dunno if the 'performa' substance is all that good an idea. But if you can find out what nasa's studies were directed at using it for then we'd know. Or try it if possible. Surely water running over the intercooler (as in a chargecooler) is the most efficiant option. Anything seems less hastle and weight than a chargecooler though lol.

It's all interesting though. If you come up with some breaktrough though you'd be the toast of TB i'm sure ;)

Greg