Intercoolers, found in turbo or supercharged engines, provide much-needed cooling that improves the performance and efficiency of the engine. Before we explain how they work, we’ll explain why you might need one.
For the sake of simplicity, we’ll stick to engines that use turbochargers with internal combustion engines as an example. A turbocharger engine produces a lot of heat while compressing ambient air, which it does to help squeeze more air into the engine.
More air means you can burn more fuel and get more power (among other benefits such as fuel efficiency and reduced waste). That may sound simple enough, but compressed air gets very hot, which means it loses density and therefore carries less oxygen.
Oxygen is vital for combustion of the fuel and air mixture. The compressed air needs to be cooled to increase density and oxygen — this is where the Intercooler comes in.
Natrad has a large range of intercoolers for performance vehicles or engines that need a little extra ‘oomph’. Get in touch with us for expert advice and fantastic service.
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CONTACT USA forced induction engine is not uncommon in high-performance, modern passenger and commercial vehicle applications. It has many benefits while remaining lightweight, which is a big bonus, particularly for racing.
However, all that compressed air can reach over 205 ° C in extreme conditions. As we mentioned before, hot compressed air isn’t great for combustion. That’s where an intercooler comes in to cool the air temperature.
The intercooler achieves this by cooling the air down before it enters the engine and combustion chamber. The cooling process may differ depending on what kind of intercooler it is.
An intercooler is a heat exchanger, and — much like a radiator — it uses tubes and fins to get rid of unwanted heat. There are two main types of intercoolers:
Air-to-air intercoolers are the most common application for everyday vehicles as it’s a very simple system that is processed by:
It usually relies on ambient airflow and additional air ducts from the front of the car to flow through the intercooler and cool the compressed air down, much like a radiator.
Main benefits:
An air-to-water intercooler is far more complex, but they are becoming increasingly popular in cars due to higher efficiency. The process works like this:
Given there are two circuits carrying air or coolant, this usually requires more components and fittings, such as hoses. As such, air-to-water intercoolers can be a little expensive but are still highly effective, particularly in applications where vehicle speed may be slower.
One potential problem includes the risk of heat soak, where there is a build-up of residual heat near the engine and not enough cooling ability to reduce the temperature.
This can generally be solved by increasing the flow of coolant so that it can dissipate heat faster.
Main benefits:
As discussed above, there are a few things to watch out for with intercoolers. Luckily, most of these are easy fixes, but it’s not hard to fit a replacement should you need it. Common intercooler faults include (but are not limited to):
If you’re looking to repair your intercooler, Natrad workshops across Australia can help. If repairing is not a sustainable option, Natrad also has a range of intercooler parts or custom-made alternatives.
We have access to Australia's largest range of engine cooling and air conditioning parts.
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