Colder Intercooler Fluid
Colder Intercooler Fluid I want to run a colder liquid in my intercooler, like alcohol. (rubbing alcohol) I know that it boils at 190* but considering I have never seen intercooler temps get this high is it a viable option? I say alcohol because it seems to cool faster and stay at a much cooler temp when compared to any other liquid in the room.
I realize it can't be used in the radiator but considering the intercooler has no moving parts and is basically a bonus why couldn't this work?
I'm sure there is some aspect to this that I'm missing otherwise everyone would already be doing it, right?
Lets here the facts and opiions.
I realize it can't be used in the radiator but considering the intercooler has no moving parts and is basically a bonus why couldn't this work?
I'm sure there is some aspect to this that I'm missing otherwise everyone would already be doing it, right?
Lets here the facts and opiions.
An intercooler fluids ability to cool is based on its ability to absorb heat.
Water has the highest specific heat capacity of all common fluids, so it will remove more heat per a given volume than anything else commonly available.
Alcohol feels cold because it is evaporating, not for any other reason. It will not do this in a closed environment. Do not mistake evaporative cooling with heat transfer ability. If you want evaporative cooling, get alcohol injection.
The only added benefit would be another fluid with similar cooling qualities that will support temps below the freezing point of water. This way you could subcool the fluid below 32F for short periods & potentially get cooler air temps. Some antifreeze will lower the freeze point, but also reduce the effectiveness of the water, so some experimentation may be needed to find the optimum ratio. This is also not of benefit (and can be a hindrance) unless you actually get the coolant below 32F (otherwise water is the way to go). Obviously this is worthless in anything but a few second drag race, but can get a few HP for a very short period. It can also require a larger cooler as the reduced heat transfer ability of different fluids, can require more intercooler surface area, plus increased flow rates & a larger reservoir to work well.
If you are running a Vortech aftercoooler, all this is meaningless as the coolant is aircooled anyway & you are back to using water.
Water has the highest specific heat capacity of all common fluids, so it will remove more heat per a given volume than anything else commonly available.
Alcohol feels cold because it is evaporating, not for any other reason. It will not do this in a closed environment. Do not mistake evaporative cooling with heat transfer ability. If you want evaporative cooling, get alcohol injection.
The only added benefit would be another fluid with similar cooling qualities that will support temps below the freezing point of water. This way you could subcool the fluid below 32F for short periods & potentially get cooler air temps. Some antifreeze will lower the freeze point, but also reduce the effectiveness of the water, so some experimentation may be needed to find the optimum ratio. This is also not of benefit (and can be a hindrance) unless you actually get the coolant below 32F (otherwise water is the way to go). Obviously this is worthless in anything but a few second drag race, but can get a few HP for a very short period. It can also require a larger cooler as the reduced heat transfer ability of different fluids, can require more intercooler surface area, plus increased flow rates & a larger reservoir to work well.
If you are running a Vortech aftercoooler, all this is meaningless as the coolant is aircooled anyway & you are back to using water.
Last edited by Lonnies Performance; Aug 16, 2009 at 10:37 AM.
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if you plan on super cooling the water below 32*F, then i would go with a 80/20 of water methanol. that should be good to around 15 degrees before it starts to slush.
i know this cuz i deal with super cooling water on a daily basis in the geothermal industry as we pull so much heat away that it actually pulls the water below freezing and we use methanol to counter act this. 80* water/20* methanol. dont try anything else as it is to viscous and will not flow very well.
just my thoughts. but the thoughts that we given by lonnie are exact, water is the best fluid for heat transfer. Period. just fyi, it also conducts sound and electricity better then any other fluid as well.
i know this cuz i deal with super cooling water on a daily basis in the geothermal industry as we pull so much heat away that it actually pulls the water below freezing and we use methanol to counter act this. 80* water/20* methanol. dont try anything else as it is to viscous and will not flow very well.
just my thoughts. but the thoughts that we given by lonnie are exact, water is the best fluid for heat transfer. Period. just fyi, it also conducts sound and electricity better then any other fluid as well.
Just thought I'd make that clarification.
