Intercooler effects with low delta heat rise
 

In my setup I don't plan on running very much boost. The expected change in temperature should fall around in the 75*F range. I already plan on running water/alchy as an anti-detonation device.

I am wondering how helpful an intercooler would be. The addition of an intercooler of course costs extra cash, will complicate my project, and will soak up some boost. It isn't worth it if the water/alchy would already be doing the bulk of the job.

My question is if in my case an intercooler would make any significant difference. Is the water/alchy enough to do the job in a low boost situation?

On a typical summer day the intake temps will probably reach about 140-150*F under full boost. Is that enough heat for water/alchy to be a useful intercooler (seeing that isn't anywhere near the boiling point of water)? Would 100% methanol be a better choice if I am using it for both functions?

Thanks in advance for your help.

I don't think you find a system that will reliably support the use of 100% Methanol because of it's corrosive nature.

I've heard from quite a few people running 100% methonal with no ill effects.

No other comments though?

My main concern is that the heat of the air does not reach the evaporation point of water even on the hottest of days. The air will reach the temperature to evaporate straight methonal on a hot day however. From what I understand the cooling effect of water/alchy happens when the liquid becomes a gas (latent heat).

My main question is does the intercooling effect still work even if the heat of the intake air is lower than the heat needed to evaporate the liquid into a gas.

The cooling effect is definately maximised when you change the state of the liquid to a gas as most of the heat energy is used to do this state change, however you will still see the cooling benefits at lower than flash point on the water or even water / meth mix.

You also need to remember that the mixture injected into the intake charge is not just to cool it down, it is also used to help 'buffer' the flame front in the combustion process, in effect slow it down a little and make it more controllable. This will help to enable advanced timing and / or less fuel to be utilised and help to get the peak cylinder pressure to a point where it gives the best benefit.

To answer your original question, the intercooler may help, but depending on what compressor you use, what efficiency range you are in with your boost levels, what pressure differential the intercooler will give and thus what the efficiency range the compressor would now be in it may help, or it may actually just put you back to square one.

The other question is, where will the intercooler be mounted, if it is front mounted away from latent heat then you would be ok, but if it is top mounted over the engine you may suffer heat soak during periods of standstill or slow moving. This could be a distinct disadvantage depending upon application.

Also the 100% meth, well depends on the application, the percentage of meth to fuel and how you use the car. As long as you know the meth to fuel ratio and tune the car accordingly you should be ok. Also ensuring that you keep a close eye on all parts of the water injection system for signs of any problems / blockages.

Cheers
Brett

(WI newbie: All answers are my opinion and may not be factual :P )