3 Common Intercooler Faults And Solutions
Intercoolers have been around for a long time. In automotive and aircraft use they are used to reduce the intake air temperature of turbocharged and mechanically supercharged engines. The diesel user community is more familiar with turbochargers and intercoolers than the entire gas user community. Turbochargers use the (often wasted) energy of the exhaust to spin the turbine wheel and compress the intake air. The problem is that compressing something, even air, generates heat. On top of this there is the heat from the exhaust gases used to spin the turbocharger. This also transfers heat to the intake volume. Of course, as the air-fuel charge heats up, it expands and becomes less dense. The reason for the intercooler is to increase the density of the incoming air. In short, cold air is denser and contains more oxygen. The more oxygen that is introduced, the more fuel is burned and the more complete the combustion. The end result is more power to the wheels using less...