Originally Posted by TheShodan

That's fine. I'm not worried about the numeric data charts really. Cerakote is not a very common material in most powder coating facilities. Cerakote was one of the ones we did for some rifles and other aluminum materials. We didn't see an improvement in the efficiency of heat exchange rate of the intercooler (I have to admit we only tested the temperature of the air before exchange and at the throttle body.)

Now, Tepid1 may have had a much better way to apply the measurements of the temperature changes at the site of the intercooler, but Cerakote's main purpose is for aluminum protection from scratches or damage, not for additional heat exchange efficiency.

Cerakote is in the same boat of Duracoat, and Moly Resin when it comes to protection of aluminum, but doesn't really assist in heat-exchange efficiency. However, many firearms sources agree that for the best protection, HA-III (hard anodized type 3) is the best process to use. The HA-III electro-chemical process "transforms" the external surfaces of the Aluminum, resulting in a new surface that is very tough, very resistant to scratches, salt, and many other chemicals. It is "the" best process for Al, and companies such as SureFire and others that do military gear always use this process to protect the Aluminum pieces.

But because anodizing comes in better colors and is applied differently than powdercoat, it satisfies most people's needs for aluminum protection and a nicer aesthetic look. If you want better exchange efficiency, than really, the best thing to do to an intercooler is.... nothing. Leave it alone.

Guys. Remember, the purpose of the intercooler is to lower engine cylinder pressure temperatures by an exchange of heated air created by the compression of air (by increasing the kinectic energy of the air molecules turbocharger to cooler air that enters into the combustion chamber) for cooler air. Intercoolers do not "dissipate" heat, even by definition. To dissipate is "to disperse or scatter" something, even as anomalous as heat created by the turbocharger's compressor.

An intercooler's purpose is not to disperse or scatter anything, but to exchange its air, using forced airflow from the outside through its fins to lower the temperature of the compressed air so that the air entering into the engine's air intake system does not increase engine cylinder temperatures that are already higher from the increased engine compression and combustion when turbocharging.

Originally Posted by tepid1

EDIT: I'm retracting my detailed response. I don't use an IC the same way everyone else does therefore it won't make sense to the masses. I'm done.

There is more than one way to achieve lower IAT's. That's really the desired result.

Originally Posted by turbohatch96y7

Fuuuuuck

I was relly hoping for you to respond...

Originally Posted by turbohatch96y7

I'm sure wind chill has nothing to do with ambient temp

Originally Posted by Str8 outta Cliff

After I go for a drive, the cold side of my intercooler feels cooler than ambient temp.

I'm not sure why this is, there's nothing special about it just plain old aluminum. It must have something to do with the thermal conductivity of aluminum, so I'm guessing if a coating can increase this conductivity it could also increase this "chilling" effect?

Originally Posted by SovXietday

You pretty much got it, everyone else keeps kinda dancing around the science around it but it's all about the thermal conductivity.

Thermal conductivity of air is very low, in fact in some instances it's used as an insulator (think some double pane windows).

However, aluminum's thermal conductivity is very high. What happens is that when you touch it, the heat from your fingers is transferred into the aluminum at a much faster rate.Your body senses the temperature of your skin, not of the aluminum, so when the heat from your body is being pulled away locally at a very high rate, it seems very cold.

That said, as has been stated, you will never be able to achieve lower than ambient temperatures. In fact, in all honesty, getting your outlet intake charge to be within 10 degrees of ambient is incredibly unlikely. Air to air heat transfer is driven mostly* by the temperature difference between the two mediums (otherwise known as Log Mean Temperature Difference). So as you get close to ambient temps your heat transfer starts to go away and you just won't be able to change the temperature very easily.

Water to air is a little different though.

*flow rates play a role in it too, but with the speed of a car always changing it's difficult to really put that into perspective.

Originally Posted by wantboost

I've seen people use ac systems to cool an air to water style core.

the small core is about equal to the size of the OEM ac core in the interior so it has no trouble maintaining constant cool temperatures, well below ambient. plus they have it setup where the compressor only activates under boost.

I might use an electric motor to run a small ac compressor and see how well it works... imagine IATs well under ambient all the time.

Originally Posted by dalek

A few questions trying to resurrect this zombie:

• Have any of you used temperature sensors in the cold side of your intercoolers to operate an electric fan? For Front-Mounted and Top-Mounted intercoolers, there was really no need to do so, as the the speed of the intake air coming into the flat side of the exchanger had much more velocity (after 25mph) than any additional electric fan can give.
• I saw such a setup long time ago in a Renault Fuego in a junkyard whose intercooler was in a rather awkward location. Even the Oldsmobile Aurora had an electric fan at the front of its air intake, and that car was Naturally Aspirated, and it was due to the same reason why you saw a fan on the old Fuego; because the exchanger was in an awkward location that had no direct access to incoming air, and therefore it was thought of at the last second. Many 1st Generation DSM Eclipse/Talons also had this device because it was side mounted.
• I have since then wondering if it would help those with a top mounted intercooler. Again, no, not really due to the location of the intercooler itself AND the fact that no fan would keep up with the speed of incoming air from just driving.
• What about pressure drops? How many do check that, as in intercooler-induced vs piping vs whatever? Pressure drop really comes from the quality of the core of the exchanger, and the endtanks. The surface area and size alone don't account for high vs. low pressure drop. It's really the efficiency of the fin and plate type that was noted IIRC Page 3
• I have an intercooler which I took to a radiator shop to be cleaned. In their infinite wisdom they decided to spray paint it, including the remains of duct tape I had covering the ports. How much damage to its efficiency have them done? And, can I safely undo their deed? It depends upon the type of paint they use. Usually Radiator paint doesn't cause any damage of any kind. If it's spread on too thick, however, it could cause a bit of soak. Not much you can do except to either use a chemical bath to remove it, or carefully sandblast it.