water cooled boost

[windrover]

I was considering increasing my air intercooler size on my 2.8l tgv. a client mentioned to look into water cooling instead of air cooling. so I am wondering if anyone has experience using a water/methanol cooling system on intake air as a way of improving fuel efficiency and increasing boost. snow performance is a link that I have looked at.

[landroversforever]

I think this is called charge cooling(EDIT:would appear air-air and air-water can both be called charge cooling!)? I may be wrong though. There was an orange Bowler Wildcat with this in LRM a few months ago. IIRC it was built by Allisport. HTH.

Sorry, EDIT again. (I really should read properly!). Do you mean water cooling the intake air, enclosing the intercooler in water. Or do you mean injecting water into the intake, water injection?

Edited December 14, 2010 by landroversforever

[Exmoor Beast]

or spraying water onto the intercooler to chill it?

Intelligent Intercooler spray

Will

[nicks90]

if you are meaning an air to water intercooler instead of an air to air intercooler (which you currently have) - then its alot of complication for little benefit.

there are advantages, air to water charge cooling is more efficient and you can use a smaller intercooler and hence get less turbo lag for a simillar charge temp drop. It wont affect peak boost though, thats set on your turbo. But it is a more complicated system, as the water from the charge cooler needs to be pumped and cooled down by a conventional radiator and fan - just like your engine coolant.

Is it worth it? Depends if you have the room in the engine bay for it, can warrant the extra weight and complication for the reduced turbo lag and the cost. Just look at the vehicles that actually use this system - mustang cobra, shelby gt500, ford lightning - oh and marine engines where getting air into the engine bay is hard, but theres plenty of cold water to cool it.

Nick

[FridgeFreezer]

Looking at the fitting instructions he's talking about injecting water/methanol into the intake manifold.

[fozsug]

http://www.snowperformance.net/faqs_type.php?type=diesel

[Diff]

Jim Attril on this site did it a year ago, and it has been discussed a few times. Have a read:

http://forums.lr4x4....showtopic=26450

http://forums.lr4x4....showtopic=29572

http://forums.lr4x4....showtopic=31416

http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=34188&st=0&p=332677&hl=methanol&fromsearch=1entry332677

http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=44213&hl=methanol&st=0

Regards,

Diff

[TheRecklessEngineer]

Funnily enough, this has been shown to solve the ring gumming issue when running a direct injection engine on vegetable oil.

Have a read of this

[Adam001]

Funnily enough, this has been shown to solve the ring gumming issue when running a direct injection engine on vegetable oil.

Have a read of this

Now that is interesting!

[muddychris300tdi]

Wouldn't you get better results from propane injection?

[windrover]

thanks for the replies...I need to do some more reading. because the 2.8l has a mechanical injection pump, unlike the td5, I am not sure how the water injection is timed.

[nicks90]

you could use a boost activated switch - so that the water injection only comes on under certain boost conditions, eg 15psi and above.

[gsr341]

ive thought of using it on my 300tdi challenge truck as i want to remove the intercooler , as its doing bugger all in challenge situation anyway .

thought if i could inject a water/ethenol mix in the the inlest plenum it could possable keep inlet temps down a few degrees ?

[Troll Hunter]

Have you considerd keeping your intercooler and adding an electric fan to blow/suck air through it even when the vehicle is stationary? I have this set-up, with the fan coming on automatically with the ignition. I can't give you figures on its effect, but from touch (vehicle stationary and bonnet up) there is a significant increase in manifold temperature if I switch the fan off (there's an over-ride switch).

Mike

[windrover]

that's a good thought, I could mount a small electric fan in front of the intercooler, wouldn't interfere with the viscous fan.

[Warthog]

that's a good thought, I could mount a small electric fan in front of the intercooler, wouldn't interfere with the viscous fan.

If the vehicle isnt goin to see mud? Then surely just a performance itercooler would be best?

If its gonna be chucked in mud? The intercooler is just gonna be jammed with Sh^T and the electric fan will be very hard pushed to be of benefit

[ludylandy]

or spraying water onto the intercooler to chill it?

Before the kids came along I had a Fiat Coupe 20v turbo. This was tried by a forum member over there and made no difference in performance or charge temperatures.

I don't have any experience of tuning diesel engines but my experience from the Coupe forum was that in terms of charge cooling the best gains were made from 1st improving the stock intercooler, then charge cooling with water and then water injection. Only highly tuned engines running boost levels in excess of 19psi went down the water injection route and then only after the other improvements.

ive thought of using it on my 300tdi challenge truck as i want to remove the intercooler , as its doing bugger all in challenge situation anyway .

Intercoolers are obviously at their most efficient when air is flowing over them but they will act as a heat sink when the air around them is more static. As long as the engine isn't constantly on boost then the heat sink effect will be of benefit.