Air/air vs Water/air intercooling.

[rpmag]

Laminova (Opcon):

http://www.opconab.com/index.asp?langID=1&cID=15&spage=1

clain good performance and they are certainly an unusual thing to hold in your hand, with such slim fins and tight tolerances.
Can anyone suggest some shortcommings from such a design? How would such a system avoid the heat soak issues that afflict an air/air IC in motorsport?

 

[MikeHalloran]

The fins appear to be cut from the solid; I'd guess an occasional chip might appear downstream.

The air passages are necessarily circuitous. The air flows through a number of relatively long semicircular channels that each measure 0.3mm x 3 or 4.25mm. They do not claim low pressure drop on the air side.

Look closely at the last illustration in "intercooler.pdf". Notice how much smaller the cross- sectional air flow area at the cooler entrance is than the cross- sectional area of the intake manifold in the illustration. I.e., the packaging density that suits the technology well to liquid- liquid cooling may not accrue in liquid- air cooling. The intercooler application appears to be conjectural; I'd expect a developed version to occupy substantial volume.





Mike Halloran
NOT speaking for
DeAngelo Marine Exhaust Inc.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA

 

[finman]

The fins look too small to me to be that efficient and the route for the air flow looks a bit to tortuous to be "Pressure drop" thrifty.

Take a look at Titan-lite.com
Extremely accurate, with the benefit of filling the hole unlike the cylindrical units from Laminova.