Stand-anlone intercooler coolant?

[E55er]

what is the lowest operating temp coolant/mixture i can use to lower iat for my supercharged car. its a stand alone system and is not integrated into the engines cooling system. i have water wetter but am looking for something shockingly cool. thanks

 

[patprimmer]

Liquid nitrogen is real cold, and never freezes ;-)

Regards

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[E55er]

unfortunately cant use anything that would give off condensation. youre probably kidding though.

 

[patprimmer]

Yes I was kidding.

I think you asked the wrong question, that's why there are no answers.

I think, maybe you mean to ask "what can I add to water to lower it's freezing point".

Maybe you meant to ask "what can I add to water to improve it's heat transfer properties".

Maybe you meant something else. It is not at all clear to me.

How do you intend to use this coolant?

Most engineers here would sooner spend their time trying to solve a problem rather than teaching you how to define the problem in a clear and concise way.

Regards

eng-tips, by professional engineers for professional engineers
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[IRstuff]

Far as I know, there really isn't anything better, at least, for the temperature ranges that are typical for an automobile.

As for nitrogen, even that has a freezing point. Interestly, it's actually very close to its boiling point, 63K vs. 77K.

Liquid sodium is supposedly pretty useful as coolant in nuclear reactors, though...

TTFN

 

[pennpoint]

Well you could use CO2 at -109F, BUT and its a big "BUT" you can create dry ice in the inlet of the turbo for sure. Thats a bad thing. The bottle size is just like an uninsulated oxygen bottle unlike a dewar for LN2. Safer? You need to decide. There are 300psi and 900psi options available.
Investigate all your options, this one may be the least of them.
Good Luck
pennpoint

 

[IRstuff]

Most cryofluids are inappropriate for this type of application, since the coldwall/liquid interface will tend to cause boiling of the cryofluid, at which time the thermal transfer coefficient goes to pot.

TTFN

 

[E55er]

ok, heres how my system works. there is a reservoir tank where fluid goes to a primary heat exchanger at front of the car. air rushes by and cools it. im adding a secondary heat exchanger to that to cool it more. than goes to the primary intercooler sitting under the supercharger with a direct path to the intake. so, nothing that emits condensation can be used. so im trying to use something that keeps the water/mixture cooler than if it were just water alone. or better than water wetter brand plus water. if the sodium mentioned in fact has sodium in it that parts are aluminum and rubber so salt wont work. thanks for the input guys, this is a great site.

 

[patprimmer]

Do you intend cooling the secondary heat exchanger with ambient air.

If so is it in front of all other heat exchangers.

If it is cooled with ambient air only, you cannot get the coolant below the ambient air temperature, no matter what coolant you use.

What's wrong with condensation in the manifold. We run methanol in our race car, and there is considerable condensation on the manifold at times. This has never produced any ill effects.

Regards

eng-tips, by professional engineers for professional engineers
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[sbi]

HMm I thought that is why I used gycol ( aka anti freeze) beside the fact it helps me survive -50F in hte winter it alows the water to transfer more heat away from hte motor?

SBI
Central Ne.,USA

 

[mburgess]

Just as an aside these was a touring car team a few years ago in that took a bit of liberty with the rules.
Rule was that a CO2 fire extinguisher was to be mounted in the engine bay and be able to be triggered from the drivers seat in advent of an engine bay fire. Thing was that they would point the outlet at the intercooler and use its effects during qualifying.

Regards,
MB