The Diesel discussion is becoming hotter with many of carefee opinions being thrown around. Maybe we need an intercooler :) This is how it works: The exhaust gases are used to drive a turbine which adds air pressure to the intake side of the engine. This allows a more rapid filling of the combustion chamber rather than letting the piston do all the work through suction. The drawback is that this turbine gets hot and heats up the intake air (coming through the air filter) therefore making it less dense and reducing the effiency of the process. An intercooler is basically a heat exchanger which cools down the intake air after the turbocharger and before it enters the cylinder head to increase the density of the gases. This allows for more energy in the combustion process with appropriate adjustment of fuel injection. The coolant which is heated up in the exchange is then cooled through another radiator by exchanging temperature with air. Cool, isn't it? :)
Björn Björn Ratjen, Ph.D. Mill Bay, B.C. Canada ph/fax (250) 743-7575 |
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