land-speed
[Top] [All Lists]

RE: Intercooler Icing

To: "'Elon Ormsby'" <ormsby1@llnl.gov>, land-speed@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: Intercooler Icing
From: "Albaugh, Neil" <albaugh_neil@ti.com>
Date: Fri, 6 Dec 2002 09:51:54 -0600
Elon;

I just want to make sure nobody misunderstood what I wrote-- NEVER fool
around with liquid helium! Too dangerous!

Regards, Neil     Tucson, AZ


-----Original Message-----
From: Elon Ormsby [mailto:ormsby1@llnl.gov]
Sent: Thursday, December 05, 2002 6:44 PM
To: land-speed@autox.team.net
Subject: Intercooler Icing


My apologies for bringing up a subject that was fairly well worked over a 
couple of weeks ago but a lingering problem was never addressed.

Suggestions about the cooling medium being LN, LHe, might be useful for 
some but don't work for me.  I'm not criticizing these ideas because they 
pack a lot of cooling into a small space which can be an advantage in a 
cramped car. However,  I haven't found a source for LN in Wendover and 
carrying a 600 lb LN Dewar (that looses 5-10% a day) ain't attractive. The 
cost of LHe is out of the question for me. The different slurry ideas (CO2, 
alky, etc) are interesting (your mileage may vary) but I would still like 
to design an ice-cube-water system.

So here is the fundamental problem. Anytime you cool the incoming air down 
to (or below) the dew point you are going to get icing in the part of the 
air passages where it is slightly cooler.  I am not worried about the 
throttle plates (or Dave's trick slide valves) because if, designed right, 
all of the condensation (or icing) would take place somewhere else. Only 
ambient, or cool "DRY" air should arrive at the injectors or butterflies. 
Since a drag car only sees full CFM for 6-8 seconds there is little time 
for icing. But a "full-pull" LSR has a problem.  Since the dew point 
changes daily, keeping temps "slightly" above it would create a tuning 
nightmare. So how do you prevent ice from clogging up the air passages? I 
realize sizes will depend on application but do all intercoolers run temps 
"significantly" ABOVE the dew point?  Does anybody have any design ideas or 
drawings?  -Elon

///  unsubscribe/change address requests to majordomo@autox.team.net  or try
///  http://www.team.net/mailman/listinfo
///  Archives at http://www.team.net/archive/land-speed
///  what is needed.  It isn't that difficult, folks.


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>