DiMora's Intercooling system upgrade - Operation Iceman

DiMora

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DiMora's Intercooling system upgrade - Operation Iceman:

Big picture:

  • The cooler the intake air, the more dense it is.
  • More dense air = more fuel added to that dense air (at a given A/F ratio) = more power.
  • More power = winning. More is better. Unless you have too much power - but let's not go there.
  • Unless you use meth injection, nitrous, or a freon-based chiller setup (or an ice box) you cannot have cooler intake air than ambient.

I am neither an engineer or a physicist, and I did not sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I have studied this topic ad-nauseum. I am going to avoid posting formulas to keep it simple, but suffice to say that physics and engineering formulas back up what I am a about state.

Step one is to get the coolest ambient air sucked into the intake that we possibly can. Operation Snuffleupagus will cover that later on. Kenne Bell is a big believer in this concept, re-locating the filter to the passenger side fenderwell. Again, I'll address that in another thread on another day when I have more time.

Step two is to make our intercooler as efficient as possible, extracting the largest amount of heat from the hot intake air as possible. That is what this thread is all about.

For purposes of this discussion, once you select a blower / intercooler combo, the intercooler's surface area is pretty much "set". Some blowers may have an intercooler upgrade available (GT500, for example). The bottom line here is a bigger intercooler is better (higher Delta-T).

In this discussion, we can improve the ability of system's intercooler to extract heat by changing the fluid that flows through the system, the flow rate of the fluid, or the temp change capability of the heat exchanger by varying its surface area or the airflow that is passed through it.

Let's talk about system fluid first: Chosen fluid is going to be water, water+water wetter, or water+glycol for most of us. "Fluid factor (FF)" is the chosen fluid's ability to carry heat.

  • Water+water wetter is going to have the largest FF, but the down-side is it can freeze.
  • Straight water does not have as big an FF as water+water wetter, and it can freeze, so that would be our last choice.
  • Water+water wetter+~30% glycol is a good trade-off. We get freeze and corrosion protection, while not sacrificing too much of the FF that water+water wetter provides. Moving to a higher % of glycol (over 30 to 50%) adds more freeze protection but lowers FF.

Flow rate (F) is going to be controlled by the intercooler pump we choose and the overall system restriction. Adding a bigger pump, if flow rate cannot increase, will only increase system pressure. With that stated, on all Mustang I/C systems I have seen, adding a bigger pump ALWAYS improves flow rate. 5 GPM, 10 GPM...50GPM...bigger always adds to a higher flow rate. Teh Meziere 50 GPM is the biggest I am aware of.

Temp change (DeltaT) capability of the heat exchanger itself (temp drop from inlet to outlet) is governed by size of the heat exchanger (surface area), total air flow through it, and the temp of the air flowing through it.
  • Cooler air flowing through HEX will = more DeltaT
  • Faster air flowing through HEX will = more DeltaT
  • A larger surface area of the HEX = more DeltaT

I'll summarize with some simple facts:
  • A bigger heat exchanger with lots of cool air flowing through it will help the system remove more heat from the fluid.
  • Flowing fluid at a faster rate through your IC system will help remove more heat from your intercooler, which is our end-goal (means intake air charge is cooler, which means more power).
  • Choosing a system fluid can impact its ability to transfer heat.

With an understanding of the above, here is what I have done. There are still improvements to be made by going all-out on some of these mods, which I will eventually do:

1) Intercooler pump upgrade. The Bosch unit that came with my Roush is small. I can post up flow rates, and references to guys doing bucket flow rate tests and fully restricted system flow tests, but I want this thread to be simple. A bigger pump flows more fluid. I chose a 20 GPM Meziere. Like this:

IMG_7049-vi.jpg


I modded a Saleen intercooler pump bracket to mount it to:

IMG_7085-vi.jpg


How much bigger is it than the Bosch? I took it apart to find out:

Meziere on left, Bosch on right. Not even close in size:

IMG_7059-vi.jpg


IMG_7062-vi.jpg


2) Heat exchanger upgrade: I chose an Afco dual pass:

IMG_7046-vi.jpg


Stacked:

IMG_7047-vi.jpg


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3) Cooling system quantity change: This is a double-edged sword. Cool fluid takes longer to heat up, but once it is hot, it takes longer to cool down (heat soak). The main reason I went with a big reservoir is that I wanted the ability to add ice to my fluid for drag-racing:

Before:

IMG_7086-vi.jpg


After:

IMG_7097-vi.jpg


Meziere feeding Afco:

IMG_7091-vi.jpg


I also drilled out the inlets and outlets in the brass fitting on my intercooler tank to minimize restriction and have the highest fluid flow-rates possible. Please disregard my heinous (and very nasty looking) thumb-nail injury:

IMG_2871-vi.jpg


IMG_2872-vi.jpg


What did it do for me?

BEFORE:

At 84 degrees environmental ambient and 45% humidity, and cruising at 55MPH, my Aeroforce showed the following ambient vs. intake temps:


100/127
102/131 peak
102/130
104/127
105/129

You can see that is a rise of ~ 23-29 degrees.

After the upgrades (78 degree day. 47% humidity, same 55 MPH cruise speed):

108/123
109/124
109/126 peak

You can see that is a rise of ~ 15-17 degrees.

So, my upgrades dropped my IAT's by (best case) 14 degrees and (worst case) 6 degrees.

However, the real beauty, which I could only show if I had datalogged, is that RECOVERY time is a lot less. Once the system is heat soaked, and airflow starts again through the heat exchanger(car moving) my IAT's drop rapidly. I might see 145-150 sitting in traffic, but once the car moves, I rapidly drop down to 125-127 when it is 80 degrees out and rather humid.

Future upgrades will include:

  • Either an dual fan heat exchanger to combat heat soak when the car is stationary (traffic, staging lanes) - I plan on Afco or the new Steeda triple-pass. I need to do more research to see which is better.
  • A 50 GPM Meziere pump (which is more noisy).

Whey did I initially do a fanless Afco and a 20 GPM pump? - it was a used package deal from Sactown Steve - He made me an offer I could not refuse.

Also, thanks to TMColegr for some tech tips and discussion.
 
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weather man

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If the pump is solid mounted and makes some noise, I think gmitch used some readily available bushings to quiet down.

Nice upgrade!
 

DiMora

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If the pump is solid mounted and makes some noise, I think gmitch used some readily available bushings to quiet down.

Nice upgrade!

It's not bad at all. My longtubes and Roush extreme exhaust offset the noise it makes. My car is definitely noisy, but I kind of like the noise it adds to the symphony of power.

I did actually try those isolators...bought them at Grainger. They were a little too soft and space was a little too tight to use them in my application, but they do have potential - especially if you go with the big 50GPM Meziere and think the noise is too obtrusive.

I'll eventually add the 50 GPM unit - this is a stop-gap measure.
 

DiMora

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I did some cold weather testing today... we had snow flurries in Atlanta today with nice dry roads. After the snow quit, with a Weather Channel reported ambient of 36 degrees, I had an AeroForce indicated ambient temp of 69-71 once everything warmed up and an IAT of ~82-86 in steady state cruise at 60-70 MPH MPH.

My lowest temp rise was 11 degrees, and my max was 15 degrees:

photo-vi.jpg


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Recovery time is amazing - after a stop-light sit and a heat-soak to 104 degrees, look how quick it recovers to 91/93 degrees ( I have it plumbed to send coolant from the heat exchanger direct to the intercooler):

<object width="480" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/K8I15bNGmSk?hl=en_US&amp;version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/K8I15bNGmSk?hl=en_US&amp;version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="360" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

As amazing as the recovery is, this is why I want fans. Why get heat soaked in the first place?
 

Scott

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DiMora, great thread. Just wondering was there a reason you did not go with the AFCO Heat Exchanger with dual fans?
 

DiMora

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DiMora, great thread. Just wondering was there a reason you did not go with the AFCO Heat Exchanger with dual fans?

Picked this one up used in a big package deal with lots of other goodies...will eventually sell this one and get the Afco Dual fan or the new Steeda 3X pass with fans.
 

Paps

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This is what i'm looking for since 2 weeks! Good thread.
But, i think Tests would be more accurate when outside temps are the same.
If it's colder outside, the faster it will recover from a sitting or whatever.
 

Scott

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Picked this one up used in a big package deal with lots of other goodies...will eventually sell this one and get the Afco Dual fan or the new Steeda 3X pass with fans.

Thanks, makes sense. I just ordered the Meziere Pump part number WP136S last Tuesday and I have the AFCO HE part number 80280PRO waiting patiently to be installed.
 

SUHleen

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I've been told by many people now if I run the 55 gpm unit, I may cause the car to overheat because the coolant is moving so fast and the pressure will not be right. They recommended I go with the 20 gpm unit unless I plan on making more than 1000 hp. I have a Kenne Bell which is notorious for heat soak, what do you guys recommend? I don't have a huge coolant system but I do have the Afco H/E and a little bit larger expansion tank. I'd love to save $200 on the pump but I want to do it once and do it right.

BTW, I'm guessing I will be around 650 wheel
 

Fullboogie

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I doubt that, since Lethal sells a kit with the dual fan Afco and the 55gpm pump.
 

DiMora

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Update - February 27,2015 - Steeda Triple Pass Heat Exchanger added

February 27, 2015: Operation Iceman continues...

I'll leave this here..., LOL: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xk75ps_iceman-the-later-years_shortfilms

Anyway, I ditched the Afco double pass in favor of a fan-equipped Steeda Triple-Pass setup last weekend. My goal is to mitigate rising IAT's (and pulled timing) when the car is stationary and maintain all my power in all street driving conditions, as well as when in the staging lanes at the track.

I won't get into every little detail, but needless to say I raised the front of the car, pulled the front forward-most splash-guards from the front wheel-wells, un-plugged the fog-lights and removed the front Roush bumper.

Next, I drained the coolant by disconnecting the hoses from my Afco double-pass.

Setting up the Steeda triple-pass was a bit of a pain due to a lack of adequate hardware supplied by Steeda. More on that later...

The unit itself is VERY nice...it is polished aluminum and is made by CSF. It features a pair of 11" SPAL fans that flow 800 CFM each:

http://csfrace.com/

http://www.spalautomotive.com/eng/products/view_axial.aspx?id=VA11-AP7_C-57A

Unboxing - the fans are not attached at the factory:

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The fans:

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The unit comes with bolts lightly threaded into the fan mounts:

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Each fan bolt (4 per fan/ 8 total) comes with a split-washer and a flat washer. Once you add the thickness of the fan-mount tabs...you are UNABLE to use the supplied hardware. Steeda FAIL.

The supplied bolts are M6-1.0x12 with 6MM washers.

What is actually NEEDED are some M6-1.0x14 or 15MM bolts, but hardware stores don;t carry those, so I went with Lowes "Hillman" Stainless steel bolts at M6-1.0x16MM bolts with a single split washer and TWO flat washers. Add another $14.00 in hardware to the retail $750.00 heat exchanger:

IMG_8585-vi.jpg


Pics of what was supplied vs. what was needed:

IMG_8581-vi.jpg


I was of course absolutely POSITIVE I did not choose bolts that were so long that they would impact the fins or cooling channels:

IMG_8582-vi.jpg


After the bolt-length debacle, it was time to install. Steeda supplies four M8x1.25x30MM bolts and four washers: Two small diameter washers and two big diameter washers. Again, Steeda FAIL on hardware. When you look through the front of the bumper, what you really need to get a good "base" before the bolt-head is a large diameter washer, but Steeda supplied small diameter washers for under the bolt-head. Another trip to the hardware store was in order to "do it right". This time I hit Home Depot:

IMG_8587-vi.jpg


I installed the Steeda-supplied large-diameter washers under the bolt-heads in the front of the bumper...

IMG_8590-vi.jpg


Then I installed the heat exchanger, the Home-Depot washers pictured above, and then the Steeda-supplied locking flange-nut:

IMG_8588-vi.jpg


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Before buttoning things up, I decided I wanted to add some screen material to the front of my Roush fascia to mitigate damage caused by flying rocks, etc...so I found the following at Home Depot: Rain gutter leaf guard screen. I used linesmen pliers, a piece of wood and a rubber mallet to flatten it, then I cut it to shape and bent it to fabricate a guard, which I then riveted to the opening:

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I then ran all the wires:
Two ground wires go to the existing passenger side ground bolts
Two power wires to to the fuse box (equipped with in-line fuse holders) - NOt pictured, but mounted under red plastic power wire guard on fuse-box.
Two relays mount to the headlight lower bolts on the pass side


Ground bolts top left:

IMG_8605-vi.jpg


Relays:

IMG_8604-vi.jpg


I checked the fan for proper operation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eugPOFv8dyo

I filled and burped the coolant tank, then did a flow-test with my Meziere 20GPM pump. My system flows precisely 1.75 gallons every 30 seconds, or 3.5 gallons per minute:

IMG_8594-vi.jpg


By comparison, my Afco dual pass flowed 1.5 Gallons every 30 seconds, or 3GPM (I tested the Afco dual-pass before I pulled it). So, the Steeda triple-pass is .5 gallon per minute less restrictive vs. the Afco dual pass:

IMG_8592-vi.jpg


I made sure the battery voltage was the same each time by hooking it up to my batt charger and verifying voltage - both were at about 13.5 volts each time. At vehicle running voltage (14.4) the pump will flow even more.

I checked for leaks, zip-tied all harnesses, re-installed the fascia after removing the tow-ring and cutting a small rectangle in my new mesh for the tow-hook mount to pass through, installed the splash guards, radiator cover and wheels:

IMG_8608-vi.jpg


IMG_8609-vi.jpg


All-in-all, I am VERY pleased with the quality of this unit, and it was easy to install.

The harness is plug-and-play if you have a GT500; IN my case, I cut off the Bosch pump in-line pigtail and soldered the trigger wire straight to the feed wire on my Meziere. Other than that and the hardware issues, it was virtually plug-and-play.

I do think it is cheesy that Steeda designs and has produced such a nice unit but then screws up ~$20.00 worth of hardware, which wastes the installer's time and causes frustration. If they fix the hardware issue, the unit will be perfect.

I almost went with the new VMP triple-pass unit (which is made by Afco and has 1" bigger fans), but it is $50.00 more, Justin did not give me as good a price as Steeda offered me, and I did not care for the driver's side outlet configuration on the VMP unit. It may be fine, but I was concerned I might have clearance issues. VMP's unit:

attachment.php


If VMP's unit is really bigger, coupled with the 12" fans it has could make it superior to the Steeda. This purchase could have gone either way, but in the end, Steeda won my business - and a ModFather write-up - by cutting me a better deal.


-Shane
 

Dubstep Shep

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I don't know WTF Steeda was thinking on the fan bolts. They're basically impossible to get in.

Fortunately I keep a bolt kit around so I just used the next length up.

Good to see everything coming along so nicely!
 

DiMora

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Operation IceMan continues...

This has been a slow process; I've had the Stewart EMP pump a couple of weeks now, but when custom-fabbing stuff, you have to take your time and do it right.

I have had my supercharger coolant pump on the passenger side of the car ever since I ditched the original Roush pump and heat exchanger (which was on the driver's side). I have a Snow Performance Meth pump on the driver's side now, and the way the Steeda Triple-Pass heat exchanger that I now run is set up, it is best for the pump to be on the Passenger side since the heat exchanger inlet (bottom inlet) is on the pass side. By the way, if you run your pump on the driver's side, I would recommend the VMP triple-pass since the outlet orientation is inlet on driver's side.

Anyway, I had bought a bunch of car parts from someone a few years back and in the lot was a Saleen(?) pump and pump bracket. That poor bracket has been cut and welded three times as I keep changing pumps when better stuff comes out...I went from a Bosch to a Meziere 20GPM and now to this Stewart EMP.

My master plan was to run -20AN fittings everywhere (including on the pump itself) with 1.25" lines.

The reality is there is not enough room for me to do that with where things need to be mounted. I would have to buy a new heat exchanger with outlets oriented like the Afco. Since I already have ~$800 in the Steeda triple pass and it has been a good piece, I want to keep it.

I had to manage my expectations and drop down to 1" lines and -16AN fittings...sort of. I am going to have a local TIG welder add -20AN O-ring bungs to my heat exchanger as well as my Canton icebox - that way I am future-proof, since you guys know I can't stop modding things, and then I am going to add these really cool C&R Racing 78-00007 -20AN O-Ring bungs and AFCO AFC-80072 -20AN O-Ring to -16AN male nipples and Fragola -16AN to barb fittings (209016-BL and203016-BL).

I'll also use either Pegasus racing silicone hoses or Fragola Push-Lok 1" hoses.

Pegasus racing also has these really cool hose-splicers that are very thin, made of aluminum, and that allow you to link up hoses with various bends and create your own radius as needed without kinking things. I'm also using Pegasus racing 1" to 3/4" tapered silicone hoses to "neck down" the plumbing to the intercooler itself.

Here's some pics of the parts on order:

cir7800007_ml-vi.jpg


afc80072_ml-vi.jpg

fra203010bl_ml-vi.jpg


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Here's my pump bracket fabrication:

Mock-up with a tack weld:

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With a coat of paint:

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Super-tight clearances:

IMG_1175-vi.jpg


I'll finish getting the pump mounted today. The Pegasus plumbing should arrive tomorrow and my Summit order arrives in a few days; once I know it will all work-out, I'll pull out the Canton icebox and the heat exchanger, grind-out the openings for the -20AN rings, and get those to the welder. More pics to follow!
 

DiMora

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By the way...I'd fix the pics, but this site won't let me edit my older posts. The broken pics I think were a result of one of the S197forum software updates. The posts with my pics intact on the older posts are on my personal forum if anyone wants to see them.
 

DiMora

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I've been told by many people now if I run the 55 gpm unit, I may cause the car to overheat because the coolant is moving so fast and the pressure will not be right. They recommended I go with the 20 gpm unit unless I plan on making more than 1000 hp. I have a Kenne Bell which is notorious for heat soak, what do you guys recommend? I don't have a huge coolant system but I do have the Afco H/E and a little bit larger expansion tank. I'd love to save $200 on the pump but I want to do it once and do it right.

BTW, I'm guessing I will be around 650 wheel

I know this is a very old post, but to dispel any misunderstandings, that is simply not true. You CANNOT move the fluid too fast in these cars. About the ONLY problem you can encounter is that the degas tank cannot handle the flow and you get foaming / bubbles / air...if that happens...simply add a partial bypass from vendor DOB or make your own.

Great discussion on this here:

https://www.s197forum.com/threads/c...p-system-test-data.125019/page-6#post-2444575
 
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DiMora

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Here was the final result of all my butting and grinding on my Steeda triple-pass (Which is a CSF brand unit that Steeda had designed to their specs) heat exchanger and the little fabbed-up bits I made for my welder:

RenderedImage-vi.jpg


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After the local welder TIG'd it up:

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More updates to follow.

I finished the electric wiring last night for the new Stewart EMP pump. It has 3 wires...red and black for power and ground (I ran a dedicated 20A fuse right off the fuse box power connector) and a purple wire that is the "turn on +12V signal - or variable signal if one wants to go fancy)....I ran that one to the OEM / Roush intercooler pump wire. It is only powered with key "ON".

I also ran wires to the interior so I can add a switch to turn the fans on the heat exchanger OFF and ON. I will be doing some experiments to see if fans adversely impact performance at speeds above ~25 MPH. With all due respect to Jason @DOB, DOB says they do, but I don't believe that at this point in time; their experiment was flawed in too many ways for me to have buy-in.

I have an actual temp sensor in my air intake tube, so I can get actual rise (Delta T) between intake tube (post filter) temp and IAT. One can argue that there are too many variables when using that measuring method, but at the end of the day, that is what REALLY matters...what is ambient air intake tube temp and how much IAT rise do I have for a given build. The more heat extracted the more power and timing since your tune is looking directly at IAT as a variable that impacts borderline and MBT timing as well as fuel tables.

I *may* also add some sensors to the inlet and outlet ports of my heat exchanger so I can actually see the Delta-T of the heat exchanger itself. If I do go down that road, I may also do a day of datalogging with the fans installed and running and then I might physically remove them and do another run and compare the results. THAT would be real-word testing on an actual working setup on a real car.
 

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