Radiator? intercooler? whats the difference between them? Can someone give me a clear explanation about this? In this article, we will discuss all the questions you might have about radiator and intercooler.
Every mechanical and physical process gives heat to the environment. While working, an engine may produce a lot of heat due to the frictional forces between the parts.
When a motor or an engine is heated more than the limit, the efficiency decreases and the situation becomes non-optimized for the working of an engine.
There are a lot of cases when an engine is overheated and it could result in disasters. Scientists, after the invention of engines, have worked hard to achieve the goal of keeping the engine cool and calm.
Different engines are built in cars with different power generation capacities and so an excessive working engine requires more efficient methods to stay cool. There are different methods of keeping the engine cool, a couple of which is discussed below.
What is a Radiator
Radiators are used to exchange the thermal energies between the two mediums. In simple words, a radiator makes it sure that the engine transfers its heat to another medium continuously. This makes the engine to stay calm and work in the best environment possible.
How does radiator work?
The working of a radiator is quite simple. A fluid, generally liquid, is used in the pipes which propagate into a medium which has to be cooled. The heat of the medium is transferred to the liquid in pipes and thus the medium experiences a fall in temperature.
A radiator consists of many such pipes which contain liquid and propagate into the hotter medium. A radiator is efficient in its work. The liquid in its pipes is continuously drained out and is replaced by the newer and cooler one.
This continuous flow of a liquid through the pipes makes sure that the engine doesn’t get overheated. Usually, some solute is added to the liquid just to increase the boiling point.
what is an Intercooler?
An intercooler is a device which is used to decrease the temperature of any fluid. It is generally used in turbo or supercharged engines. Basically, it is a type of radiator.
Its working is quite simple. It decreases the temperature of the compressed air and increases the density of it so that an engine can breathe in the maximum amount of air.
Basically, an intercooler is used to maximize the power generation by the engine. There are two common types of the intercooler.
Air-to-air intercooler:
It uses the air to decrease the temperature of the compressed air. It is important to decrease the temperature of the air after exiting the turbo before it gets into the engine so that the engine can use the maximum amount of air.
Water-to-air intercooler:
It uses water to cool down the compressed air before it gets into the engine. This actually is similar to a working of a radiator.
Radiator & Intercooler, what is the difference??
The purpose of both the things is same, to keep the medium cool. Intercooler, in fact, is the type of a radiator. The basic difference is that intercoolers are not used in general engines.
However, radiators are used in almost all the vehicles to keep the engine cool. Radiators are used in supercharged and turbo styled cars to produce the power at maximum.
Cars which have to produce great acceleration and speed have to get a maximum amount of air and intercooler makes it possible.
How can ACS help you?
ACSMotorsport has become a pioneer for becoming a leading manufacturer and distributor of high-performance car parts, which consists of turbochargers, oil coolers, silicone hoses, intercoolers, and miscellaneous car parts. Given that, these modified car parts are indiscernible on its exterior, particular modifications like low-profile tires and the incorporation of spoilers can certainly improve the overall look and performance of the car.
