Supercharged QV (take 3)-or is it a turbo?

Mark,

Interesting developments.

Are you NOT using the extruded aluminum dividers and parallel end-fences that Laminova makes for their intercooler cores?

Wil

 

Mark,

You should call Opcon and get them to send you prints of the core separators. They are beautifull extrusioned aluminum pieces meant to guide air through and around the cores. They really look like a bit of research went into them to assure correct airflow. I don't think the fins are supposed to touch the separators so a little un-eveness shouldn't hurt. You should really talk to the engineers in Sweden. I also have drawings supplied by the old Opcon distributor in Connecticut for the end water manifold dimensions. If you can't get anything from Opcon, let me know and I'll scan my drawings.

Wil

 

here's the link to Opcon if you didn't have it.
http://www.opcon.se/index.asp?sPage=1&langID=2&cID=14

they also have PDF's of the intercooler core with tech dwgs.

Mark, Opcon can also 'build' a unit to your specs' not sure on cost, but they seem willing. reading thru whipples site, they kind of layout the issues with Opcon/autorotor and the merger with lysholm after the split from SRM. it's a bit confusing but i think that's another reason whipple went on it alone.

and you're right the 'twin screw' work better at PR's above 2. personally i think you've lost it what are you shooting for..3???

 

Mark,

Here are pictures of my intercooler set-up. The cores and dividers are Laminova parts. The end water manifold held in my hand I made using their specs for bore dimensions.

I also included a shot of the inside of the plenum below the intercooler. You can see I have very short intake manifold runners like we talked about earlier.

I understand what you're saying about the fins. They do fit very close to the dividers. My fins are not totally even but pretty close. It IS a stacked assembly so it will never be totally even. I think if you tried to machine the fins even, they would smear together. The fins are so close together you can barely see light between them. I suppose you COULD have reject parts there.

It was a lot easier to deal with the distributor in Connecticut. They at least knew something about the products. I still think you should talk to an engineer in Sweden.
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Mark,

One thing I left out: The end extrusions on my intercooler were machined down due to space concerns. The actual pieces extend down further and have rounded ends.

Wil

 

I scraped & scraped, then caught Cindy at just the right moment & got her OK(whew).

She just can't understand why the 308 needs more power than the it currently has. After all, her V6 Camry "can't (quite) keep up with it leaving a red light"... ;^)

& the check will be in the mail Tuesday AM so you'll have $$ to work with...

BTW, I was very surprised at the relatively small cross-section the laminovas & dividers present to the airflow. I guess the important question is how that cross-section compares to the SC's outlet port?

 

I hear you on the maps, shame really as Opcon has all thier maps online. your going for sweet spot at 2.2~2.5 highest effeciancy, i'd be tempted to see how 3.0+ does, only becouse they say it should get better. ofcourse you'd need to buiild a brick house of an engine

I haven't heard anything negitive about the whipple units or the KB's so it's a good choice eithier way. the lawsuit will probably take forever to sort and in the meantime if Opcon is as finacialy short as whipple makes them sound then it's only time before they close up or strike another merger, the only upside to us is cost wars, whipple has the US market, not sure who has the OEM contracts though. ehh doesn't matter i supose.

Verell, it's not the cross section but the surface area that's critcal. and that is the 'coolest' <----pun intercooler i've seen. the surface area is HUGE!, my only question is, what is the pressure drop? how much 'more' pressure needs to be run to keep the desired Pr?

 

Okay, makes sense. the only drag is ofcourse the heat at idle and cruise. see below...

the numbers i got were 0.6sq/in per fin(one side) on a 34mm intercooler. based on a 14" long run if i read that right would give a surface area of 85.28sq/in based on both sides of the fin. if you used 4 of them then that's
341.12sq/in of surface area. did you get about the same? haven't looked to see what std. flat cores have in terms of surface area.

it seems though that along with the surface area the thermal transfer is what they are really good at, material and forced air flow. i wondered about the 'dead' space as well but it wouldn't work so well to pump water through it as the flow of hot/cold water tends to sperate and you'd loose your transfer and then you have the issue not enough surface area again for the water. it's a good design i think. it address alot of the engineering needed to make it work. i just wonder about the pressure head infront of the intercooler.

 

Umm,
Poor terminology.

Yes, the fin area exposed to the airflow is huge.

I was referring to the inlet area presented to the incoming air ie: the sides of the V formed by the end of the fins. It's going to be a significant component of the equation for the pressure drop thru the intercooler.

This is the area that the air has to flow thru as it enters the fins. I believe this is what mk e is calling the 'flow area' when comparing the laminova to a conventional radiator type intercooler.

I was trying to say that it is quite small relative to the total dimensions of the inlet side of the system, as most of the inlet side surface area is consumed by the spacers and the laminova cores.

Whereas on a conventional radiator core style intercooler, the flow area is the cross-section inside the core, at the widest point of the heat removal tubes.

Anyway, mark has already noted my concern in his flow area comparison in post #261.

 

right, i think we're all talking about the same thing but using differeing verabge. but yes, i'am wondering about the pressure difference between sides in the plenum.