Has anyone experimented with a dual purpose system:
(1) normal water only injection with
(2) external water IC spray for cooling?

 

Interested in this! I thought about it when installing my wi kit but decided against it because of the water being consumed too fast...

still think it's a good idea, increasing the ic effectiveness that way

 

would it really be practical beyond like a drag race type setting? wouldn't it be moot at speed?

 

In warm weather, even if an IC is at its coolest temp after long cruising, it will get hotter as boost and time increase because you can not get rid of 100% of the heat buildup. In winter it is posible.

Post IC WI/WAI does cool the air charge temp down but the IC still warms up.

Pre IC injection does work along with other problems.

 

After 2011 DGRR, I'll experiment with it and log what it does.

 

For what its worth, it is planned to do both on our turbo FC Lemon car. Currently our water is injected at the intercooler inlet and the plan is to add an intercooler fogger as well. Since we have a 5 gallon Ozarka bottle for a tank so running dry isn't as big of an issue.

We are using a stock FC top mount so plan is to modify or install a larger hood scoop and install the foggers there to spray the intercooler.

 

Have been doing it for the past 3 years on my street/track car and it works.
My AIT is relocated to the Greddy elbow and it is also the upgraded fast reacting one.
I have an M7 injector at the Greddy elbow, after the AIT and an M5 in front (external) to my large M2 SMIC.
As I go into boost, the intake temps readings are higher, obviously due to boost and as soon as you are off boost, the temps drops very quickly again.
So not only I believe, that it holds temps from climbing higher on boost, but recovery is also faster.
This has been my testing and observation at the track, since I can turn the WI "on" and "off" with a switch.
I inject distilled water only.

 

I installed the two mister unit last week just to tests its functionality.
My WI is putting 325cc/min into the engine, and 200cc/min onto the IC.
It works but I did not run a log as the install was for rough testing.
I have to properly install the misters to better wet the IC.
This requires removing the undertray, drilling holes, attaching the misters with clamps, and aligning the spray patterns.

Hopefully the weather will not cool too fast from summer temps so a few good logs can be made. I plan to test the current system and then with larger misters.
Might have to wait until next year if the air temps drop too far down.

 

Why not mount a nozzle before the intercooler? Use less fluid and get a cooler IC?

 

I am already injecting water post IC and do not want to spray the turbo inlet.
One friend who does that now has pitting showing on his compressor blades.

 

I experimented with an external IC spray with good results; however, it takes a lot of water and accompanying storage. Not so practical for the average FD.

That being said, it really helps in heat soaked situations and you can effectively make the IC larger in thermal capacity this way.

 

The IC is a well ducted Blitz front mount, GT35R turbo, small port engine, with Koyo "N" pass radiator. Radiator fans were on speed three. The stabilized intake air temperature was 34C before each run. Water temperatures never varied from 85C. Current "small" IC misters are spraying 200 cc/m total. They are full cone spray.

Logged two sets of runs Friday: one with water spray and one without water spray. They were from 3000 rpm in 2nd gear to 7500 rpm in third gear at 16 psi boost.

The results was no differences between using and not using water.
Air temps basically stayed at 34C through 2nd gear then increased through 3rd to 40C.

Next test step is to increase flow volume to the misters.

 

Thanks for following through and posting up test results Chuck. Interesting to see that it didn't make much of a difference at least during the short runs. I wonder if it would help plateau the heat gain at some point on longer intervals of being on the throttle?

 

Where is your IAT located? If it's after your water AI (stock location), that might be camoflaging the results a bit.

And curious...what was ambient? I'm not a big brain, but just thinking that the degree of effect from the mister would be dependent on the duration of contact (between the water and intercooler) AND the temperature differential of the two. Increasing mister flow will (functionally) give you more duration of contact. And while you might not see any difference now with ambient being "reasonable", you MIGHT see at least some improvement when it's ugly hot outside (temp differential).

 

The location of the test runs and being Saturday prevented any 4th gear runs.
400 whp burns up roads very fast.

The outside air temps for the test were in the high 80s. My IC air temps after total stabilization while cruising are about 5 degrees above ambient.

The IAT sensor is in the IC outlet pipe.

I just ordered misters that will flow 3X more water, and I plan to also try a different way of spraying the iC.

 

The larger misting nozzles have arrived, and I have started looking for a better way to mount them. On the stock IC unit, there are easier ways to mount the misters in the ducting.

For a front mount, it is more difficult as you do not want them sticking out where the are easily seen. The distance from the front of the inlet to my IC is very sort. For a Greedy IC, there isn't any space.

It might take me a long time to design what I want.

 

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Soon my tranny is coming out for a rebuild. Afterwards as spring comes, it will be time to figure out a new mounting bracket for the larger nozzels.

But it will require very warm to hot outside air temps for any really good testing.
Time to get back to brain storming on a new design.