Heat Exchanger vs. Intercooler

[michelle]

Is there a difference between the two or are the terms interchangable?


Honest question, so hopefully this doesn't turn into a "what is a cam" type of thread. It appears like they are the same thing, but I just want to verify with those that know way more about the topic than I do.


Thanks!

[wrath]

Same thing. Technically most people have an aftercooler as few applications have sequential compressors with a heat exchanger between them.

Intercooler just sounds "cooler" than aftercooler. And heat exchanger just isn't cool at all.

The important part is how the heat dissipation process happens. Most common for turbochargers are air-to-air. Most common for today's V8 superchargers is air-to-water (under the intake manifold) and then a second one that goes from water-to-air at the front of the vehicle. Drag racers tend to use air-to-water or air-to-ice or air-to-sublimated C02. Marine applications tend to all be air-to-water since they don't need to dissipate the heat back to the atmosphere.

[animal]

Not necessarily the same but it more means all intercoolers are heat exchangers in a literal sense, but all heat exchangers aren't necessarily intercoolers, like those for a radiator or air conditioner for instance.

[Russ Jerome]

Intercoolers and aftercoolers flow high CFM and low Pressure, normaly when someone says heat exchanger like a low pressure boiler heat your not moving large volumes (those funky little radiant heaters along floor in school).

Lets see a picture!

[michelle]

Intercoolers and aftercoolers flow high CFM and low Pressure, normaly when someone says heat exchanger like a low pressure boiler heat your not moving large volumes (those funky little radiant heaters along floor in school).

Lets see a picture!

The kit I picked up didn't come with one and not everyone runs one with my style supercharger. I'll be keeping a close eye on air temperatures to see at what point I will really need to utilize one.

[LIL EVO]

Intercoolers technically work in two ways.

One way is the air that passes through the fins and cools the charged air.

The second way is simply a heat sink. You could block the air flow entirely and if the core was big enough, it could be able to sink the heat out of the charged air.