So basically it can potentially cool below the temperature it is when coming out of the radiator if it has the opportunity to sit in the reservoir and pump area for a bit. Am I basciallly getting this?

As far as the cross flow stuff ...how else could you do it and why would you do it some other way? Why don't manufacturers have enough sense to make sure their equipment is set up to work the most efficient way possible? You've already done the R&D on it ....at least give the consumer instructions on the best way to set it up! By the time you buy a new tank, a higher flow pump, rearrange it to provide better cooling, etc ....you may as well had fabbed the damn thing up from scratch. Just had to rant.

After I researched it some I decided I would someday go the Vortech route, partly because of the better intercooling air to water to air can provide .....but now that I know it's not set up so well, maybe an air to air setup would be more practical.

 

When are you ever racing where ambient is cooler than a tank of ice water? The way they have it setup your letting outside heat in before you send it to the aftercooler. You've heard of pre-heating steam in powerplants.. well its the same idea just the otherway around.


Just draw a X/Y Label X inlet/outlet and Y temperature and plot what happens when you set it up either way. A cross flow will have more area under the curve.. or more heat transfer going on.

 

No, that's not what I meant. I was questioning why your suggested order is better than having the coolant go from the heat exchanger to the aftercooler. I wasn't assuming the use of ice, I was assuming no ice. I'm just asking, is the reason your order is better than having it go from the radiator straight to the aftercooler that the temperature is going to drop a bit while it sits in the reservoir and pump (in other words it will get cooler there than it would be coming straight out of the radiator).

All I was saying is how else could you do it other than cross flow anyway, it needs to cover all area possible to be effective right? Wait a minute, I see what you mean ....someone nailed it for me when they said "is this to "scrub" as much heat as possible out"? Actually that makes sense, you're removing maximum heat by going the opposite direction. As for the other part, it seems like Vortechs instructions work better for ice, and yours work better for no ice. I'm probably just not understanding it right. Seems like you'd want to go straight to the aftercooler from the heat exchanger if you're .....wait a minute, you mean ice in the tank, not ice in the heat exchanger .........never mind! I finally get it!!

Sorry, my questions haven't made any sense because I'm just trying to visualize all of this, I've never seen it in person.

What are they thinking? (Vortech)

 

Its ok,

The way vortech has it set up with the tank is as a heat storing device.. The tank itself is very adiabatic

 

I get it now, see my edit above. Thanks. Yeah, even without icewater the water in the tank is sometimes going to be cooler than the water in the heat exchanger doing it your way. Doing it their way the hot water gets dumped into the reservoir, which just seems dumb.

 

I dont know how the design at Vortech made it through checks myself - after all, when is a heat exchanger usually more efficient? The hotter the water in the exchanger, the better (usually, I'm sure there's a point where efficiency drops off depending on the fluid and exchanger design).

There really isnt much totally wrong with the intercooler itself in Vortech's setup - but their coolant plumbing route isnt ideal.

 

I had ran it the way vortech shows, except the pump was mounted right below the tank so it has some inlet head. Vortech diagram shows the pump should be between the heat exchanger and the aftercooler, whereas I put it between the tank and the heat exchanger, so I'm pushing water into the heat exchanger. Never had any problems, but I may reroute the hoses like you guys say 'cause the blower is going back on this weekend. Some testing and data would be nice.