One for all you derv lovers.

[Ruan]

Don't even get me started on this, it's TOTAL crap and the answer is staring them in the face.

There are THREE (main) types of heat transfer

-Radiation
-Convection
-Conduction.

Painting it black improves it's transfer via Radiation - hence why when there is no airflow, it improves things massively.

However, when you're driving, even doing a miniscule 15mph, radiation plays such a little part in the heat transfer.. They proved this by putting a rad fan on about 4 feet back from it, very little actual airflow in reality compared to if they put it right up close to the intercooler - this then pisses all over the radiation only figure.

What's actually happening is forced convection when you have a bit of airflow over it, which having the surface painted will prevent from happening since the paint is acting as an insulator- this is the reason for the 3* rise which they palmed off as "within tolerance"...

When you're stopped in traffic, simply turning on your engine fan will instantly piss all over painting your intercooler black and leaving it unpainted is then an improvement...

[Piggy]

Ahhh crap ruan...

Time to get some thinners out

[lolsteve]

Bet all the poundlands will be sold out of black paint now

[toseland]

ahaha...

halfords will be doing "intercooler paint" in their Ripspeed sections too lol

[toseland]

Potentially, i think, with a little planning you could use this to MAXIMISE the efficiency of the intercooler..

i see the theory behind it, the way i look at it.. when stationary the black colour will will increase the radiative cooling, when moving there is the potential that the black paint will insulate the fins enough to negatively impact the convective cooling ability.

so it seems to me that...

1. if you paint areas without positive air flow (ie sides, ends, edges) of the intercooler black it will assist in radiating heat away from the intercooler from these parts more effectively

2. if you leave the fins untouched the forced convection to the air will be sufficiently unhindered/unchanged..

overall you have an intercooler core that is just as efficient as it was before you did any painting.. but you now have parts that were not as efficient potentially (lack of airflow, convection was poorer there etc) that are potentially MORE efficient due to the addition of the black paint. (a thin layer of black, matte paint), which means the intercooler may be a little more efficient overall.

obviously the difference is going to be small. but the potential is there, and the larger the intercooler the larger the potential benefit of this..


It does beg the question though, what about things like intercooler piping/high pressure piping around the engine bay, reflective side to reflect engine heat (or heat shields) back to hotter parts of the engine, Matte black side to aid cooling within the lines prior and even after the intercooler...

[Piggy]

Or temperature reactive paint??

So its clear when under airflow but once it gets heat soaked and to a certain temp, the paint turns black!!

Black intercooler piping thus I suppose would help perhaps as it gets little airflow

[Poodle]

The temperature reactive paint would be just as insulating when clear as when black.

You don't want black-painted intercooler piping as under-bonnet temps will be higher than that of the intake charge, so you'd be heating it back up again. What you've described with the painting the sides of the intercooler is probably the only benefit you could gain from this, for this application at least.

[Piggy]

ah yeah thats true. poo.

black annodised?! or you can get black chrome too?!

[Poodle]

Don't know, try it and see lol.

[Piggy]

hmmmm...you first!

[Jonny81191]

How is this thread still going? It's bollocks, thanks to the fact we actually move about in our cars when on boost. End of story IMHO

[toseland]

potentially not, the heat is still radiated to the surrounding environment, as well as direct conduction to the air molecules that touch the intercooler surface (and then convection).

provided the intercooler is painted in a suitably conductive paint, it WILL increase the cooling capacity

provided the paint doesnt hinder the small cuts in the veins within the intercooler core it WILL increase cooling capacity

[Seb_Ryan]

You want gold wrapped I/c pipes.. stops engine heat heating it up lol

[toseland]

or better yet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZP92mSE1oY

[lolsteve]

[Piggy]

Yeah science biatch!!!!