javadoody

i'm throwing this out for some feedback for two reasons: not sure of the math, not sure it's affordable or cost effective. but it's an interesting concept.

using the same technology found in car plug-in coolers (or heaters if you flip the plug), can a peltier or TEC be used to cool intake air?
background and tons of info: http://www.ferrotec.com/technology/t...ermalRef01.php. follow the links.
further info and some costs can be found at: http://customthermoelectric.com/tecs_imax.html.

i'm thinking this can work well, but at a prohibitive cost. it can easily get below freezing, but a 1" square seems to run around 30 bucks. should easily run on 12v.

any of you that use peltiers to cool your micro-processors? anyone have enough experience with this to know if this idea should go into the circular file?

X-AWDriver

With the minimal gains you might see it doesn't look anywhere worth the time,energy or cost.

WATRD

For the volumes of air we are talking about, you are not even going to dent the temperature. For a 3.4, we talking something like 300 cubic feet of air a minute.

thefallman

peltiers are great for cooling objects but to cool moving air they are very inefficient. you would be better off hooking up some kind of A/C evaporator in your intake. which would still be very inefficient.

they use peltiers to cool cpu's and the like.

ovrrdrive

Pelts generate way too much heat and consume way too much power to be of any use at all in that environment. They work in computers relatively well if, and that's a big if, you can get rid of the heat well enough on the backside of them.

As already mentioned, you would not have enough room or power to operate enough of them to make any impact what so ever in the intake of one of these trucks.

javadoody

thanks. that's what i wanted to know.
circular file.

TRD11

interesting idea, but like everyone else said, the volume of air is too large...

89macrunner

agreed. Pelts generate a TON of heat. and require a lot of energy to run. You would need a high draw fan and heat sink, and a huge pelt that would suck a lot of juice as well.

C02 and nitrous are the best way to cool your intake charge.

pelts are better off cooling electronic equipment

dcg9381

You intake temps approach 125 degrees.. One other way to cool intake temps is water injection (which I haven't done).
As I'm in TX and run the AC a lot, the condensation generates a ton of water... It'd be interesting to build a system that captures some of that water then uses it in the intake under certain throttle conditions. You'd need to force it though a high pressure nozzle in a very fine mist.

Bigger benefit to forced induction motors over NA motors though... Best thing to do on an NA motor would be to rig up some sort of cold air system.. I've always wondered if guys with snorkles actually dyno a little better.

MMA_Alex

wont even be remotely efficient.

on drag cars way back they used to use dry ice to cool down intake air.

i think a concept ford lightning in the last few years had some sort of intake a/c system too.

dcg9381

On forced motors, it works great. My EGTs drop 200 degrees when we get a bunch of rain and there is a lot of moisture in the air.

On an NA motor, probably not practical... I still think that rerouting the intake way from the exhaust, radiator, and other heat sources is... I just dont have the dyno runs to prove it.

I'm trying to address this issue on my truck right now.. Stay tuned for a skid-plate turned intercooler.... No, my truck will never see mud..

killa b

the ford lightings did have a evaporator in the intake and worked fairley well. they also make a intake system that shoots compressed co2 out into a metal tube in the intake and brings it down to like -100 degres or somethin like that.

James Dean

You'd be better off installing a 5 horsepower NOS jet if you need to cool that much air for extra power. A friend of mine has one on his '72 Dart that has 600 horse in the motor and he needs it to pass emissions.

GunDude

Peltier cooling units for air intake cooling are in deed inefficient, the comment of using dry ice to cool intake air is inaccurate. We used what was called in the super stock drag racing as a "Cool Can" copper tubing was wound in a coffee can with a inlet and outlet and your fuel line was plumbed to the inlet and outlet and dry ice was put in the can and the can covered. The temp of the fuel entering the carbs or injection caused a huge air mist denisity and resulted ina a good 10 hp increase. Mind you this was a race engine so this in a regular car could increase hp some what but you would have to carry a lot of dry ice. now if in that same can you plumbed both aircon and fuel lines and filled the can with antifreeze you could get something very simular and all the time. Might be an Idea?