What is an intercooler and its classification

1：Intercooler Positioning

An intercooler (also called a charge air cooler) improves combustion efficiency in engines equipped with forced induction (turbocharger or supercharger), thereby increasing engine power, performance and fuel efficiency.

2：Working principle of intercooler:

First, the turbocharger compresses the intake combustion air, increasing its internal energy, but also increasing its temperature. Hot air is less dense than cold air, which makes it less efficient to burn.

However, by installing an intercooler between the turbocharger and the engine, the intake compressed air is cooled before it reaches the engine, thereby restoring its density and achieving optimal combustion performance.

The intercooler acts as a heat exchanger that removes the heat generated by the turbocharger during the gas compression process. It achieves this heat transfer step by transferring the heat to another cooling medium, usually air or water.

3：Air-cooled (also called blower-type) intercooler

In the automotive industry, the increasing demand for more efficient, lower-emission engines has led many manufacturers to develop smaller capacity turbocharged engines to achieve the ideal combination of engine performance and fuel efficiency.

In most automotive installations, an air-cooled intercooler provides adequate cooling, operating much like a car radiator. As the vehicle moves forward, cooler ambient air is drawn into the intercooler and then passes over the cooling fins, transferring heat from the turbocharged air to the cooler ambient air.

4：Water-cooled intercooler

In environments where air cooling is not an option, a water-cooled intercooler is a very effective solution. Water-cooled intercoolers are typically designed as a "shell and tube" heat exchanger, where cooling water flows through the "tube core" in the center of the unit, while the hot charge air flows on the outside of the tube bank, transferring heat as it flows through the "shell" on the inside of the heat exchanger. 

After being cooled, the air is exhausted from the intercooler and piped to the engine combustion chamber.

Water-cooled intercoolers are precision-engineered devices designed to handle the high temperatures of compressed combustion air.