All Info taken from HIC Magazine April 2004 Volume 5 Number 4
Air to Air Intercooler
An air-to-air intercooler consists of a pair of end tanks and a basic radiator core. The core can be one of two types, tube and fin or bar and plate. Both core designs are effective in cooling the charge air and in the 60-percent to 70-percent efficiency range, but they each have their advantages and disadvantages.
The tube-and-fin core design is the most economical to produce and therefore more affordable to consumers. The tube-and-fin intercooler is also relatively light in comparison to the bar-and-plate design, affording users a slight weight reduction. When the charge air enters the end tank, it travels through tubes in which the heat is transferred via the fins where cooler ambient air passes over the tubes. This further removes heat from the air before exiting the opposite end tank enroute to the engine. All in all, the tube-and-fin intercooler is perfect for tuners building their first custom turbo systems on limited budgets. The disadvantage of the tube-and-fin intercooler is that its effective efficiency is lower when compared to a similar sized bar-and-plate intercooler.
Bar-and-plate intercooler cores function identically to the tube-and-fin core, with the exception that charge air travels through rectangular shaped passages that have more surface area, thus improving cooling of the air charge. The advantage of using the this type of intercooler is that because the bar-and-plate core design affords up to 35 percent larger surface area for cooling, a physically smaller intercooler can be used and still retain the cooling characteristics (efficiency) of a larger tube-and-fin design. This is important for a builder who has a vehicle with a small opening in the front of it or where there are immovable obstructions present. There is a downside to this design too, as it is generally more expensive due to the extent of the fabrication that is involved in its construction. The bar-and-plate intercooler is also heavier due to the larger surface area and denser fin design. Simply put, it generally contains more materials, thus the heavier weight.
Air to Air Intercooler
An air-to-air intercooler consists of a pair of end tanks and a basic radiator core. The core can be one of two types, tube and fin or bar and plate. Both core designs are effective in cooling the charge air and in the 60-percent to 70-percent efficiency range, but they each have their advantages and disadvantages.
The tube-and-fin core design is the most economical to produce and therefore more affordable to consumers. The tube-and-fin intercooler is also relatively light in comparison to the bar-and-plate design, affording users a slight weight reduction. When the charge air enters the end tank, it travels through tubes in which the heat is transferred via the fins where cooler ambient air passes over the tubes. This further removes heat from the air before exiting the opposite end tank enroute to the engine. All in all, the tube-and-fin intercooler is perfect for tuners building their first custom turbo systems on limited budgets. The disadvantage of the tube-and-fin intercooler is that its effective efficiency is lower when compared to a similar sized bar-and-plate intercooler.
Bar-and-plate intercooler cores function identically to the tube-and-fin core, with the exception that charge air travels through rectangular shaped passages that have more surface area, thus improving cooling of the air charge. The advantage of using the this type of intercooler is that because the bar-and-plate core design affords up to 35 percent larger surface area for cooling, a physically smaller intercooler can be used and still retain the cooling characteristics (efficiency) of a larger tube-and-fin design. This is important for a builder who has a vehicle with a small opening in the front of it or where there are immovable obstructions present. There is a downside to this design too, as it is generally more expensive due to the extent of the fabrication that is involved in its construction. The bar-and-plate intercooler is also heavier due to the larger surface area and denser fin design. Simply put, it generally contains more materials, thus the heavier weight.
