Peltiers and cold air intakes

[llucius]

Okay, I know this isn't computer related, but it is cooling related.

So, if CAIs actually do work then wouldn't adding a Peltier with something like fins or rods attached to the cold plate placed in the middle of the air flow reduce the air temp (and thus density) even more?

Probably a stupid question, but just got to pondering it on a slow Friday night.

 

[OmegaAvenger]

It would have to be a really heavy duty peltier to cool the amount of air an engine uses by any appreciable amount, because of the sheer volume and speed it would flow by the fins at. Furthermore I would assume that adding fins to a cold air intake would negate the primary purpose of a CAI which is the reduce the restriction of air flow into the engine. Just my 2 cents.

Oh and the peltier trades off making one side cold by moving the heat to the other side, which would require a heat sink on the hot side, which would be ineffective in an engine compartment, and would require some kind of seperate water cooling system or being plumbed into the radiator system (bad idea).

Its a cool concept (pardon the pun), but seems like it would cause more harm than good and require a hell of a lot of work. Your better off using this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/S-MA...Turbo-CO2_W0QQitemZ350063302225QQcmdZViewItem

 

[lostnkonfused]

Colder air is harder to be combusted because of the lower temperature and the greater need for energy to burn fuel. Air that is hotter has more energy in it so fuel is combusted easier. Even if you cool the incoming air, the effect would be small or negligible because the air will either get warmed in the intake manifold already or the amount of air moving into the engine is quick enough to not even utilize the cooling effects of the cooler.

 

[lostnkonfused]

Also if you want to get some pickup in the acceleration/hp of your car, look to ram air ducting. I did a DIY on my car with some cheap dryer ducting and attached it to open sections on my front bumper that leads to a cone type filter. The concept is, the faster you go, the more air gets rammed into the air intake system. I've experienced some really good results.

 

[llucius]

Ah, see. That's what I get for allowing myself to be bored. These weird ideas pop into the aging gray matter and they just gotta get out.

Love the Ice Pipe though.

 

[RS3RS]

Peltiers take a lot of power to run. They would use more power to run than they would generate, so it's really not a practical idea.

Colder air is harder to be combusted because of the lower temperature and the greater need for energy to burn fuel. Air that is hotter has more energy in it so fuel is combusted easier.

This post blows my mind. It's a common fact that internal combustion engines produce more power the cooler the air is.

Hot air doesn't "have energy in it" that benefits the engine in any way. It's not about burning hotter. Engines don't make power from heat, they make power from the explosive force generated by igniting the air / fuel mixture.

The "energy to burn fuel" is provided by the spark plug. The spark plug doesn't generate more or less power depending upon the intake air temperature, so as long as the mixture is igniting, that's all that matters.

Cold air is denser, and the denser air is the more fuel can be added, and the more power can be generated upon combustion.

This principal is the same reason internal combustion engines produce much more power at sea level than at, say, five thousand feet.

 

[Smiththers2]

yea the best thing on the cheap would be the ram intake or some kind of hood scoop... otherwise big bucks on turbo or SC setups. anything else and you wont really feel the gains, you'll be imagining them.