What Is The Purpose Of A Charge Air Cooler?

Charge-air cooler
Charge-air coolers are responsible for lowering the increased temperature of inducted fresh air caused by the compression process in turbocharged engines.

Function
The turbocharger is in charge of compressing the fresh air that is sent into the engine for combustion. The charge-air cooler lowers the temperature of the air that has heated up owing to the compression process.

The higher the density, the more oxygen is present in the combustion chamber (because cold air contains more oxygen than warm air at the same volume). As a result, the engine's performance dramatically improves.

Charge-air coolers are heat exchangers fitted between the compressor and the engine's inlet valve in the intake tract. They can be either air-cooled or water-cooled. Heat is discharged to a specialized cooling circuit in water-cooled charge-air coolers. There are further types in which the cooling effect of an air-cooled charge-air cooler is enhanced by being sprayed with water.

Safety
Aside from increased engine performance, using a charge-air cooler has other advantages. The lower temperature of the air delivered to the engine minimizes the likelihood of knocking. In petrol engines, "knocking" refers to uncontrolled combustion or spontaneous ignition of fuel.

Value retention
Also, because of the low combustion temperature, the pistons are subjected to lesser thermal stresses. The engine's service life is extended as a result of the reduced tendency to knock.

Environmental protection
The lower combustion temperature achieved by using a charge-air cooler minimizes NOx emissions. Also, additional oxygen in the combustion chamber leads in increased engine efficiency.