Product Overview
Garrett Intercooler Core Air/Air, 600HP
CAC 21.0"(533mm) x 5.4"(137mm) x 5.3"(135mm)
Intercooler Construction
Garrett intercooler cores are bar and plate horizontal flow design. Charge air from the turbo flows within enclosed passages in one direction, with separate cooling passages flowing cooler ambient air in a perpendicular cross-flow pattern to the charge air. In bar and plate designs the passages consist of plates on top and bottom with fins in between. The passages are enclosed by bars on either side depending on if it is a charge air passage or an ambient air/cooling passage. Passages are stacked alternately until the desired stack height is reached. On the sides of the stacked cores, added to the final passage is a side plate of thicker material to provide structural integrity, protect the more delicate fins, and provide a surface for welding on end tanks if desired.
Heat Transfer
How does the intercooler remove heat from the charge air? There are three types of heat transfer modes, but the bar and plate intercooler relies on Conduction and Convection to extract heat from the charge air. Conduction is the transfer of heat to materials that have direct contact with each other. Convection is the transfer of heat from one place to another by movement of air. As you can see in the image below, the bars, plates, and fins alternate direction and flow and all play a part in extracting heat from the charge air. The charge air fins transfer heat from the charge air to the plates and the ambient air fins transfer the the heat from the plates and the ambient air cools the fins. The process repeats as long the car is moving or until the core gets heat soaked.
