Quote:
Originally posted by bjcsc
dculkin:
OK, I understand the premise of your statement regarding the energy required for compression. The question it leaves me with is what is the effect on the actual power stroke? Meaning, the resultant pressure in the cylinder would be less at ignition given your argument. Less pressure would yield less power, right? What effect would that have on power going "to the wheels"?
|
An intercooler does not result in lower pressure at ignition (except for friction losses through the intercooler, which are too small to worry about). The intercooled motor has essentially the same pressures at the beginning and end of the compression stroke, but it takes less energy to get there when you have an intercooler. The properties of air are such that compressing it from pressure A to pressure B takes more energy if the air is hot.
I don't know why air is that way, but I know people have taken measurements and published tables with the properties of air and they found that hot air takes more energy to compress.