I need some input about my idea.

Since I cannot really find what I want in a water tank for my A to W Intercooler I plan to build my own. What I was wondering is if instead of just dumping ice into the water like most do. What if I had a large cylinder suspended in the tank so my liquid could surround it to add to the length of time the frozen stuff lasts? Could I use dry ice in the cylinder or would that be too cold for aluminum? Or could I use a copper cylinder for maximum transfer? Could I use saltwater with a corrosion inhibitor instead of plain water or Evans Lifetime Coolant?


Thanks

 

The problem with using plain ice in a cylinder is you A)decrease the surface area of the ice and probably more importantly B)it doesn't really matter. The reason it doesn't really matter is that the ice is "used" based on how much thermal energy you put into it. The advantages of doing it that way would be so you could add coolant or something else to the water (if street driven) and not have to change it out all the time.

In regards to the second question, don't forget that the state change from solid to liquid (and subsequently from liquid to gas in some cases) is what takes up a huge amount of energy. That means that unless you're freezing salt water into blocks you're not going to gain anything and actually lose thermal capacity. Dry ice on the other hand could be interesting, it is super cold and has a state change which is important.

 

Yes this would be used in a street driven vehicle. My plan is to drive on the street 90% of the time and as time and money allow move to a more race driven vehicle. I figure dry ice would be better and probably safer than liquid nitrogen which we use to superclock computer chips.
Do you think the copper cylinder would be best?