What Is an Intercooler?
An intercooler is a heat exchanger that removes heat from the air generated by an air compressor. An efficient intercooler will restore compressed air temperature to near environmental levels.
How Do Intercoolers Work?
An intercooler is usually used in turbocharged engines to cool compressed air before it enters the engine circulation. By functioning as an intake air cooling unit, an intercooler permits more air supply to the engine by increasing the air’s density, which boosts its overall efficiency and power output.
What Is an Aftercooler?
An aftercooler is a mechanical cooling unit that operates on the principles of heat exchange between two mediums — usually water and air. Aftercooler units can be used to attain temperatures between 5-20°C immediately after compressed air is released from the compression unit.
How Do Aftercoolers Work?
A standard aftercooler unit is composed of tubing (containing water or air) and fins that help it achieve cooling. When in operation, ambient air is pulled into the aftercooler to help remove moisture from the compressed air by condensation while reducing process temperatures to satisfactory levels. Compressed air aftercoolers are manufactured as either water or air-cooled variants.
For air-cooled compressed air aftercoolers, ambient air is directed over tubes containing hot compressed air to remove generated heat in a heat exchange process. In a water-cooled version (also called an air-to-water cooler), water is channeled through tubes running alongside compressed air pipes to achieve cooling.
What Is the Difference Between an Intercooler and an Aftercooler?
Although aftercooler and intercooler may refer to the same device and function similarly, the circumstance in which they are used provides very subtle differences. While an aftercooler is a heat exchanger that cools the air emerging from a compression unit, an intercooler is a device attached to an air compressor that cools the air before engine intake.
