Laminova IC Cores Parallel vs Series

XxSlowpokexX

Registered User
I have been doing a bit of research into the flow through my IC cores(three in total). Currently its setup to work in series however running them in parallel would be much more efficient. I researched my options and people have noticed a significant drop in ACT's doing it that way.

My concern is that running them in parallel may cause an imbalance in coolant flow in which one core may get more flow then the others which may be counter productive.

Basically the cores are setup side by side with billet ends on either side. Within the billet ends are chambers which direct coolant flow through the IC cores. Each core has a flow restrictor so that someone helps in balancing flow.

Any idea on what would be the best coolant flow pattern? Three in one out? One in three out? Three in Three out?

Am I being clear? Any ideas to throw about would be appreciated

Damo
 
If you don't want to use the restrictors you need to Y'ish one large line into each of the cores.

Three in would be a definite. You want the liquid to exit the intercooler without restriction to avoid heating the liquid too much. A single -12AN outlet will do the trick, if you were going from the intercooler to the heat exchanger, but if you're going from the intercooler back to the reservoir, then I would run three lines back to the reservoir.

Then it would depend on the flow rate of the pump you're using, too.
 
Coolant flow: 1 in->3 LITs--->1 out----->

-|:|-
-|:|-
-/:\-
|:::|----->charge air
|:::|----->charge air
|:::|----->charge air
|:::|----->charge air
|:::|----->charge air
-\:/-
-|:|-
-|:|-
 
Last edited:
>...to avoid heating the liquid too much.

Seems that defeats the purpose of running this type of IC in the first place, no...?
 
I was thinking three in 1 out. I was also thinking IC to heat exchamger to resevoir..That way when or if I run any ice it will get whats left after the heat is pulled out from the heat exchanger....I have a big one of those.

Using a centri puppy or a lightning pump..Have both and unsure which to use. Currently have a centripuppy on my v8 car.

As for whats efficient....There are just so many variables...But at least the restrictors in the cores keep the fluid in there for a certain amount of time to help allow the cores to fo there job...Well see..Just getting ideas here.
 
>...to avoid heating the liquid too much.

Seems that defeats the purpose of running this type of IC in the first place, no...?

The temperature of the liquid is directly related to the intake temperature. If the temperature of the liquid rises, the intake temperatures rise.
 
> If the temperature of the liquid rises, the intake temperatures rise.

You're talking about heat-soaking the water - that's a risk that goes back to overall design and usage...keeping the water system away from typical engine bay heat sources, allowing time for the system to recover, using ice, etc.

As far as flow, the faster the liquid loops thru the IC, the faster it will heat up and the faster it will heat soak from exchange - liquid temp rises....intake temp rises....liquid temp rises. It's a wash. Fans & ice boxes come into play then...
 
Last edited:
>...to avoid heating the liquid too much.

Seems that defeats the purpose of running this type of IC in the first place, no...?

KMT, like other people sort of alluded to(yourself included, haha), you can pull alot of heat away from the air without a large temperature raise in the water. Various flow rates will yield different results. The trick is to keep the flow rate low enough that the liquid is able to reject the heat to the environment, but not so low that the liquid in the cores approaches the temperature of the air intake temperatures.

Damon, getting back to basics the most efficient heat enchangers are the counterflow type. Keeping this in mind, you many want to configure the intercooler flows so that the last intercooler seen by the air is the coolest one. In an equal flow configuration, if the first intercooler(s) extract a lot of heat from the air, and the air temp approaches that of the liquid coolant, the last intercooler will not be achieving very much heat transfer.

On the other hand, if the temperatures of the coolant in the three intercoolers gets progressively cooler then the delta T between the air and liquid will remain failry high promoting a nice high heat enchange rate. I really don't know how feasible this is, but it was some thing that popped into my head.
 
Last edited:
>The trick is to keep the flow rate low enough that the liquid is able to reject the heat to the environment...

Right, since rejection/shedding takes place outside of the IC - we're talking specifically about juggling restrictions at the liquid's outlet(s) from the IC.

>...but not so low that the liquid in the cores approaches the temperature of the air intake temperatures.

A good LtoA IC will drop intake air temps below ambient - all three operating temps will fluctuate and be driven down based on more than just flow. I'd think you'd have to do something very clumsy before you'd fall out of range based on just outlet flow restriction, but it would be very easy to over-engineer and waste resources for very little gain.
 
At this stage as I said the three cores run in series. So by the time the liquid gets to the third core...The water temp may be at a range where it is less efficient.

Many of the newver supercharged cars had coem with laminoves from the factory. Most in a triple or quad pass style. A common mod is to make the cores a single pass and ACT temps have dropped dramatically. In the Cobalts for instance they went from a quad pass to a dual pass and picked up nice gains. Going from that double to a single not so much. So there is a point of diminishing returns


As I stated the laminovas have restrictor plates that limit the flow through the cores. They were engineered that way so that the liquid would spend the proper amount of time within the core to do its job. Not to fast..Not to slow.

Of course pump rate will affect that but not as much if it were a core with no restrictor plate.

Now the cores are side by side so they get air passed them at the same time. In reality the setup itself is far from the most efficient being the way the air exits the AR..Only a portion of the IC tubes get direct airflow from the SC. That is a whole other area to work out or not dependant on hood height etc.
 
I was thinking three in 1 out. I was also thinking IC to heat exchamger to resevoir..That way when or if I run any ice it will get whats left after the heat is pulled out from the heat exchanger....I have a big one of those.

Using a centri puppy or a lightning pump..Have both and unsure which to use. Currently have a centripuppy on my v8 car.

As for whats efficient....There are just so many variables...But at least the restrictors in the cores keep the fluid in there for a certain amount of time to help allow the cores to fo there job...Well see..Just getting ideas here.

Johnson CM90 pump.. Will handle all your power needs to 700RWHP and its like $190..
 
Here are some prelimanary shots. One is the lower intake the other the IC as it sits now. Both are getting reworked. The last photo is all stacked one on top of another. In its original design there were aluminum adapter plates bolting everything together. It was very sloppy and leaked a bit. This time out It will be sweeeeetttt.

My main concern is IC efficiency for now. ANd that involved coolant flow as wel as air distribution over the cores from the SC outlet. Seems my cooland flow issue really isnt all that hard to take care off. Just sometimes running it by others makes you think outside your own lil box and things become clearer
 

Attachments

  • ICa.jpg
    ICa.jpg
    221.4 KB · Views: 1,055
  • Manifold.jpg
    Manifold.jpg
    210.9 KB · Views: 594
  • Damon4.jpg
    Damon4.jpg
    204.9 KB · Views: 1,245
> If the temperature of the liquid rises, the intake temperatures rise.

You're talking about heat-soaking the water - that's a risk that goes back to overall design and usage...keeping the water system away from typical engine bay heat sources, allowing time for the system to recover, using ice, etc.

As far as flow, the faster the liquid loops thru the IC, the faster it will heat up and the faster it will heat soak from exchange - liquid temp rises....intake temp rises....liquid temp rises. It's a wash. Fans & ice boxes come into play then...

The time it takes for a blower to heat soak a liquid is a fixed variable; you aren't going to get away from it. Just like an air-to-air intercooler, the only effective solution is the size of the heat exchanger, excluding the pump output.

Whenever ice comes into play, it becomes a different scenario. If you pass ice water through the heat exchanger first, you're heating the liquid up before it gets to the intercooler, until the temperature of the liquid is at ambient temperatures. This is why people go from the reservoir to the IC instead of from the heat exchanger to the IC.

If you quickly move ice water through the cores, you reduce the time it takes to heat exchange inside of the cores. Considering the the only time you would effectively use ice is at the dyno or at the track, the amount of time under wide open throttle stagnates the possibility of heat soak; therefore, you would need to move it through quickly.
 
>fixed variable

My favorite kind...

Thanks for the pics - those are nice ICs for sure.
 
Back
Top