Mazda Rotary Club

General => General Technical => Anything Engine/Performance/Tuning related => Topic started by: Grant Monkhouse on October 09, 2012, 09:35:49 PM

Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: Grant Monkhouse on October 09, 2012, 09:35:49 PM
As we seem to chase cooling things on our rotaries, namely the air intake temperature, with use of inter cooling, charge cooling, and
Water methanol injection.

 Would it be necessary to also cool the fuel through a fuel cooler
System? The cooler the fuel the more consistent the fuel is. As the fuel no doubt gets heated up from the fuel up pumps and engine bay heat heating up the return line from the fuel rails, which gets dumped back into the tank, thus warming the fuel up all the time your driving/racing.

Maybe this isn\'t necessary on a drag car, but maybe a road car, race car, track car, maybe a drift car too?

Discuss :)
Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: Will66 on October 09, 2012, 10:07:10 PM
I think it\'s an interesting idea however it\'s not been adopted and I reckon it\'s because the fuel temperature is relatively low compared to the coolant and the oil and because it\'s moving quite quickly you\'d need quite a big cooler to cool it effectively.  Also, the tank is relatively cool compared to the engine bay so any fuel that is heated and heads down the return line into the tank won\'t heat the fuel in there up a lot.  Especially since there\'s good airflow around the tank.

I think that whilst it\'s an interesting idea, you\'d be chasing maybe getting the fuel a few degrees cooler but you\'d add weight and complexity.  Considering there are much more effective ways of cooling the rotary than fuel (low latent heat of vapourisation) I think you\'d be better off with a larger water/methanol tank and spraying more in if you\'re worried about heat rather than a fuel cooler that won\'t make much difference to the problem.
Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: shaunwil on October 09, 2012, 10:47:42 PM
The Ecu on the FD does have fuel temp as a correction on the Apexi. Can make some difference to how much fuel goes in.

Shaun
Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: m1tch on October 09, 2012, 10:49:59 PM
The fuel is only really ever near something hot briefly as its circulating around the whole system before returning to a large volume of cooler fuel.

I think the best solution is to burn all the fuel before it gets a chance to heat up :D
Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: Will66 on October 09, 2012, 10:57:41 PM
Top Fuel Dragsters and funny cars actually get cooled by the fuel being channelled through the block to the injectors.
Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: m1tch on October 10, 2012, 12:44:26 AM
Quote from: Will66;837887Top Fuel Dragsters and funny cars actually get cooled by the fuel being channelled through the block to the injectors.

Its the same if you run a high ethonol fuel, I can\'t remember what car it was but they had to remove their intercooler as it was cooling the intake charge down too much and was making the fuel droplets fall out of suspension lol With ethonol it does cool the intake charge down which is why you can up the compression a bit more and get more power out of it, but with normal petrol it doesn\'t work like that which is a shame lol
Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: rx7boy on October 10, 2012, 01:23:14 AM
RE-Ameniya is running fuel coolers in the boot of nearly all his competing cars, I guess he knows his :censored::censored::censored::censored: so can\'t be a bad idea :)
Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: Grant Monkhouse on October 10, 2012, 06:15:46 AM
Quote from: shaunwil;837884The Ecu on the FD does have fuel temp as a correction on the Apexi. Can make some difference to how much fuel goes in.

Shaun

This is what brought me to wonder about these things, if you have a constant fuel temperature then the temp input won\'t change your fuel injected volume, which should give you more consistent AFRs and EGTs.

I have found a system that is cooled with the same coolent as an air cons system. That would make it icy cold.

As for extra weight?? I don\'t think it would make much difference, it is simply a small radiator connected to your fuel system, after the fuel pump.
Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: Grant Monkhouse on October 10, 2012, 06:20:11 AM
This one of the coolers I found. A little pricy but looks good.

http://m.summitracing.com/parts/dei-080125

I\'m not sure if I have a fuel temp sensor wired into my Haltech, may be worth adding it in??

I know Rice racing logs fuel temp and also cools his fuel, which is attached to his Water methanol tank
Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: Will66 on October 10, 2012, 08:46:49 AM
Fuel cooling would give you more stability because it would reduce a variable.
Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: Grant Monkhouse on October 10, 2012, 10:17:02 AM
Well yes. If you think about he fuel system it is under pressure, pressure causes heat. I think this would be a good thing for building a race car but in 2 minds whether to bother on my car.
Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: m1tch on October 10, 2012, 10:44:36 AM
Could you perhaps not look at running something like a small oil cooler and a fan on it in the boot? I have seen a few passive oil coolers which are basically just pipes with fins on them lol
Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: Mir on October 10, 2012, 12:20:28 PM
Grant this what I am running. http://aeromotiveinc.com/products-page/accessories-electronics/16306-billet-fuel-pump-speed-controller/

Problem sorted ;)

Mir
Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: RobMatthews on October 10, 2012, 12:52:15 PM
My bmw has one enclosed with cold air intake from the bumper as standard, and what about people who run aftermarket tanks in the boot or back seat position, fuel wont get cooled then...
Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: Grant Monkhouse on October 10, 2012, 12:57:40 PM
Quote from: Mir;837943Grant this what I am running. http://aeromotiveinc.com/products-page/accessories-electronics/16306-billet-fuel-pump-speed-controller/

Problem sorted ;)

Mir

Just little bit expensive for me, looks good though.
Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: Will66 on October 10, 2012, 02:14:03 PM
Quote from: Grant Monkhouse;837926Well yes. If you think about he fuel system it is under pressure, pressure causes heat. I think this would be a good thing for building a race car but in 2 minds whether to bother on my car.

Compressing something causes heat, you can\'t compress a liquid.  The heat comes from the operation of the pump and passing hot things.
Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: wolfie1 on October 10, 2012, 07:44:27 PM
Most diesel cars have a fuel cooler, for example if you look underneath any vag group diesel under where the drivers seat would be there is a cooler there and when I mot these particular cars the cooler is hot to the touch so they must be doing something. When I used to race nitro rc cars we used to fit fuel coolers and they did work to an extent (maybe  2/10 sec a lap) difference so I don\'t know if its anything to do with the type of fuel used to make 1 a benefit
Title: Fuel coolers
Post by: RotorHeid on October 10, 2012, 09:21:58 PM
many years ago, dry ice square pack for freeze bag was used to cool the fuelline and also put the packs inside the air filter to cool in incoming air. simple but work.