Manufacturing DA - A New Chiller

[hflores3]

Subscribed.

[Doug Hilliard]

Sub'd!

[Phil@PnP Tech]

Update:

I have continued to test and optimize the R&D kit on my LSA G8. I am still ironing out some issues with system performance. There are 10 thermocouples snaking out of my engine bay as I monitor every thermal gate of the refrigerant and chilled water system.

I am fighting a performance issue of one component and currently sorting it out. I feel once it is sorted out, I will be able to achieve much lower temperatures on the chilled water side and subsequently the IAT should drop as well. A few positives in the past few days:

1. Charge is staying consistent so no leaks
2. Chilled water system has been leak free.
3. Achieved better IDLE IAT's (59ºF)

I haven't had a chance to drive it with the current setting but if the idle IAT's are telling, it should be lower while driving the car. All of this testing is with the cabin AC active.

Here is a quick clip from this evening. Note engine oil temp is ~195ºF and engine coolant temp is ~185ºF. The engine is at full operating temp.

https://youtu.be/MfqJpRQqjR4

The system performance has been great so far as IAT's are way below any air to water HX. I do believe there is more potential though as I sort a few things out. I have 10 systems in the pipe line and my last commitment date is 6/2.

A little more information on the chiller assemblies.
Each Chiller assembly will be fully pressure tested. The refrigerant side will be tested to 400psig with dry nitrogen to insure integrity to cross leaks. The refrigerant side will then be vacuumed down to 28inHG and held for 24hr to insure a leak free assembly. Liquid side will be pressured to 30psi to insure leak free connections. Again, this ports are -12AN flare fittings (-10AN will be available). Chiller assemblies will be pre lubricated with the correct amount of PAG oil. You will not need to source, measure, inject, spill any oil. Just connect the lines and go.

I have slightly revised to design of the suction tap to aid in assembly. Other systems require the stud to be pressed from the factory suction line. It can be cumbersome to remove this stud and you risk damaging the sealing surface of the hard line. My kit does not require you to remove the stud. A special adapter will be supplied to thread on to the existing stud. The suction tap then slips over the adapter. The mating side of the factory line then attaches to the suction tap with a bolt. The suction tap can but installed in a matter of minutes without the risk of damaging your factory lines.

The liquid tap has the integrated Race Valve. There are no separate components, lines, fittings, or o-rings. Installation is as easy as the suction tap. Remove the nut holding the AC line onto the discharge of the condenser. Disconnect the AC line. Slide on the Liquid Tap into the condenser port where the AC line was just removed. Tighten down nut. Insert the AC line into the liquid tap. Insert supplied bolt to attach AC line to liquid tap. Plug in the supplied wiring harness and it is complete. Also that the race valve is normally open. Unlike other systems, the race valve does not need voltage to operate the cabin AC. Only supply 12v DC when operating the system in race mode. All components are IP69K rated which is safe for high pressure high temperature wash down.

There are a minimal amount of connections for trouble free system. There are only 2 o-rings on the chiller assembly and 1 on each end of the hoses. That is it. Each tap has an additional OEM sealing washer which is it for the refrigerant system.

Stay tuned!

[Darkmanx]

subbedddddd

[-Ray-]

I'm in.

[Phil@PnP Tech]

More testing and more tweaking... better results at 46°F IAT's. This was after a short cruise to the gas station and the long way home. A storm just rolled through so it's a muggy 73° at 95% humidity. I think I'm about there.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

[hflores3]

Inside cabin temps remain good and cool? I ask as I'm in Houston and the "dog days" in july / aug are tough.

[Phil@PnP Tech]

Cabin temperature has been acceptable so far. I drove the car this past Sunday which had an average temperature of 76ºF and Relative Humidity of 86%. The auto AC was able to maintain the cabin at 68ºF and when placed in manual mode and the temperature lowered to "C", it was able to blow 40ºF air.

It is very important to consider the humidity level when talking AC performance. The higher the humidity level (water in the air), the more energy it takes it reduce the temperature of the air 1ºF. HVAC technicians and even weathermen use modified terms of temperature to better describe it's effects. Weathermen use "Heat Index" to null out the humidity levels. It may be 90ºF outside but it feels like 99ºF because of the high humidity in the air. HVAC technicians use "wet-bulb" temperature which factors out the humidity level as well. So for example, while driving my car this past Sunday, it was 76 and RH of 86%. This converts to a Wet-Bulb temperature of 73ºF. A 95ºF day at 35% RH has the same 73ºF wet-bulb temperature. This mean it takes the same amount of energy to lower the temperature of the air in both conditions. So although it was only 76ºF here Sunday, it was still a good test for the cabin AC performance because of the high humidity levels.

Another thing to consider is which buttons you push on the AC controls. With the G8, if you turn your temperature gauge all the way to down to "C" for "Cold", it will automatically put it in re-circulation mode. You can also manually put the AC in re-circulation mode by pressing the recirc button. This means the car is not pulling in fresh air and reconditioning the air in the cabin over. This is easier on the AC system as the humidity levels and the temperature is less. Recirc will make it colder faster but you are not pulling it fresh air. Oxygen contents drop, CO2 rises and you may feel the effects of the "dirty" air. Now it wont kill you but a fresh air does make a difference in the cabin (unless it's smoggy).

If you jump into a heat soaked car, I would not expect the same performance with the chiller running as without the chiller. Now do not think of performance as in temperature, think of it as in time. It will take longer to bring the temperatures down. The system has to cool the chiller water and the cabin air. If you have a larger cooling system in the 3+ gallon range, it will take longer for the cabin to cool. If you have a smaller system of less than 1 gallon, it will take less time for the cabin to cool.

In thermodynamics, we always use the expression Qin vs Qout. In simplicity this mean what is adding heat to the system and what is taking it out. Things that are adding heat are the supercharger, the engine, the exhaust, solar load, ambient temperatures, and even our breath. As long as the AC system can take more heat out than is betting put back in, it will reduce the temperature.

[hflores3]

Man, talk about "being in class" and learning the fundamentals of cooling!! This is absolutely great!

[Phil@PnP Tech]

I have made a few updates and would like to share how the kits will mount.

pnptech_chiller1.png
The blue section represents the body frame rail of the car. There is a cavity behind the drivers headlight that the chiller assembly will mount vertically. There is a fixed bracket on the chiller assembly that "hooks" on the pinch weld of frame.

pnptech_chiller2.png
I second bracket will them bolt onto a stud protruding from the chiller assembly. Tightening up the nut will capture and clamp the chiller assembly. Simple and easy to install without drilling or modifying the car.

pnptech_chiller3.png
Here is a closer look at the liquid tap and race valve assembly. The assembly simply bolts onto the exit port the condenser. The factory line then bolts to the liquid tap. The port on the side accepts the hose feeding refrigerant to the chiller assembly. The bottom of the race valve is where the harness plugs in.

pnptech_chiller4.png
A closer look at the suction tap. The port on the side accepts the hose for the suction return from the chiller assembly.

Nothing requires permanent modifications to the car. Simple and easy to install. Works with the Rotofab intake without modifications.