Are We All Using The Word 'Intercooler' Wrong?

It could be argued that a turbocharged car's 'intercooler' is nothing of the sort, and to explain why, we need to talk about planes...
Are We All Using The Word 'Intercooler' Wrong?

See the shiny looking part sticking out of the Audi TT above? You’d probably be tempted to call it an intercooler. But, if we want to be pedantic about it for a moment, it technically isn’t.

Before we go any further though, let’s remind ourselves of what these devices actually do. The job of what we usually refer to as an intercooler is to cool down the air that’s just left the turbocharger or supercharger. Cooler air means more oxygen entering your engine, burning more fuel and increasing performance.

Are We All Using The Word 'Intercooler' Wrong?

There is an argument, however, for an ‘intercooler’ used in an automotive application to actually be referred to as an ‘aftercooler’. Why? The answer is to do with planes, oddly enough.

Some piston aircraft engines feature ‘staged’ turbochargers (typically two, but sometimes more), with one forcing air into another, which then forces air into the engine. It’s the kind of turbocharging that Christopher Nolan would dig, but it also leads to an undesired build up in both heat and pressure.

The solution is to place a cooling device between the turbochargers. Given its location, it’s referred to as an ‘intercooler’. You’d then have another cooler placed after the last turbo and before the engine, called - you guessed it - an ‘aftercooler’.

Are We All Using The Word 'Intercooler' Wrong?

A car’s intercooler? That’s after the last stage of turbocharging too, hence why some consider it to be correct to call it an aftercooler. The counter-argument is that the ‘inter’ prefix still works, since the part is sitting between two things - the turbocharger and the engine. Plus, since the staged turbocharging is extremely rare in the automotive world (it’s better suited for planes where turbo lag is less of an issue), there’s no need to distinguish between something being an intercooler or aftercooler.

In fact, intercoolers and charge coolers themselves are no different - it’s all about the placement, so there’s a rationale for using the catch-all term of ‘charge air cooler‘. However, the word intercooler has become so widely used by car makers, automotive journalists, petrolheads, and manufacturers themselves like Forge, it’s likely to remain synonymous with charger air coolers in cars for the foreseeable future.

What do you call these devices, and why? At the risk of opening a big can of worms, we’d like to know your thoughts in the comments!

Comments

Joostk26

But the cooler now cools the air in between the turbo and the intake.

09/24/2018 - 15:47 |
0 | 24

Sigh Please read articles before commenting.

Cooling in-between forms of forced induction (AKA in between turbos) = Intercooler
Cooling after a form of forced induction (AKA in between a turbo and the throttle body) = Aftercooler

09/24/2018 - 16:06 |
12 | 2
Anonymous

In Germany we call it “Ladeluftkühler” wich translates into “boostcooler”.

09/24/2018 - 16:10 |
152 | 0
TurboToddler (Straight-five)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Do some people say “intercooler” anyway or is it just “Ladeluftkühler”?

09/24/2018 - 17:02 |
2 | 0
Matt Robinson
Matt Robinson

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

That’s better than intercooler, aftercooler or charge cooler. I’m calling it that from now on!

09/24/2018 - 17:29 |
56 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Boostcooler…… I love it it sounds so much better lol

09/24/2018 - 18:06 |
10 | 0
Luke Woessner (G17)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

I’m actually studying German at the moment as an elective class. The stereotype is true. There are no adjectives, they just keep making the word longer.

09/24/2018 - 18:19 |
42 | 0
🎺🎺thank mr skeltal

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

It would literally translate to “charged air cooler” though.

09/24/2018 - 20:15 |
12 | 0
MrLeo

I’ve heard shmee talk about his “gearbox intercooler” being pierced. The term is incorrect right? As it is filled with some kind of gearbox coolant or so. I would just call it a radiator. Opinions?

09/24/2018 - 16:10 |
10 | 0
Luke Woessner (G17)

In reply to by MrLeo

Technically it would be a “heat exchanger.” Anything that takes heat from one source to another (ie. Radiator, transmission cooler, oil cooler, air to air/air to water intercooler) would count. While most people just call it a transmission oil cooler, it’s technically not incorrect, just oddly phrased.
Side note: Nice 850 Bro

09/24/2018 - 18:18 |
8 | 0
Pagz777

In reply to by MrLeo

I’d imagine Shmee isn’t the most mechanically inclined, and is just using intercooler as a generic term

09/24/2018 - 19:19 |
6 | 0
Anonymous

I call it the charge cooler usally

09/24/2018 - 16:22 |
4 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

But if no one knows what im talking about i just say intercooler…

09/24/2018 - 16:23 |
2 | 0
Tomislav Celić

I’m still gonna cool it intercooler

09/24/2018 - 17:53 |
6 | 0
RWB Dude

I always called them intercoolers and i always will

09/24/2018 - 17:56 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

I’ve been saying it right the whole time.

09/24/2018 - 18:48 |
4 | 0
Anonymous

looks like Comments of the Week is turning into Comments of the Month

09/24/2018 - 20:07 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

In my refrigiation class we had the topic of intercoolers. The definition is litary just a heat exchanger between two compressors.
Manufracturers like toyota and Mitsubishi often sell their piston compressor for refrigiation machines with just a different valve plate with a extra hole for the spark plug as engines. A turbocharger is also a compressor.
Therefore the air-air heat exchanger between the turbo compressor and the piston compressor can be called an intercooler

09/24/2018 - 21:04 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

I like the term heat exchanger. Cant argue about its correctness

09/24/2018 - 21:13 |
2 | 0

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