Water Injection

[EncoreWRC]

Can anyone tell me about water injection. I know what it does but after some views, and where to get it and how much I should be paying?

I have emailed Chris Wilson but no reply for weeks so I need advice from anyone that knows....

Cheers

[AlanM]

http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/showthread.php?t=96560&highlight=water+meth+injection

[EncoreWRC]

Cheers Alan. I have had a read of that one which led to my email to Chris.

Anyone know where to get these kits from and how much they are?

[Wez]

If you are after an Aquamist setup give Chris a call as he can supply them. Paul Whiffin also has them listed on his site.

Snow Performance and Cooling Mist also offer setups which can be purchased online from the US.

[uk-rich]

discount for members then ;)

[EncoreWRC]

Cheers Wez - I think I read that you had just got one - may I ask which you went for and who is fitting it?

[ajazyasin]

coolingmist setup from the states should be under £200 for a basic setup as long as you dont get done for VAT. Fitting yourself should'nt be a problem.

goodluck:)

[Wez]

I have an Aquamist 1s which I purchased months ago and CW fitted it last week, I cant remember where I got it though.

At the moment I have to just keep an eye on it and top it up but I am currently looking into the Aquamist DDS3 gauge display which shows flow rate and fluid level.

[Sheefa]

Encore, give Chris a shout direct mate - number in my sig. He's too busy normally to respond to emails and Pms and the like. ;)

He'll sort you out.

[Chris Wilson]

Must have missed the mails, sorry, I seem to get so many. Here is an article i wrote on WI a few years ago. I sell and fit the ERL Aquamist kits and rate them highly:


Water injection serves 2 closely related functions on a turbo engined
car. Firstly it cools the charge air temperature by utilising an effect
known as the latent heat of evaporation. This property can be self
demonstrated very easily. If you pour something that evaporates quickly
like petrol on your hand it feels very cold. This is the rapidly
vaporising spirit removing heat from your skin and bloodstream by the
aforementioned process. By spraying a very finely atomised mist of water
into the inlet of a turbo engine when under boost conditions the
evaporation of the water into steam causes a temperature reduction in the air and
fuel intake charge. A cold charge is less likely to be subject to
detonation than a hot charge. A cool charge is also denser, able to
carry more air and fuel mix per unit of volume. These 2 properties of
water injection allow either less chance of detonation at a given boost,
maybe allowing lower octane fuel to be used, or to allow a rise in boost
pressure usage without detonation. These are very desirable goals for
any modifier of a turbo engine, or one using an engine mapped to run
on a higher octane fuel than generally available in the UK. Japanese
import turbo cars for example.

People ask whether squirting water into an engine causes corrosion. In
fact this is not a problem, the combustion temperatures under boost
ensure the water is turned instantly to steam and is ejected out of the
exhaust. The water mist is injected only when high boost is sensed via
a supplied pressure sensor switch. The basic combustion process of
hydrocarbon fuels causes LOTS of water to be generated anyway, which is why cars
not driven on regular long journeys will rust out a mild steel exhaust
system from the INSIDE out. If water is added in the correct volume, via
the supplied, calibrated jets, this is not a problem.

Even when used alongside a larger or more efficient intercooler, or
indeed when an intercooler is used in an application where one was not
present as standard, water injection can and does increase charge cooling
still further. Water can be stored either in the existing windscreen
washer bottle or in a separate, dedicated, container. In cold conditions
it is essential to add an anti freeze additive to the water to stop pump
damage through freezing. Windscreen washer additive serves this purpose
fine and the engine won't mind ingesting this solution at all. Or you
can add neat methanol, which is usually the anti freeze additive in
washer fluid anyway. Using a 50 / 50 percent by volume water / methanol
mix will actually help increase the octane of the intake charge, as an
added benefit. As a yet further advantage the latent heat of evaporation
of methanol is extremely high. A win / win situation. It is not however
obligatory to use methanol as an additive. All components of the water
injection kit that are in contact with the fluid are stainless steel or
able to tolerate water and methanol or screen washer additive without
degradation. A properly set up system does not use a vast amount of
water, in fact a modern car sized screen washer bottle used also for the
water injection reservoir will suffice admirably. A water filter is
included to keep any sludge out of the pump or jet. This should be
checked regularly for contamination and blown out if residue is
apparent within.

[EncoreWRC]

Cheers Chris. I knew you may have just been busy. Cheers everyone. Chris - how much do you supply and fit a basic kit for?

[AlanM]

I would like to know that as well, PM or mail if you would prefer Chris

[Chris Wilson]

I'll see what the best price i can do is, but it'll be Wednesday now, day off tomorrow :)

[AlanM]

cheers, no panic, won't bedown south until April(ish)

[TLicense]

Water injection serves 2 closely related functions on a turbo engined
car. Firstly it cools the charge air temperature by utilising an effect
known as the latent heat of evaporation. This property can be self
demonstrated very easily. If you pour something that evaporates quickly
like petrol on your hand it feels very cold. This is the rapidly
vaporising spirit removing heat from your skin and bloodstream by the
aforementioned process. By spraying a very finely atomised mist of water
into the inlet of a turbo engine when under boost conditions the
evaporation of the water into steam causes a temperature reduction in the air and
fuel intake charge.

Chris / Other people that know,
I'm curious about the idea of utilising the Latent heat thing. I was just thinking though, does that really happen in an engine? The reason why it feels cold when you put some liquid that evaporates quickly on your skin, is that it's removing heat from your body and dissipating into the air. So heat is leaving your body and is being transferred to the world around you, making you feel cold. In an engine, the water, even if turned to steam, (which I'm not 100% sure it would due to the combustion pressure, which would increase the boiling point greatly, but that's just a guess, and I've not really thought about it, and can't find my old steam tables) still contains the heat that has been transferred to it from the air as it's got nowhere to go. The only difference being that for a volume of "charge" you now contain an amount of water. OK the air may be cooler, but the water is warmer. See what I'm saying?
I don't know if that's what happens, simply asking if that makes sense?