It was long ago in the 1960s I first heard of it. I am thinking about 1962 or so. GM was investigating ways of boosting power in the lower powered cars for p***ing etc. They had rigged up a deal in the air cleaner snorkel or inlet in a 194 six cyl Chevy II and were using the old gl*** Bottle air tank and compressor from the 1958 chev Air ***ist suspension or whatever it was called (Caddy suspension used a similar system for years) to supply air to four or 5 jets or tubes the faced into the air cleaner intake snorkel. Apparently through a principal called air inducement (moving air draws other air with it.) they were able to produce enuf boost in the intake tract to get a noticable seat of the pants boost for a few seconds during p***ing or full throttle. I dont have my old magazines anymore but i was a regular reader of Pop Mechanics and Mechanix Illustrated (no wonder I went on to become a Mechanic!)Anyway it was strictly an GM experimental deal and someone at the mag got to drive it. It may have been Tom McCahill from Mex Illustrated or it could have been someone else but I had forgotten about it more or less other than the oc***ional day when I wondered how good it was and what happened to the experiment. Now I see the Dyson Air Multiplier fans which work on the same principle and the idea is once again in my mind. It seems to me they were able to chop a full second plus off 0 to 60 times of the Chevy II. Anyone else remember this. I have this photographic memory thing so I remember what it looked like and how it was done. If anyone has the article or knows anymore about it please jump in. Boost wasnt huge I am sure but it was a significant increase in performance. Maybe its time has come. Don I am no artist and I was only 12 in 1962 but this is what I remember just off the top of my head.
Don, the Dyson bladeless house fan uses the same principle. Their website actually has some pretty good basic tech about how it works.
Hot Rod mag had an article on that setup on a SBC many years ago, back when it was still worth reading.......
I may make up a nozzle deal tomorrow of all goes well. Still have a water manometer in the shop. May do some tests in between my other stuff. One of the biggest problems with modern day magazines is their need to hustle parts for advertisers. It all but insures that hand made stuff (out of the box thinking) will never see the light of day. Anyone remember when that article RP spoke of appeared? Don
HOT ROD, within the last few years, on a goof, hooked up leaf blowers to a Corvette (think it was a 'vette). Don't remember the results. But I do love this kind of thinking....
Try a google search for "eductor" to get some ideas on designs or if you just want to buy one. I have often wondered if something like this could be used to do quick boosts of power too. Keep us informed on how it goes.
I remember the same article from the early sixties but it was a slant six Valiant. The inventor rigged up a small engine driven air compressor that filled a tank to 600PSI. Flooring the throttle opened a valve, 600 PSI air shot into the intake and dragged more air along with it by "entrainment". The air tank was way too small to pressurize an engine. The high pressure air plus the extra air gave a pressure of 5 or 10 lbs to the intake. Don't remember if it was MI or Pop Mech. Let me peruse around on the interwebs and see if I can find something.
I remember seeing a show where they had a Ford Lightning that used cold air from the a/c unit stored in a container under pressure used like nitrous.
I have a really big one used to inflate a life raft used in over water 747s. Don't know if it would wofk for your application. But it sure looks intimadating. On the '47 it used Black powder for the initalizer gas.
I found some more info on the Ford set up. "Ford's patented SuperCooler technology cleverly provides a special burst of power for the SVT Lightning concept. Traditional intercoolers dissipate heat from the supercharged air by circulating coolant through a front-mounted, air-cooled radiator. With the SuperCooler system, the vehicle's air conditioning system is used to chill a small storage tank of coolant to about 30 degrees Fahrenheit. On demand, the SuperCooler system switches the intercooler flow from its normal circulation and dumps the chilled coolant into the engine's intercooler. In turn, the intercooler dissipates up to 20 percent more heat from the charge air - resulting in a denser air charge. A green light on the instrument panel indicates the system's readiness. SuperCooler is activated automatically when the driver depresses the accelerator to a wide-open-throttle position. "This technology plays directly into the hands of the enthusiast," Coletti says. "The SuperCooler provides the edge for the driver, and it is done simply by taking advantage of the hardware that already exists in the vehicle." As a result of this cool technology, the SVT Lighting concept can give its driver as much as 50 transient horsepower for short bursts of 30-45 seconds and regenerate within 2 minutes under normal driving conditions. While its effect is similar to that of an aftermarket nitrous oxide system, the SuperCooler is completely self-contained, environmentally friendly and regenerative. "
While that is super cooling the charge it is also interesting. Seems to me somewhere back in my memory a drop of 10 degrees F of air intake temp can increase power by 3 %. May not be exactly right but that is what I remember reading somewhere when I was experimenting with air intake at the windshield on my 64 Plymouth as a teenager. (AKA cowl induction. ). Maybe a combo of both! Cooling and airflw. Someone mentioned entrainment . That is the word I was looking for. And on a slant six Valiant engine MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. I have one of those right here. Came out of a 1962 valiant Don
Hey, Don; Another term to look up: is "Air amplifier". Can be used w/nitrogen or CO2 (esp for cooling, I know someone who was playing around w/that, & wrote a lot about it) but compressed air (at least 125 psi) for the air amps would be best. & for fairly short bursts. Air amps won't give you a lick of boost, but they can fill the difference 'twixt whatever vacuum the engine sees at some point in time & atmospheric pressure. Same thing as boost, depending on how you look at it. Won't go positive, but that "fill" is nice . & of course, they can be used with any supercharging, if used at the inlet. The only place they'll work. . Search for **** Datson, gatorsuperchargers.net , http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Carburetedblowers/, http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/drawthrusuper-turbochargers/ . I'm a mod on the last two, I'll approve as soon as requested. There isn't much activity by ****, or in the groups anymore, but loads if info. HTH. FWIW. Marcus...
I suspected that was so. To get + on the manometer of any signficance may be impossible but we well know that minor changes in port design even air cleaner ducting (as in K&N system for instance) can improve hp in significant (read usable ) amounts. So it isnt unlikley that anything we do to improve air delivery will help. If for instance we could maintain air inlet at atomospheric instead of neg that alone would make a significant increase and if we could by using a cold air injection reduce the temperature that would also help. The ***litive gains may be enuf to feel. If you can feel it is usually significant. My cousin Cecil Farrington has developed successfully Air tank supercharging on his large pulling tractor. He is actually sealing of the intake and supplying pressurized air at 20+ PSI for the entire pull or I should say from just off the line once he has the sled movings and good bite. I have seen it run several times. If you have never seen a 6V71 GMC diesel running at 6500 RPM you should. Very impressive. Cecil didnt know "it couldnt be done" and so he just made it work and has been running it for about 10 years now. Entrainment wouldn't be anywheres near that powerful but it would from all I have read make a significant difference and not require much more than an air cleaner redesign and some piping and a storage tank. Anyway I will spend about 1 hour today working on it when I first go to the shop to work on my Dragster. I will probably test it on my truck if it seems plausible because it would be the easiest conversion. Don
Using 3/8th copper tubing I made annular ring with 8 jets or holes. I installed it in a tunnel made of bristolboard and applied air pressure from the shop compressor supply to the ring. Nozzles of jets facing downstream. Does it work? Yes. Is it significant? Not really . No more or possibly not as much as a similar sized forward facing air scoop. I am keeping the parts but regulating it to my NTBNC museum. (Nice Try But No Cigar) I suspect more of the gain in a street car would come from the reduced air temp then any increased air presure. Pressure increase so does temp. Pressure falls so does temp in a contained area. As pressure goes from high shop line pressure to low pressure in the tunnel temp falls as well and enuf that surrounding entrained air also cools some. Oh well Made for an interesting experiment and weekend of thought anyway. As Smokey once said "One good experiment beats 1000 expert opinions." Don
Hey, Don; Any chance your cousin would reveal his "tricks" to make that work. I really like that type of Thermo-Charging (Mickey Thompson's term). I know the basics, have some diagrams, but no exact devices to make it work. &, for now, I'm in the info-gathering-mode. This also ties in w/the guy doing the 37 chev salt racer w/the blown cad mill. I'll see if I can find the link to the Air Amp company's stuff **** liked. Lots of explanations. Air curtain devices also. I suspect design is key to making the AA's work well. IIRC, the AA's could do up to 125:1 volume of air gained vs air used. Mostly ~ 25->50 times - still decent. For a "fill" to offset vacuum, it's pretty good, I think. & yes, air temp drop from 125psi -> ~ 5-10psi does come into effect. Not a heavy hit, but helpful. Do appreciate your trying & posting results. & like the DIY approach. . Marcus...
The engine better be tuned for the air change or the motor will go lean when it is introduced. We see so many turbocharged and supercharged production cars now because the on board computer and closed loop monitoring can quickly adjust for these changes.
I think Cecil would help anyone and it would be nice if the gave him eternal credit. (ie The Farrington Supercharger) He works at Anderson Equipment Belleville They are a Case IH dealer . I dont know the number but a simple phone number search should give it. His design, by the way works perfectly. No hiccups. He has about 3 full minutes of air on board. He offered to help me make a system for my car but I dont think I could handle the power at my age. I am already living in fear! He asked my how much I would need . I calculated the six would use 67 cubic feet on a run. He said a scott air pack tank would handle that easily. (84 cubic feet) He said tank would have to have a 1/4 inch steel shield in case of engine failure at that pressure and I should make a door closed by an air cylinder to seal of the intake scoop once boost is applied. That is how he does his. Other then that he uses a ball valve I believe and some kind of a agricultural pressure regulator . He maintains 28 PSI boost on his tractor. He uses a normal truck brake compressor and three truck air tanks for supply. Of course on a little rail like mine there is no room for the larger lower pressure tanks. Cecil and i do not live in each thers pocket but he isalways by for one visit yearly. He is a real fun guy. Smart enuf to astound you and nuts enuf to keep you grinning. Don Re the experiment. As I said I kept everything and may just mull it over for a couple of days to see if I get any other ideas. Could be my jet holes are not big enuf for one thing. I drilled them 060". I have to think things over for a bit. may post a photo or two. Spent the rest of the day tweaking things on the little rail. Don
Interesting. Subscribed. I am convinced there are some other ways to get pressurized HP. Loved reading about both the Lightning and the Puller. Both ideas help me get some ideas flowing!
Seems to me that if the "amplifier" gas is going into the intake as Don originally proposed, nitrogen or CO2 wouldn't be such a good idea...?
There is an aftermarket set up for the lightnings and other intercooled vehicles It's called the Killer Chiller and uses the a/c system to cool the coolant in the intercooler It's made by Kincaid Performance
Think venturi effect or creating suction with a special nozzle. I didnt' find anything on the web, let me look through some boxes of old magazines.
Hey, exwestracer; Correct about the intake of nitrogen/co2. I never tried it, **** was playing around w/it, & said that the amount consumed, compared to the amount of air consumed, made little difference. I never "got" that part of it, but I didn't physically try it, either. That said, co2/nitrogen can be used *as* a cooler, esp if you have an intercooler. The temp drop from the pressure drop is rather useful. You could enclose the intake manifold, & chill it w/a blast of nitrogen/co2. Other possible ways to use it, are to wrap the intake runners (IR style) w/copper tubing as a heat sink, then run that around the exhaust to create intense heat in the co2/nitrogen (expands something like up to 1600 times it's original volume. At some point here, you'd have to to switch to steel tubing, like brakeline, I think. So in an enclosed tube pressures go stupid high, but with an outlet - metered of course - very high pressures, but directable. Like a jet nozzle), & inject that into a turbo's turbine housing to help accelerate the turbine. I've seen variations of this theme, never this. Not my idea, but ****s's. Don't know how far he got testing this one. Don; I'd be happy to give credit to your friend for his work. Taking credit that isn't mine doesn't fly well w/me. I don't always remember the name of the guy, but I'll be happy to say "not my idea, but... ". I think a guy named Keane, from Canada(?) did a lot of work w/this system. Good sized write-up in Car Craft, others maybe. Mickey Thompson did a lot of work w/it also, called it the ThermoCharger. Got crazy results, & stupid hp. System got banned pretty fast by NoHotRodsAllowed. Wasn't cookie cutter enough. Never got the true story behind it, of course, nor much more info on the system. Maybe Buddy will chime in. I sent him some info I had on it, Don't know how far he got either. Also, on the Air Amp, you'll never get "pressure". Not possible w/the design, but not what it was designed for. You'd need a rather small tank, as it isn't your sole supply of air, just a tiny supplament used to entice more air to join the party,- so a SCUBA, or two, probably would do nicely. Charging it might be a pain. Only downside is that the closer you get to atmospheric pressure - seen at the mouth of the carb/injector, the less effective it is. Jetting & high speed air bleeds shouldn't be an issue, once engine is running correctly, as there isn't any "pressure", so carb(s) should compensate correctly. If I'm wrong here, I'm teachable... . Marcus...
At the end of todays project I took the annular ring and resized the holes or jets from .060 "to .125." Even with full compressor pressure applied results were less then impressive . I had it in the same bristolboard tunnel and used everythig else exactly the same as yesterday. I am giving this adventure the X. Don
Don take an old rad hose, poke a hole in it, stick your air hose thru the rubber pointing towards the end. You might be surprised how much air it ****s in one end and blows out the other.
If you really want to go nuts think about what would happen if you used oxygen (welding tank) @ 2000 PSI ( I don't want to be around when you try it ha ha)
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