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Motorsport
Gearing up for Formula 1 season : the hidden power of heat exchanger placement
Red Bull RB20 racing car . Photo by Jacopo Moretti for F1inGenerale .
A vital component within the mechanics of a racing car , the intercooler serves the purpose of swiftly lowering the temperature of the compressed air flowing into the engine . The effectiveness of the heat exchanger ( intercooler ) holds paramount importance for the vehicle ’ s cooling efficiency and its overall performance . In this article , we investigate the different solutions adopted by the top Formula 1 teams arrived at for the 2024 season .
By Matteo Beretta , F1ingenerale . com
At the time of writing this article , the F1 2024 season has just kicked off to a blinding start in Bahrain . While the standards and specifications for cars remained unchanged compared to 2023 season , the teams are still within their rights to make strategic choices in designing their cars innerworkings , all within acceptable limits . Upon the initial investigation into the cooling system strategies , what immediately stood out is the diversity among the choices made . Each team has gone in its own direction . However , the most innovative one seems , once again , to be Red Bull who has chosen to thoroughly overhaul its cooling system .
Red Bull RB20 : the most extreme on radiators The engineers in Milton Keynes have thought out of the box with the placement of the intercooler on the RB20 , which resulted in it resting on the lower part of the sidepod . This solution helps to lower the center of gravity and compensates for the higher placement of the water and oil radiators . The latter are now raised and tilted more forward with respect to last year ’ s car . Furthermore , the size of the central radiator placed above the Power Unit has been reduced . Therefore , Red Bull has paid a lot of attention to the cooling system to find its optimal packaging . In addition , it is very interesting to see how each opening of the RB20 is designed to feed a specific area of the car . The new vertical intake brings flow to the intercooler . The sidepods inlet brings air to the water and oil radiators . The airscoop cools the center radiator while the innovative inlets on both side of the headrest feed the radiators located under the engine cover outlets .
Ferrari SF-24 racing car . Photo by Jacopo Moretti for F1inGenerale .
46 Heat Exchanger World April 2024 www . heat-exchanger-world . com