Quote:
Originally Posted by keithmac
I`ve seen plenty of draw through turbo setups and that`s a good point, they`ll be flowing more "liquid" trough the turbo than my setup.
I`ll be using Aquamist jets (very good atomisation), aimed at the centre nut of the turbo.
Will let you all know how I get on..
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Not really a good comparison, sorry. Water is noncompressible and has a very high surface tension compared to gasoline or other hydrocarbons. The water droplets which will be sucked into the compressor wheel have both weight and density which will not yield or dissipate easily on contact with the compressor vanes - and will erode it over time.
Squirting water before the turbo has been done many times - the best data I ever found on it was way back on either Gus Mahon's tech tips or on the TurboBuick forums, and had a few pages of pictures of various setups and carnage that resulted alog with charts. I can't find it now - may no longer be out there but I'm sure part of it is out there somewhere.
It CAN be done and will work, but you have a few issues that have to be accepted. One, water WILL come out of suspension when it meets the compressor vanes. How much damage it does depends on a lot of factors, but generally the finer the mist your nozzle can make,. the less damage is done for a given amount of use. When you get off the throttle, water WILL pool in either your pipes or intercoolers - as soon as the throttle closes and the air velocity in the pipes drops, it will come out of suspension and condense then drain to the lowest point. That leaves you open to sucking droplets - non=atomized - into the engine next time you rev it up. There is more to think about but those from what I remember were the main points about water being sprayed prior to the turbo.
Compared to water, hydrocarbons have a very low surface tension and very little molecular bond - they dissipate easily and carry very little mass per particle when suspended as vapor, and will not abrade the compressor vanes on impact. That's why the old draw-through carbs don't usually wind up with compressor vanes that look like they tried to eat their way through a prison wall.