DIESEL-POWER-DIRECT.COM

Because diesel engines require tight tolerances to achieve and maintain its compression ratio, and considering most diesel engines are either turbo charged or supercharged, the air entering the engine must be as clean and as cool as possible. To improve a turbo charged or supercharged engine's efficiency, the compressed air must be cooled after being compressed. These facts all point to the importance of a high-grade diesel air intake system and diesel air induction systems found at Diesel Power Direct are designed to do just that.

Air intake systems obviously vary greatly from company to company, but they are always available in two types; wet or dry. In a wet filter intake system, the air is sucked or bubbled through a media that holds a bath of oil, such that contaminates are removed by the oil in the filter. The air then flows through a screen-type material to ensure any entrained oil is removed from the air. In a dry filter system, paper, cloth, or a metal screen material is used to catch and trap dirt before it enters the engine (as is commonly used in automobile engines).

In addition to cleaning the air, the intake system is usually designed to grab fresh air from as far away from the engine as practicable, usually just outside of the engine's enclosure. This provides the engine with a supply of cool air that has not been heated by the engine's own waste heat.

The reason for ensuring that an engine's air supply is as cool as possible is that cool air is denser than hot air. This means that, per unit volume, cool air has more oxygen than hot air. Thus, cool air provides more oxygen per cylinder charge than less dense, hot air. More oxygen means a more efficient fuel burn and therefore, more power.

After being filtered, the air is routed by the intake system into the engine's intake manifold or air box. The manifold or air box is the component that directs the fresh air to each of the engine's intake valves or ports. If the engine is turbo charged or supercharged, the fresh air will be compressed with a blower and possibly cooled before entering the intake manifold or air box. The intake system also serves to reduce the air flow noise.