Thermal Engine Coatings

[Ralphy]

A question for you engine builders. Reading here that with running aluminum heads, you can run higher compression ratios. If you were to thermal coat your heads, pistons, valve stems and ports. Can you run an even higher compression ratio? This would be with pump gas.

Ralphy

[bobcowan]

Depends on what you use. Some coatings are designed to be heat barrier. Those work well on the piston crowns to prevent heat transfer to the oil. Some coatings are designed to transfer heat at a higher rate. They would work well on the chamber walls.

I'v been doing a lot of reading about these coatings. This year I plan to add an anti-friction coating to the piston skirts, and a thermal barrier to the piston crown. Although the other coatings look interesting, I don't think there's enough bang for the buck for my use.

[olddog]

There is an adiabatic temp increase, when you compress a gas. That is the law of physics and you cannot change that.

The temp of the air going into the engine is the starting temp before the compression. Getting as cool a source of air as you can find is very important and I think, the most overlooked.

Then there is the heat that that is flowing into the air from the engine parts. This is what you are talking about. Anything you can do to keep the combustion chamber cooler will help. I have read some after-market block have improved cylinder wall cooling. Chrysler sprays oil on the bottoms of the pistons on the new big Hemi to keep the pistons cooler.

Bottom line there is likely something to be gained here, but I would think the racing fellows would be all over it.

[Ralphy]

I have seen coatings on aircraft engine parts in particular the combustion chamber and it seems very durable.