  We study the effect of heating and metal enrichment from supernovae (SNe)
residing between galaxies on the Intra-Cluster Medium (ICM). Recent
observations indicate that a considerable fraction (~20 %) of the SN Ia parent
stellar population in galaxy clusters is intergalactic. By considering their
effect on the relaxed progenitors of cooling flow clusters we propose that
intra-cluster SNe can act as a distributed heating source which may influence
the initial stages of the formation of cooling flows. We investigate the
increase in cooling time as a function of the energy input supplied by SNe and
their assumed spatial distribution, and conclude that intra-cluster SNe
represent a heating source which in some clusters can cause a delay of the
formation of cooling flows. This would imply that some cooling flows are
younger than previously thought. We also discuss the impact that a large
population of intra-cluster SNe could have on the chemical evolution of the ICM
in cooling flow clusters.
