Working of Turbocharger

Working of Turbocharger

Function of turbocharger: 

The purpose of an engine is to deliver the required amount of power (hp) to an auto-mobile, as you all know a small engine can produce less power compared to a larger engine. This is because larger engines have more space to burn more fuel compared to smaller engine. The Turbocharger helps the smaller engine to burn more fuel and there by produce more power.

What exactly a turbocharger does:

Turbocharger provides a boost (more compressed air to the cylinder to facilitate the combustion of more fuel supplied). 

You must have learned in LP school that if a burning candle is closed with some thing it will slowly stop glowing due to lack of air. 

This is what is applied here, we are supplying more fuel to a smaller engine and if it is not accompanied with sufficient amount of air it will not burn, so turbocharger provide more air in a compressed form to the inlet manifold.

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Main components of a turbocharger:

1. Turbine.

2. Impeller (compressor).

3. Shaft.

4. Inter-cooler.

5. Exhaust gas.

1. Turbine: As shown in the figure, the exhaust gas coming from the engine is striking the turbine of the turbocharger. This drives the turbocharger turbine connected by a shaft to the impeller of compressor.

2. Impeller (compressor): The turbine is connected to the impeller of the compressor with the help of a shaft. The function of the impeller is to take the drive from the turbine, suck the air from atmosphere and to compress it and send back to the engine.

3. Shaft: This connects the turbine with the impeller of the compressor, this is transferring the drive from the turbine to the impeller, this rotates at an RPM of  100000 to 150000.

4. Inter-cooler: This is used to cool the compressed air coming from the compressor.

5. Exhaust gas: This is powering the turbine of the turbocharger.

Working of Turbocharger:

As explained in the video the turbocharger is getting its drive from the exhaust gas from the engine. As show in the figure, the exhaust gas is hitting the turbine of the turbocharger. This result in the rotation of the turbine. The turbine is connected to the impeller of the compressor with the help of a shaft, and this shaft is lubricated with fluid bearing as the RPM of the shaft is very high.

The exhaust gas driving the turbine drives it and moves out side as shown in the fig. As the impeller of the compressor rotates, it sucks the pure air from the atmosphere and compresses it. This compressed air is supplied to the inter-cooler (the compressed air will has less density, so it cannot expand in the cylinder if it reaches in the same way, so to increase the density air it need to be cooled, so that the air can expand.) This air is supplied to the inlet-manifold.

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Advantages of Turbocharger:

About 40 % more efficiency for the engine. (atmospheric pressure at sea level is 14.7 psi and compressed air could supply a boost of 6 - 8 psi that means an addition of 40 - 50 % more power.

Disadvantage of turbocharger:

1.Turbo lag

2. More maintenance for engine.