turbocharger

Turbocharger is a small radial fan pump driven by the energy of the exhaust gases of an engine.

Turbocharger is a small radial fan pump driven by the energy of the exhaust gases of an engine. A turbocharger consists of a and a on a shared shaft. The turbine , which is in turn used to drive the . The compressor draws in ambient air and pumps it in to the at increased pressure, resulting in a greater mass of air entering the cylinders on each intake stroke.

The objective of a turbocharger is the same as a ; to improve the engine's by solving one of its cardinal limitations. A automobile engine uses only the downward stroke of a piston to create an area of low pressure in order to draw air into the cylinder through the intake valves. Because the pressure in the is no more than 1 (approximately 14.7 ), there ultimately will be a limit to the pressure difference across the intake valves and thus the amount of airflow entering the . Because the turbocharger increases the pressure at the point where air is entering the cylinder, a greater mass of air () will be forced in as the inlet manifold pressure increases. The additional air flow makes it possible to maintain the combustion chamber pressure and fuel/air load even at high engine revolution speeds, increasing the and output of the engine.

Because the pressure in the cylinder must not go too high to avoid and physical damage, the intake pressure must be controlled by venting excess gas. The control function is performed by a , which routes some of the exhaust flow away from the turbine. This regulates air pressure in the intake manifold.

turbocharger