For more effective work Your his vehicle, automotive manufacturers often resort to turbocharging systems. But is it positive? new type turbocharger will affect engine performance? To fuel consumption the car has become much smaller, manufacturers often use one key decision- volume reduction power unit. But above all, in order to keep the performance of such engines at a decent level, turbochargers are usually installed, which are controlled by the exhaust and have a delay, which is better known as "turbo lag".
Cars have been subjected to this problem for many years in a row, which was accompanied by constant complaints and dissatisfaction from the owners. It seemed that a panacea was found - the simultaneous installation of two turbines, which minimized the effect of the turbo pit. But this, alas, did not become a key decision.
History of the electric turbine
The electric turbine, after a long development time, is already ready for mass application. The company was the first to announce Controlled Power Technologies (CPT) from Britain. The electric turbocharger, they say, is already ready for mass production. CPT management has already signed an agreement with Switched Reluctance Drives Limited to develop an OEM module based on this technology base.
Switched Reluctance Drives will take care of serial production electric compressors. British developers, meanwhile, have already succeeded in creating real electric compressors for engines. internal combustion. The CPT turbocharger will be installed on any engine: naturally aspirated, turbocharged diesel or gasoline.
Controlled Power Technologies has been developing the electric turbine for almost eight years, and work on it began at the beginning of the 21st century. The creators of the electric turbine claim that it can operate from the on-board electrical network with a voltage of 12 volts, and its use will save the engine from the turbo lag effect, and also activate the supercharger even in the mode low speed. The peculiarity of this technology is the use of regenerative energy. The back pressure that was previously released through the blow-off bypass valve when the accelerator is released is now directed to spin the flywheel turbine blades to generate power and recharge the battery.
A prototype machine with an electric turbine developed German company AVL List. The electric supercharger has been adapted to the 2.0 liter petrol engine with direct fuel injection. Such a power unit, which was installed on the Vokswagen Passat, pollutes the atmosphere very delicately, so to speak, only 159 grams per kilometer, which is as much as 20 percent less than a similar traditional 2.0 TFSI with the same power, and less, than a 170-horsepower turbodiesel with the same volume.
The developers claim that this technology helps automotive manufacturers invest in established environmental regulations which came into force this year. Controlled Power Technologies has created a starter-generator speed start with a belt drive, which is used to operate the Start \ Stop system, which turns off the engine at short stops, which will definitely save money in traffic jams around the city.
But along with researchers from Britain, German developers have created an affordable idea for blowing air at a minimal cost, which has become recognized throughout Europe. Significantly effective way to improve air injection in the engine is a mini-turbine from KAMANN, which is mounted in the intake system. The KAMANN electric turbocharger is a miniature turbine that acts as an electric air injection system installed in engine compartment. This installation of an electric turbine increases the torque of the motor, in turn helping to reduce fuel consumption. It improves the quality exhaust gases, reducing carbon dioxide levels and prolonging the life of catalysts, which improves overall speed characteristics car.
The principle of operation of an electric turbine
The principle of operation of an electric turbine differs from a classic turbocharger only due to the design of the axis that connects the impellers of the classic. When the turbocharger reaches maximum speed, the controller turns on Electrical engine in generator mode. This prevents the engine from exceeding the peak speed. In cases of too rare a decrease in speed, couplings allow the impellers to rotate independently of each other, in turn reducing the load on the bearings.
Pros and cons of an electric turbine
The more power, the less exhaust
Many conventional engines internal combustion engines are equipped with turbines in order to get more power and better acceleration. They expend less fuel and consequently pollute the atmosphere. exhaust gases also much less compared to similar units without compressor and supercharger. All this, of course, makes an excellent impression in theoretical terms, but practice shows different results. High torque is often found only in a narrow range of engine speeds. Often, some turbo diesel engines can be observed bad indicator acceleration, at the moment of changing the position of the accelerator pedal, the motor needs some time to increase power for the necessary acceleration. This phenomenon has already been referred to in this article as the turbo pit.
Savings and fast response
By analyzing the market modern cars, KAMANN claims that by 2020 the proportion of vehicles that will be equipped with electric turbines, will be 50-60% of the total number of cars that left the assembly line. They have also developed a device that helps to respond faster to changes in the accelerator pedal and at the same time remain economical. These requirements are very difficult to implement in an engine with conventional system turbocharging. Such a turbo system is effective only within a certain range of engine speeds.
The undeniable advantage of electric turbines is the efficient air injection throughout the entire speed range of the car's engine, even at the time of engine start, because the injected air is already in intake manifold. At the moment of air injection, when the engine starts, the electric turbine instantly responds to pressing the accelerator even at low speed. Even by pumping air at the moment of switching gears, you will continuously receive additional energy in order to move and accelerate.
Turbo supercharger as an addition to the turbo system
Efficient operation of most turbines only starts above 3000 rpm., which means that the torque below this figure no longer increases, which does not give your car dynamism, but the engine power. Therefore, classical turbines are a thing of the past. The installation of an electric turbine allows the engine, already at 1200 rpm immediately after pressing the gas pedal, to receive more clean air without spending the necessary energy. At this point, the nomes jump by 12% compared to the classics!
Power increase equals savings
The main advantage of installing an electric turbine is to give the engine a continuous and much faster acceleration of the car. Kamann Autosport compared cars with gasoline engine volume 1.4 with an installed electric turbine and a similar car but with a volume of 1.6 and without a turbine. The result was as follows: both cars produced approximately the same power and torque at the same fuel consumption. Therefore, these two engines are equally powerful, but the first consumes 10% less fuel! And this means that along with the increased power, fuel consumption will not increase at all!
The electric turbine is deprived of all the shortcomings conventional turbine and is much smaller in size. In addition to the obvious advantages, of course, there are also disadvantages. The electric turbine module, depending on the manufacturer, is quite gluttonous, which requires the installation of additional equipment.
At the dawn of the automotive industry, engineers solved the issue of increasing the power of internal combustion engines, as they say, head-on - they increased the number and size of cylinders. However, the practicality of such developments, even in times of cheap oil, was a big question. The air blower allowed me to solve this problem with my own hands.
1 Turbochargers - what did the engineers face?
It's hard to imagine, but back in 1909, a car with an internal combustion engine set a speed record of 200 km / h - an incredible achievement for those times. It is even more difficult to imagine the volume of the engine, thanks to which it was possible to disperse the car to such a speed - 28 liters! There was even no question of launching such units in mass production, because their maintenance with their own hands was almost impossible, due to the huge dimensions of the engine.
Fortunately, further developments automotive engineers were carried out in the direction of reducing the volume while maintaining capacity, as well as simplifying the design. In order for a car to become mass-produced, it should be given the opportunity to repair it with your own hands - this is how the first automakers thought and were absolutely right.
Thanks to the appearance of the supercharger, it was possible, while maintaining all the parameters, to immediately increase the power by as much as 50%! Today, it will not be difficult for an experienced motorist to install one of the popular turbo mode systems with their own hands.
It is not at all difficult to imagine the principle of operation of such a device, even for a primary school student. The operation of the motor is provided permanent combustion fuel-air mixture which enters the engine cylinders. Depending on the capabilities of the engine and its modes of operation, the optimal ratio of air and fuel is set. Under normal conditions, the volume of fuel assemblies is limited by the size of the cylinder - the mixture enters the chamber due to the rarefaction at the intake stroke.
The air blower allows more fuel-air mixture to be injected into the intake cylinder. More fuel assemblies - more energy during combustion, more power of the unit. It would seem that everything is as simple as twice two, but it was not without nuances. An increase in engine power in this way led to whole line problems. The main one is the increase in the amount of thermal energy during the combustion of the mixture, which in turn leads to the rapid burning of pistons, valves, and breakdown of the cooling system. And it is far from always possible to eliminate the consequences with their own hands.
In addition, with an increase in the volume of fuel assemblies, the chance of engine detonation increases in the literal sense of the word. Even without detonation premature wear unit is guaranteed. To decrease Negative consequences for a car (it is impossible to completely avoid them), it is customary to use high-octane fuel, as well as decompression. In the first case, you have to pay a lot of money with your own hands, and in the second, the power is significantly reduced.
2 Air blower - how to pour power into the engine?
With the development of the automotive industry, various ways air compression. Many developments have confidently reached our days. So, let's figure out what methods of boost exist:
- Mechanical - the "father" of superchargers, which arose almost immediately after the appearance of the DVZ. Such boost is driven by the crankshaft of the motor.
- Electric - more modern version turbocharging, in which excessive pressure in the cylinders creates an electric compressor.
- Turbocharging - the supercharger in such a system is powered by the pressure of the exhaust gases and the compressor.
- Combined boost - combination various systems, most often mechanical and turbo.
As a rule, such systems are not serially installed on cars, which gives motorists many opportunities for tuning with their own hands.
3 Mechanical air turbocharger - we improve the car with our own hands!
The most efficient turbo mode on injection gasoline engines. Carburetor-type motors can also work with a mechanical supercharger, however, they need some do-it-yourself refinement, in particular, the installation of jets with an increased cross section and other measures. In case of injection engine it all comes down to the new firmware.
The mechanical supercharger, powered by the engine crankshaft, has an undoubted advantage - it works absolutely synchronously with the unit and in turbo mode provides a uniform air supply in accordance with the engine speed. However, such a device will take part of the engine power for its work.
The most common options for building mechanical superchargers that you can install yourself are three types:
- Centrifugal apparatus - used both independently as a compressor, and in combination with other devices. The principle of operation is quite simple - the blades rotating on high speed, capture air and are thrown into the body, which has a snail shape. At the outlet of the housing, the air flow acquires the pressure necessary for the turbo mode. The low cost of the device and the ability to install it yourself made it the most popular. However, there are enough difficulties in his work, in particular, with maintenance.
- Supercharger ROOTS - represents the rotor blades, which are placed in a closed housing. Air is captured at the inlet, due to high speed rotation of the blades, the air acquires a higher outlet pressure. Main disadvantage devices of this type - uneven feed air flow, which causes pressure pulsation in turbo mode. However, relatively quiet operation, reliability and compactness make motorists put up with even such a disadvantage. With certain skills in handling equipment, it will not be difficult for you to install such a boost with your own hands.
- The LYSHOLM supercharger is a representative of the screw-type apparatus. The principle of operation is similar to the previous one - the air flow is created by rotors that rotate at high speed. The main difference between this type of blowers is the small gap between the screws, which causes many difficulties in the design and installation of such products. They are found on cars infrequently and are not cheap. Do-it-yourself installation is not recommended, it is better to contact turbocharging specialists.
4 Turbocharger - do-it-yourself universal boost
A turbocharger can be used for both petrol and diesel engines. This device is a combination of a compressor and a turbine that uses exhaust gas pressure to operate. Latest Device creates a number of problems - the turbine must withstand high temperatures and a huge rotation speed, which means that the materials for its manufacture must be heavy-duty. The compressor removes some of the load from the turbine, which allows the complex as a whole to cope with its task. 
The disadvantage of the device is a certain delay in the turbo mode - it takes time for the turbine to spin up to the required number of revolutions after pressing the pedal.
However, modern units also solve this problem, mainly due to the presence of additional superchargers. Unlike a turbocharger, you will not feel any delay after pressing the pedal in the case of an electric compressor - a device that is most often combined with centrifugal turbine, starts to work already at low and medium speeds, and the turbine is connected at high. An electric air blower is quite simple to implement - no complex systems and devices are required to install it, so it is quite feasible to improve a car with your own hands with its help.
Benefits of electric turbocharging
What is the concept of electric turbocharging, which is increasingly found in latest news auto industry? Let's figure it out. In an effort to make cars as fuel efficient as possible, automakers are increasingly downsizing engines by equipping them with turbocharging technology. Indeed, in order for a compact engine to remain powerful, it is necessary to “help” it by forcing air into the cylinders, under pressure.
“Shortening the size of the engine is one of the main ways to reduce the fuel consumption of a car,” says a spokesman for the French supplier Valeo. automotive components. "To subcompact engine could develop more power, manufacturers usually use turbines powered by exhaust gases. However, unfortunately, turbocharged engines are characterized by poor responsiveness at low speeds, called the “turbo lag effect” or “turbo lag”.
This "failure" in the set of revolutions, caused by the inertia of the turbine, became the "Achilles heel" of the turbo engine. In part, the problem was solved by using a twin-scroll turbine with variable geometry, or using a second small turbine to help the first one. In both cases, the turbines operate in a wider range of engine speeds, however, it was still not possible to completely eliminate the “turbolag”. Alas, it is very difficult for turbocharged units to provide an instant response to pressing the gas pedal, natural for atmospheric engines.
And now come to the rescue the new kind turbocharging - electric. What is this "beast" and can electric turbocharging be a "game changer"?
While studying how electric vehicles work, automakers have found that electric motors are characterized by instantaneous responsiveness. Today, it is still unrealistic for everyone to switch to electric transport. The motors and batteries of electric vehicles are expensive due to their large size, and the limited range of electric vehicles on a single battery charge will not suit everyone.
But why not use a small electric motor to power the compressor turbocharged engine? After all, then it will be possible to force air into the engine without the help of exhaust gases! This is precisely the principle of operation of an electric supercharger.
idea to use electric turbocharging is not new - companies such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Ferrari have already reported on developments in this area several years ago. But perhaps more than others electric blower got interested Volkswagen concern– the VW Group is currently investing heavily in the development of electric turbocharging technology or electric turbocharging.
Marc Gilles, who is involved in the development of technological communications in the North American division of Volkswagen, calls the main advantage of electric turbocharging “that it provides acceleration at low revs, while conventional exhaust gas turbines create the right pressure air at a minimum of 1500 rpm.”
“The electric motor is able to respond to the gas pedal instantly (within 250 milliseconds),” Valeo says, adding that by using an electric turbo, “fuel consumption can be reduced by 7 to 20 percent.”
Audi, part of the group Volkswagen Group, recently demonstrated its recent achievements in the field of electric turbocharging using the example of the Clubsport TT Turbo concept. four-wheel drive vehicle develops a power of 600 hp. and a torque of 649 Nm thanks to the fact that its 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine was equipped with two turbines - traditional and electric.
The electric compressor is powered by a 48-volt subsystem installed in the trunk and, unlike a conventional turbine, provides torque “on demand”. As a result, the Clubsport TT Turbo accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.6 seconds.
“An electrically powered compressor has significant advantages,” says Brad Stertz, power plants in the North American division of Audi. “It spins up to maximum quickly without any perceptible delay and continues to build up air pressure when the traditional turbine lacks exhaust energy.”
“This principle of operation allows us to create traditional turbochargers, specially “sharpened” for supplying more than high pressure and therefore provide more engine power, while the electric compressor will be responsible for instant response and powerful jerks from low revs at any time,” adds Stertz.
By the way, the Clubsport TT Turbo concept is not Audi's first attempt at experimenting with an electric supercharger. Last year German manufacturer equipped with an electric compressor 3.0-liter diesel engine by adding it to the traditional turbine. This design was installed on sports coupe RS5. The output turned out to be a car capable of “exchanging the first hundred” in 4 seconds, while consuming only 5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers. That is, the electrically supercharged RS5 turned out to be both faster and twice as economical as its “normal” counterpart.
So when should electric turbocharging be expected at the masses? Already next year! According to the manufacturer of the electric supercharger Valeo, the first stock car, which will be implemented new technology, will be the Audi SQ7 sports SUV, where the electric turbocharger will receive a V8 diesel engine with a volume of about 4 liters. The power of this power unit, presumably, will be more than 400 hp, and acceleration from standstill to 100 km / h is 5.5 seconds. The SQ7 will go on sale in 2016.
Interest in electric turbocharging has also been shown by companies such as Volvo, Hyundai, Kia and American manufacturer honeywell.
So, perhaps soon electric turbocharging will become the norm, and owners of turbocharged cars will forget about “turbo lag”, enjoying excellent traction almost from idling and modest fuel consumption figures.
What is turbocharging is known to those who like to cram one part into another, that is, we are with you. More recently, electric versions of the turbine and supercharger have appeared with mechanical drive(or supercharger). What are the electric versions of these compressors and how do they work?
Before we get into the discussion, let's brush up on our knowledge of how turbos and superchargers work. Essentially, both of these devices increase the density air-fuel mixture, which enters the internal combustion engine, where the compression and combustion of the mixture occurs. The higher the density of the air-fuel mixture, the more powerful the piston stroke and engine operation will be, even without increasing the physical volume of the engine cylinders.
That is why small engines turbocharged are more powerful than their larger counterparts: the engine receives more power from each stroke of the piston. How can this density be increased? By compressing the incoming air with a blower. If the supercharger is belt-driven, it is a mechanically driven supercharger. If from a turbine that extracts energy from the exhaust gas stream, then this is.
The disadvantage of a turbocharger is that the engine needs some time to produce enough exhaust gases. This annoying hitch is called turbo lag. The supercharger does not have such a delay, but the engine also needs time to spin the turbine, which affects its efficiency.
It can be assumed that if an “electrical” function was added to these systems, then these disadvantages would no longer exist. And it will be true.
In fact, I want to talk about three mechanisms: electric mechanical supercharging, electric turbocharging, and that nonsense that is sold on the Internet. We immediately get rid of what is offered on the Internet. And what exactly they offer, for example, on eBay can be viewed at the link.
I must say right away that this is not an option to make your PT Cruiser even more powerful. This is a way to attach a useless exhaust pump or fan from a computer to an air intake for some unknown purpose. You still won't see any changes. All this stuff that connects to your 12 volt electrical system to run the "compressor" is complete rubbish.
IN best case, these marvels of technology will be connected to the generator to start a useless fan, which still does not have enough power for normal compression. On the contrary, you will most likely lose some power due to the limited flow of forced air. As the saying goes, don't be fooled.
So real electric mechanical superchargers nevertheless exist and in fact, these are the same superchargers as those to which we are accustomed. They also spin up the compressor to increase air density, but instead of being belt driven, they are powered by an electric motor.
But the electric motor isn't the same 12-volt dummy on eBay. This will require at least a 48-volt system. Air compression consumes a lot of energy, so it is difficult to develop electrical systems.
Most batteries and traditional electrical systems in cars simply can't deliver that much power fast enough to power an electric supercharger. For this reason, electrical superchargers usually come with supercapacitors. large capacity, which can store energy and then release electrical energy very quickly. Such capacitors can also be recharged, as electrical and hybrid cars on the principle of regenerative braking.
For example, Mazda already uses a supercapacitor in its i-eLoop system. And while it's not an electric supercharger, it's still a fairly large capacitor that's already being made and installed in cars. This gives us hope that this technology will soon become ubiquitous.
Electric turbos are confusing and make us think they are different from electric superchargers. In fact, there is not much from electric turbocharging in them. They are simply small electric superchargers connected to a conventional exhaust gas turbocharger.
Even by definition, a turbocharger draws its energy from exhaust gases, so the beloved term "electric turbocharger" simply doesn't make any sense.
By by and large, the main task of an electric turbocharger is to get rid of the turbo lag and help the conventional turbocharger until the engine speed reaches the point where the turbine is at its most efficient. To do this, an electric one (which can be located in the same place as a conventional turbocharger or separately, but powered by the same impeller) spins the compressor at the start and at low speeds, and when the volume of exhaust gases is sufficient, it transfers work to a conventional turbocharger.
