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Turbocharger: Enhances Engine's Efficiency

Turbochargers are the forced induction system that helps to boost an engine’s horsepower. When fitted to an engine, they significantly enhance the performance of the engine without increasing its weight.

How Turbocharger Works?

They increase the pressure on air entering the car engine. More pressure ensures more availability of air, which eventually confirms the better mixing of fuel with the air, simultaneously resulting in more power generation.

The exhaust flow is used to draw the air from engine to spin a turbine, which further rotates the air pump. The turbine rotates at a speed of 150,000 rpm (rotation per minute).

It is 35 times faster than a diesel engine. With the unique balancing methods, every single turbocharger is balanced and tested many times resulting in ultra-fine tolerances.

Overall, turbochargers helps an engine to burn more fuel by supplying more air into the cylinder, eventually improving the efficiency of the engine. It is recommended to warm up the engine before applying full throttle. It is also advised to keep the engine in idle position for few seconds before turning the engine off, as this will help to minimize the heat.

Turbo Designs

A small turbocharger though provide energy faster at lower engine speeds, it may sometime unable to give much boost at high engine speed when a large amount of air is passing into the engine. It is dangerous to spin the turbine at higher engine speeds while high volume of exhaust is entering.

Large turbochargers can provide more energy at high engine speeds, but may take long time to accelerate because of its heavier turbine and compressor. This can be overcome by taking some steps. Wastegate and ball bearing are generally used to reduce the time thus regulating the spin at high engine speed. Wastegate is a valve that monitors the exhaust passing the turbine blades. When the exhaust pressure is high, wastegate sense the pressure and passes some of the exhaust around the turbine blade thus allowing it to slow down. Ball bearings are used to support the turbine shaft and help them to spin with less friction reducing the time. Ceramic turbine blades are also used in turbochargers because of their lightweight than the steel blades.

Myths and Facts about Turbocharged Engines

There are certain myths that can be noted about turbocharged engines. Below are a few of them.

Myth- Engine output is not increased much while turbo charging and life of the turbocharged engine is longer.
Fact- If the turbo system is placed accurately, the engine will not be negatively affected and engine life will be long. In fact, the life is now stretched longer as the engine is running with increased efficiency. The dirt build up in the engine oil and around the piston rings is reduced.

Myth- Use of high flow foam filters with turbo charger for better functioning.
Fact- There is a possibility that the filtered dirt and dust particles may get stuck to the turbo affecting its performance.

Myth- Utilize the old manifold and customize the turbo to it
Fact- Be alarmed! The old manifold will not have the capacity to hold the weight of a turbo unit. It makes sense to have a specifically created new exhaust manifold for the turbo rather than an old one.

Myth- Turbo mounted high up in the engine cove restricts water from entering inside the machine.
Fact- In certain engine bays, high mounting can lead to excessive engine inlet temperature. Overheating can result in some melted glove boxes, heating the batteries and sometimes it can even result in paint damage. The water will not enter the engine bay easily. The strong castings have the potential to withstand splashing and any other possible immersion under extreme conditions.

Myth- Petrol turbo unit is troublesome.
Fact- It is not true. The type of fuel used does not hinder with the performance of turbo.

Positive Aspect

One of the important highlight of the turbo charging is the maximum power. The importance of power in a car is helpful especially in hilly roads, to pull the car. They also fall in the ‘green’ segment as they recycle the air used by the engine reducing the amount of emission.

Negative Aspect

Turbocharger parts are expensive and if you want to upgrade your car with a turbocharger, it will add an extra burden to your pocket and requires additional components to support the turbo charger device.

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