Bharath University

Department
Of
Mechanical Engineering
Technical Seminar
On

“Turbocharger”

Prepared By:
SHAMBHU NATH

U08ME280
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING,BHARATH UNIVERSITY,CHENNAI-73

TURBOCHARGERS

ABSTRACT

A Turbocharger, or turbo, is a gas compressor that is used for forced induction of an

internal combustion engine. A form of supercharger, the turbocharger increases the pressure of
air entering the engine to create more power. A turbocharger has the compressor powered by a
turbine which is driven by the engine's own exhaust gases rather than direct mechanical drive.
This allows a turbocharger to achieve a higher degree of efficiency than other types of forced
induction compressors which are more vulnerable to loss. The turbocharger was invented by
Swiss engineer Alfred Büchi. A turbocharger is a small centrifugal pump driven by the energy of
the exhaust gases of an engine. The objective of a turbocharger is the same as that of a
supercharger; to improve an engine's volumetric efficiency by solving one of its cardinal
limitations. Turbochargers were first used in production aircraft engines in the 1920s before
World War II, although they were less common than engine-driven centrifugal
superchargers.The first turbocharged diesel truck was produced by Schweizer Maschinenfabrik
Saurer (Swiss Machine Works Saurer) in 1938. His patent for a turbocharger was applied for use
in 1905.

PRESENTED BY:

NAME :SHAMBHU NATH

REG NO. : U08ME280

SECTION : 6-D
Contents
 Introduction
 Operating Principle
 History
o Aviation
o Production Automobiles
o Competition Cars
 Design and installation
o Components
o Pressure increase
o Wastegate
o Charge Cooling
o Remote installation
 Automotive application
o Bike application
o Aircraft application
 Properties
Introduction
A turbocharger, or turbo, is a gas compressor that is used for forced induction of an internal
combustion engine. A form of supercharger, the turbocharger increases the pressure of air
entering the engine to create more power. A turbocharger has the compressor powered by a
turbine which is driven by the engine's own exhaust gases rather than direct mechanical drive.
This allows a turbocharger to achieve a higher degree of efficiency than other types of forced
induction compressors which are more vulnerable to parasitic loss.

Early manufacturers of turbochargers referred to them as "turbo superchargers". A supercharger

is an air compressor used for forced induction of an engine. Logically then, adding a turbine to
turn the supercharger would yield a "turbo supercharger". However, the term was soon shortened
to "turbocharger". This is now a source of confusion, as the term "turbo supercharged" is
sometimes used to refer to an engine that uses both a crankshaft-driven supercharger and an
exhaust-driven turbocharger, often referred to as twin charging.

Aviation engine manufacturers such as Teledyne Continental Motors still use the term turbo
supercharged to refer to turbo chargers that are used to boost manifold pressure above 1 ATM.
Turbochargers that maintain 1 ATM of manifold pressure to a specific altitude are considered
turbo-normalized. Though these represent true turbochargers, they should not be confused with
some aircraft engines that employ actual engine-driven superchargers.

Operating principle
A turbocharger is a small centrifugal pump driven by the energy of the exhaust gases of an
engine. A turbocharger consists of a turbine and a compressor on a shared shaft. The turbine
converts kinetic energy from the engine exhaust's velocity and potential energy from the
exhaust's higher-than-atmospheric pressure into rotational kinetic energy, which is in turn used to
drive the compressor. The compressor draws in ambient air and pumps it into the intake manifold
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 that of a supercharger; to improve an engine's

volumetric efficiency by solving one of its cardinal limitations. A naturally aspirated automobile
engine relies mostly on the downward stroke of a piston to create an area of low pressure in order
to draw air into the cylinder through one or more intake valves. The pressure in the atmosphere is
no more than 1 atm (approximately 14.7 psi, or 1 bar), so there ultimately will be a limit to the
pressure difference across the intake valves and thus the amount of airflow entering the
combustion chamber. Since the turbocharger increases the pressure at the point where air is
entering the cylinder, a greater mass of air (oxygen) will be forced in as the inlet manifold
pressure increases. The presence of additional air mass in the cylinder makes it possible to create
a bigger explosion if more fuel is injected, increasing the power and torque output of the engine.

To avoid detonation and physical damage to the host engine, the intake manifold pressure must
not get too high, thus the pressure at the intake manifold of the engine must be controlled by
some means. A Wastegate, which vents excess exhaust gas so that it will bypass the exhaust
turbine is the most common boost control device. An actuator, connected to the compressor
outlet via a signal hose, and usually controlled via a solenoid by the car's Engine Control Unit,
forces the wastegate to open as the boost pressure rises. The reduction in turbine speed results in
the compressor slowing, and in less air pressure at the intake manifold.

Modern Group N Rally cars are forced by the rules to use a 34mm restrictor at the compressor
inlet, which effectively limits the maximum boost (pressure above atmospheric) that the cars can
achieve at high rpm. Interestingly, at low rpm they can reach boost pressures of above 22psi
(1.5bar).

History
The turbocharger was invented by Swiss engineer Alfred Büchi. His patent for a turbocharger
was applied for use in 1905. Diesel ships and locomotives with turbochargers began appearing in
the 1920s.

Aviation

During the First World War French engineer Auguste Rateau fitted turbochargers to Renault
engines powering various French fighters with some success.

In 1918, General Electric engineer Sanford Moss attached a turbo to a V12 Liberty aircraft
engine. The engine was tested at Pikes Peak in Colorado at 14,000 feet (4,300 m) to demonstrate
that it could eliminate the power losses usually experienced in internal combustion engines as a
result of reduced air pressure and density at high altitude.

Turbochargers were first used in production aircraft engines in the 1920s before World War II,
although they were less common than engine-driven centrifugal superchargers. The primary
purpose behind most aircraft-based applications was to increase the altitude at which the airplane
could fly, by compensating for the lower atmospheric pressure present at high altitude. Aircraft
such as the Fw 190D, B-17 Flying Fortress, and P-47 Thunderbolt all used turbochargers to
increase high altitude engine power.

Production automobiles

The first turbocharged diesel truck was produced by Schweizer Maschinenfabrik Saurer (Swiss
Machine Works Saurer) in 1938.

The Chevrolet Corvair's turbocharged engine. The turbo, located at top right, feeds pressurized
air into the engine through the chrome T-pipe spanning the engine.

The first production turbocharged automobile engines came from General Motors in 1962. The
Y-body Oldsmobile Cutlass Jetfire was fitted with a Garrett AiResearch turbocharger and the
Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder with a TRW turbocharger. At the Paris auto show in 1974,
during the height of the oil crisis, Porsche introduced the 911 Turbo – the world’s first
production sports car with an exhaust turbocharger and pressure regulator. This was made
possible by the introduction of a wastegate to direct excess exhaust gasses away from the exhaust
turbine. The world's first production turbo diesel automobiles were the Garrett-turbocharged
Mercedes 300SD and the Peugeot 604, both introduced in 1978. Today, most automotive diesels
are turbocharged.

 1962 Oldsmobile Cutlass Jetfire

 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder
 1973 BMW 2002 Turbo
 1974 Porsche 911 Turbo
 1978 Buick Regal
 1978 Saab 99
 1978 Peugeot 604 turbodiesel
 1978 Mercedes-Benz 300SD turbodiesel (United States/Canada)
 1979 Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV 2000 Turbodelta
 1980 Mitsubishi Lancer GT Turbo
 1980 Pontiac Firebird
 1980 Renault 5 Turbo
 1981 Volvo 240-series Turbo

Competition cars

The aircraft engineer Frank Halford experimented with turbo charging in his modified Aston
Martin racing car the Halford Special, but it is unclear whether or not his efforts were successful.
The first successful application of turbo charging in automotive racing appears to have been in
1952 when Fred Agabashian in the diesel-powered Cummins Special qualified for pole position
at the Indianapolis 500 and led for 175 miles (282 km) before ingested tire shards disabled the
compressor section of the Elliott turbocharger. Offenhauser's turbocharged engines returned to
Indianapolis in 1966, with victories coming in 1968 using a Garrett AiResearch turbocharger.
The Offenhauser turbo peaked at over 1,000 hp (750 kW) in 1973, which led USAC to limit
boost pressure. In their turn, Porsche dominated the Can-Am series with a 1,100 hp (820 kW)
917/30. Turbocharged cars dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1976 and 1988, and
then from 2000-2007.

In Formula One, in the so called "Turbo Era" of 1977 until 1989, Renault, Honda, BMW, and
Ferrari produced engines with a capacity of 1,500 cc (92 cu in) able to generate 1,000 to 1,500
horsepower (750 to 1,100 kW). Renault was the first manufacturer to apply turbo technology in
F1. The project's high cost was compensated for by its performance, and led other engine
manufacturers to follow suit. Turbocharged engines dominated and ended the Cosworth DFV era
in the mid 1980s. However, the FIA decided turbochargers were making the sport too dangerous
and expensive. In 1987, FIA decided to limit the maximum boost before the technology was
banned for 1989.

In drag racing, an 1,800 hp (1,340 kW) twin-turbocharged Pontiac GTA developed by Gale
Banks of Southern California, set a land speed record for the "World's Fastest Passenger Car" of
277 mph (446 km/h). This event was chronicled at the time in a 1987 cover story published by
Autoweek magazine. Gale Banks Engineering also built and raced several diesel-powered
machines, including what Banks erroneously calls the "World's Fastest Diesel Truck," a street-
legal 735 hp (548 kW) Dodge Dakota pick-up that towed its own trailer to the Bonneville Salt
Flats and then set an official FIA record of 217 mph (349 km/h) with a one-way top speed of
222 mph (357 km/h). The truck also showed the fuel economy of a turbocharged diesel engine
by averaging 21.2-mpg on the Hot Rod Power Tour. If it ran 50 mph (80 km/h) faster, it would
almost match the actual fastest diesel truck, the "Phoenix" of R. B. Slagle and Carl Heap.
In rallying, turbocharged engines of up to 2,000 cc (120 cu in) have long been the preferred
motive power for the Group A/N World Rally Car competitors, due to the exceptional power-to-
weight ratios attainable. This combines with the use of vehicles with relatively small bodyshells
for maneuverability and handling. As turbo outputs rose to levels similar to F1's category, rather
than banning the technology, FIA restricted turbo inlet diameter (currently 34 mm).

Design and installation

Components

On the left, the brass oil drain connection. Compressor impeller side with the cover
On the right are the braided oil supply removed.
line and water coolant line connections.

Turbine side housing removed. A wastegate installed next to the turbocharger.

The turbocharger has four main components. The turbine (almost always a radial turbine) and
impeller/compressor wheels are each contained within their own folded conical housing on
opposite sides of the third component, the center housing/hub rotating assembly (CHRA).

The housings fitted around the compressor impeller and turbine collect and direct the gas flow
through the wheels as they spin. The size and shape can dictate some performance characteristics
of the overall turbocharger. Often the same basic turbocharger assembly will be available from
the manufacturer with multiple housing choices for the turbine and sometimes the compressor
cover as well. This allows the designer of the engine system to tailor the compromises between
performance, response, and efficiency to application or preference. Twin-scroll designs have two
valve-operated exhaust gas inlets, a smaller sharper angled one for quick response and a larger
less angled one for peak performance.

The turbine and impeller wheel sizes also dictate the amount of air or exhaust that can be flowed
through the system, and the relative efficiency at which they operate. Generally, the larger the
turbine wheel and compressor wheel, the larger the flow capacity. Measurements and shapes can
vary, as well as curvature and number of blades on the wheels. Variable geometry turbochargers
are further developments of these ideas.

Pressure increase

In the automotive world, boost refers to the increase in pressure that is generated by the
turbocharger in the intake manifold that exceeds normal atmospheric pressure. Atmospheric
pressure is approximately 14.7 psi or 1.0 bar, and anything above this level is considered to be
boost. The level of boost may be shown on a pressure gauge, usually in bar, psi or possibly kPa.
This is representative of the extra air pressure that is achieved over what would be achieved
without the forced induction. Manifold pressure should not be confused with the volume of air
that a turbo can flow.

In aircraft engines the main benefit of turbochargers is to maintain manifold pressure as altitude
increases. Since atmospheric pressure reduces as the aircraft climbs, power drops as a function of
altitude in normally aspirated engines. Aircraft manifold pressure in western built aircraft is
expressed in inches of mercury (Hg) where 29.92 inches is the standard sea level pressure. In non
high performance turbo charged aircraft, the turbocharger is solely used to maintain sea-level
manifold pressure during the climb (this is called turbo-normalizing).

Boost pressure is limited to keep the entire engine system, including the turbo, inside its thermal
and mechanical design operating range. The speed and thus the output pressure of the turbo is
controlled by the wastegate, a bypass which shunts the gases from the cylinders around the
turbine directly to the exhaust pipe. The maximum possible boost depends on the fuel's octane
rating and the inherent tendency of any particular engine towards detonation. Premium gasoline
or racing gasoline can be used to prevent detonation within reasonable limits. Ethanol, methanol,
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG) and diesel fuels allow higher
boost than gasoline, because of these fuels' combustion characteristics. To obtain more power
from higher boost levels and maintain reliability, many engine components have to be replaced
or upgraded such as the fuel pump, fuel injectors, pistons, valves, head-gasket, and head bolts.

Wastegate
By spinning at a relatively high speed, the compressor draws in a large volume of air and forces
it into the engine. As the turbocharger's output flow volume exceeds the engine's volumetric
flow, air pressure in the intake system begins to build. The speed at which the assembly spins is
proportional to the pressure of the compressed air and total mass of air flow being moved. Since
a turbo can spin to rpm far beyond what is needed, or of what it is safely capable of, the speed
must be controlled. A wastegate is the most common mechanical speed control system, and is
often further augmented by an electronic or manual boost controller. The main function of a
wastegate is to allow some of the exhaust to bypass the turbine when the set intake pressure is
achieved. Most modern passenger car engines have wastegates that are internal to the
turbocharger, although some earlier engines (such as the Audi Inline-5 in the UrS4 and S6) have
external wastegates. External wastegates are more accurate and efficient than internal
wastegates, but are far more expensive, and thus are generally only found in racing cars (Where
precise control of turbo boost is a necessity and any efficiency increase is welcomed)

Charge cooling

Compressing air in the turbocharger increases the air's temperature, which can cause a number of
problems. Excessive charge air temperature can lead to detonation, which is extremely
destructive to engines. When a turbocharger is installed on an engine, it is common practice to fit
the engine with an intercooler (also known as a charge air cooler, or CAC), a type of heat
exchanger which gives up heat energy in the charge to the ambient air. Over time an intercooler
can develop leaks, losing boost pressure, and reducing fuel economy. It is common practice to
leak test the intercooler during routine service, particularly in trucks where a leaking intercooler
can result in a 20% reduction in fuel economy.

Remote installations

Turbochargers are sometimes mounted well away from the engine, in the tailpipe of the exhaust
system. Such remote turbochargers require a smaller aspect ratio due to the slower, lower-
volume, denser exhaust gas passing through them. For low-boost applications, an intercooler is
not required; often the air charge will cool to near-ambient temperature en route to the engine. A
remote turbo can run 300 to 600 degrees cooler than a close-coupled turbocharger, so oil coking
(forming solid residue) in the bearings is of much less concern. Remote turbo systems can
incorporate multiple turbochargers in series or parallel.

Automotive applications
To manage the pressure of the air coming from the turbo (known as the 'upper-deck air
pressure'), the turbocharger's exhaust gas flow is regulated with a wastegate that bypasses excess
exhaust gas entering the turbocharger's turbine. This regulates the rotational speed of the turbine
and thus the output of the compressor. The wastegate is opened and closed by the compressed air
from turbo and can be raised by using a solenoid to regulate the pressure fed to the wastegate
membrane. This solenoid can be controlled by Automatic Performance Control, the engine's
electronic control unit or a boost control computer. Another method of raising the boost pressure
is through the use of check and bleed valves to keep the pressure at the membrane lower than the
pressure within the system.

Turbocharging is very common on diesel engines in automobiles, trucks, locomotives, boats and
ships, and heavy machinery. For current automotive applications, non-turbocharged diesel
engines are becoming increasingly rare. Diesels are particularly suitable for turbocharging for
several reasons:

 Turbocharging can dramatically improve an engine's specific power and power-to-weight

ratio, performance characteristics which are normally poor in non-turbocharged diesel
engines.
 Truck and industrial Diesel engines run mostly at their maximum power, reducing
problems with turbo lag caused by sudden accelerations and decelerations.
 Lacking a throttle valve, compressor stall is essentially non-existent.
 Diesel engines have no detonation because diesel fuel is injected at the end of the
compression stroke, ignited by compression heat. Because of this, diesel engines can use
much higher boost pressures than spark ignition engines, limited only by the engine's
ability to withstand the additional heat and pressure.

The turbocharger's small size and low weight have production and marketing advantage to
vehicle manufacturers. By providing naturally-aspirated and turbocharged versions of one
engine, the manufacturer can offer two different power outputs with only a fraction of the
development and production costs of designing and installing a different engine. Usually
increased piston cooling is provided by spraying more lubrication oil on the bottom of the piston.
The compact nature of a turbocharger mean that bodywork and engine compartment layout
changes to accommodate the more powerful engine are not needed. The use of parts common to
the two versions of the same engine reduces production and servicing costs.

Motorcycle applications
Using turbochargers to gain performance without a large gain in weight was very appealing to
the Japanese factories in the 1980s. The first example of a turbocharged bike is the 1978
Kawasaki Z1R TC. It used a Rayjay ATP turbo kit to build 0.35 bar (5 lb) of boost, bringing
power up from c. 90 hp (67 kW) to c. 105 hp (78 kW). However, it was only marginally faster
than the standard model. A US Kawasaki importer came up with the idea of modifying the Z1-R
with a turbocharging kit as a solution to the Z1-R being a low selling bike. The 112 hp (84 kW)
Kawasaki GPz750 Turbo was manufactured from 1983 to 1985. This motorcycle had little in
common with the normally aspirated Kawasaki GPz750. Nearly every component was altered or
strengthened for this GPz 750 Turbo to handle the 20 hp (15 kW) increase in power. In 1982,
Honda released the CX500T featuring a carefully developed turbo (as opposed to the Z1-R's
bolt-on approach). It has a rotation speed of 200,000 rpm. The development of the CX500T was
riddled with problems; due to being a V-twin engine the intake periods in the engine rotation are
staggered leading to periods of high intake and long periods of no intake at all. Designing around
these problems increased the price of the bike, and the performance still was not as good as the
cheaper CB900( a 16 valve in-line four) During these years, Suzuki produced the XN85, a 650 cc
in-line four producing 85 bhp (63 kW), and Yamaha produced the Seca Turbo. The XN85 was
fuel injected, while the Yamaha Seca Turbo relied on pressurized carburetors.

Aircraft applications
A natural use of the turbocharger is with aircraft engines. As an aircraft climbs to higher altitudes
the pressure of the surrounding air quickly falls off. At 5,486 m (18,000 ft) the air is at half the
pressure of sea level, and the airframe only experiences half the aerodynamic drag. However,
since the charge in the cylinders is being pushed in by this air pressure, it means that the engine
will normally produce only half-power at full throttle at this altitude. Pilots would like to take
advantage of the low drag at high altitudes in order to go faster, but a naturally aspirated engine
will not produce enough power at the same altitude to do so.

A turbocharger remedies this problem by compressing the air back to sea-level pressures; or even
much higher; in order to produce rated power at high altitude. Since the size of the turbocharger
is chosen to produce a given amount of pressure at high altitude, the turbocharger is over-sized
for low altitude. The speed of the turbocharger is controlled by a wastegate.

Properties
Reliability

Turbochargers can be damaged by dirty or ineffective oil, and most manufacturers recommend
more frequent oil changes for turbocharged engines. Many owners and some companies
recommend using synthetic oils, which tend to flow more readily when cold and do not break
down as quickly as conventional oils. Because the turbocharger will heat when running, many
recommend letting the engine idle for up to three minutes before shutting off the engine if the
turbocharger was used shortly before stopping. This gives the oil and the lower exhaust
temperatures time to cool the turbo rotating assembly, and ensures that oil is supplied to the
turbocharger while the turbine housing and exhaust manifold are still very hot; otherwise coking
of the lubricating oil trapped in the unit may occur when the heat soaks into the bearings, causing
rapid bearing wear and failure when the car is restarted. Even small particles of burnt oil will
accumulate and lead to choking the oil supply and failure. This problem is less pronounced in
diesel engines, due to higher quality oil typically being specified.

Turbo lag

The time required to bring the turbo up to a speed where it can function effectively is called
turbo lag. This is noticed as a hesitation in throttle response when coming off idle. This is
symptomatic of the time taken for the exhaust system driving the turbine to come to high
pressure and for the turbine rotor to overcome its rotational inertia and reach the speed necessary
to supply boost pressure. The directly-driven compressor in a supercharger does not suffer from
this problem. (Centrifugal superchargers do not build boost at low rpm as a positive
displacement supercharger will). Conversely on light loads or at low RPM a turbocharger
supplies less boost and the engine acts like a naturally aspirated engine.

Lag can be reduced by lowering the rotational inertia of the turbine, for example by using lighter
parts to allow the spool-up to happen more quickly. Ceramic turbines are of benefit in this
regard. Other engines use two turbochargers - a small and a large. Because of its weight, the
smaller turbo will have a shorter lag, but when the car is reaching higher speeds, the volume of
air going into the inlet manifold will be too high. When the volume of air is becoming too high,
the smaller turbo will not be able to provide much boost, and the turbine and compressor will be
in danger of spinning too quickly. When this happens, the larger turbocharger will take over, so
more boost can be provided.Race cars often utilize an Anti-Lag System to completely eliminate
lag at the cost of reduced turbocharger life.

Boost threshold

Turbochargers start producing boost only above a certain exhaust mass flow rate. The boost
threshold is determined by the engine displacement, rpm, throttle opening and the size of the
turbo. Without adequate exhaust gas flow to spin the drive blades, the turbo cannot produce the
necessary force needed to compress the air going into the engine. The point at full throttle in
which the mass flow in the exhaust is strong enough to force air into the engine is known as the
boost threshold rpm. Engineers have, in some cases, been able to reduce the boost threshold rpm
to idle speed to allow for instant response. Both Lag and Threshold characteristics can be
acquired through the use of a compressor map and a mathematical equation.