SUPERCHARGING OF I.C.

ENGINES

ABSTRACT:
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of air in an I.C engine. It provides
more oxygen to support the combustion than available in naturally aspirated engine. A
supercharger can be powered mechanically by a belt, gear, shaft, or chain connected to the
engines crankshaft. It does the same work as that of a compressor, it compresses the air being
delivered to the combustion chamber of an engine. The greater mass flow-rate provides more
oxygen to support combustion that would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which
allows more fuel to be provided with and more work to be done per cycle, thus increasing the
power output of the engine. Hence, a supercharger is extra equipment provided in an engine so
as to boost the capacity and the torque of an engine.

More Fuel + More Air = Bigger explosion = Greater Horsepower

When an engine is on the intake stroke, it is sucking air into the combustion chamber. With
a normally aspirated engine, this sucking motion creates a vacuum inside the intake runners
and plenum. This suction is due to the cylinders attempting to suck in more air than the throttle
is allowing to pass . This lessening of oxygen in the combustion chamber is what allows an
engine to have variable amounts of power. Even under open throttle, with the throttle plate
allowing the most air possible to pass, the pressure in the intake tract is still less than
atmospheric.

The world's first functional, actually tested engine supercharger was made by Dugald Clerk,
who used it for the first[3] two-stroke engine in 1878. Gottlieb Daimler received a
German patent for supercharging an internal combustion engine in 1885. Louis
Renault patented a centrifugal supercharger in France in 1902. An early supercharged race car
was built by Lee Chadwick of Pottstown, Pennsylvania in 1908 which reportedly reached a
speed of 100 mph (160 km/h).

Nowadays many modifications are done on the superchargers and turbochargers to

account for variation in exhaust energy depending upon the engine speed and also to account
for environmental factors. Thus this report includes variable geometry turbocharger and
electric supercharger.

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INDEX

SR. CONTENTS PAGE

NO. NO.
1 Introduction 6

2 Superchargers 7
3 Turbochargers 9
3.1 Introduction 9
3.2 Methods of turbocharging 10
4 Electrical turbocharger 12
4.1 Classification of electric turbocharger 12
4.2 Constructional details 13
5 Variable geometry turbocharger 14
5.1 Design 14
5.2 Actuation 15
6 Conclusion 16
References 17

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List of Figure

Figure No. Figure Name Page No.

2.1 Lysholm Compressor 8

2.2 Vane Compressor 8
2.3 Root’s Blower 8
4.1 Electric Supercharger 13
5.1 Aspect Ratio 14
5.2 External Waste Gate 14

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Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION

Every engine designer wants to achieve maximum power output at minimum exhaust
emissions. The power output of a naturally aspirated engine depends upon:

1. Amount of air inducted into the cylinder.

2. Extent of utilization of inducted air.
3. The speed of the engine.
4. Quantity of fuel admitted and its combustion characteristics.
5. Thermal efficiency of the engine.

The brake power of engine is given by:

B.P. = (Pbm*Vs*n*K)/60000

Thus, for a given cylinder with specified cubic capacity the power output can be
increased by increasing the speed i.e. number of power strokes per cycle. However there is a
limit to increase in speed as friction also increases.

The most preferred method of increasing the power output is by means of increasing
mean effective pressure. This can be achieved by supplying air or air fuel mixture at higher
pressure than the atmospheric. This increases the density or mass of air/ air fuel mixture
inducted for the same swept volume thereby increasing the power output of the engine.

This method of supplying air or air fuel mixture at a pressure higher than at which the engine
naturally aspirates, by means of a boosting device is called supercharging and the boosting
device is called supercharger.

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Chapter 2
SUPERCHARGERS

Supercharger is a pressure boosting device which air or air fuel mixture to the engine at
higher pressure and is run with the help of power from the engine crankshaft.

2.1: Types of Superchargers:

There are two main types of superchargers defined according to the method of gas
transfer: positive displacement and dynamic compressors.

1. Positive displacement blowers and compressors deliver an almost constant level

of pressure increase at all engine speeds (RPM).
2. Dynamic compressors do not deliver pressure at low speeds; above a threshold
speed, pressure increases with engine speed.

1. positive displacement superchargers:

Positive-displacement pumps deliver a nearly fixed volume of air per revolution at all
speeds (minus leakage, which is almost constant at all speeds for a given pressure,
thus its importance decreases at higher speeds).
Following are the major types of positive displacement compressors:
1. roots blower.
2. Lysholm twin-screw.
3. Sliding vane compressor.
2. Dynamic superchargers:

Dynamic compressors rely on accelerating the air to high speed and then exchanging
that velocity for pressure by diffusing or slowing it down.

Major types of dynamic compressor are:

1. Centrifugal.
2. Multistage axial flow compressor.

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FIG. 2.1: Lysholm compressor FIG. 2.2: Vane Compressor FIG. 2.3 Root’s Blower

2.2: Methods of supercharging:

Necessary amount of compressed air can be supplied to the engine in the following ways:

1. Electric motor driven supercharging:

In this type the compressor is driven independently usually by an electric motor.
The speed of the supercharger can be varied independent of the engine speed and
thus the control is easier.
2. Ram effect of supercharging:
The ram effect of supercharging consists of tuned inlet pipes. These pipes induce
resonant harmonic air oscillations. The kinetic energy of these oscillations provides
a ramming effect. For the efficient operation of the system the engine speed must
be kept constant.
3. Under piston supercharging:
This method has so far been confined to large marine four stroke engines of cross
head type. It utilizes the bottom side of piston for compressing the air. The bottom
ends of the cylinder are closed off and provided with suitable valves. This system
gives adequate supply of compressed air, as there are two delivery strokes to ach
suction stroke of the cycle.
4. Kadenacy system of supercharging:
This system utilizes the energy in the exhaust to cause a depression of pressure in
the cylinder. When exhaust ports or valves are opened rapidly during the end of
expansion stroke, there is an urge in the gases to escape very rapidly from the
cylinder. The escaping gases leave behind a pressure depression. At this moment
the fresh charge is allowed to enter the cylinder behind the exhaust gases by suitable
timing of the admission of valve or ports. This type is also known exhaust pulse
supercharging.

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Chapter 3
TURBOCHARGING
Turbochargers are centrifugal compressors driven by the exhaust gas turbines. These
are now-a-days used extensively for supercharging almost all types of two stroke engines. By
utilizing exhaust energy of engine it recovers a substantial part of energy which would
otherwise go waste. Thus turbocharger will not draw upon engine power.

3.1: Methods of turbocharging:

The methods used for turbocharging four stroke diesel engine use turbocharger alone
in contrast to two stroke diesel engine which use additional devices as well. The main
types of turbocharging methods are pulse operation, constant pressure and pulse
converter.

1. Constant pressure turbocharging:

The exhaust gases from various cylinders discharge into a common manifold at
pressures higher than the atmospheric pressure. They expand in the exhaust
valves (without doing any work) to an approximately constant pressure in the
common manifold and pass from here to the turbine. Thus the blow down
energy in the form of internal energy is converted into useful work in the
turbine. The recovery of blow down energy is high if the pressure ratio of the
turbine is high. The exhaust gases are maintained at a constant pressure during
the whole cycle so that the pure reaction turbine can be used.
Advantages of constant pressure turbocharging:
1. When the pressure ratios of the compressor and the turbine are high the
recovery of exhaust energy is very efficient and fuel consumption iis better
than pulse turbocharging.
2. Because of constant pressure and temperatures the turbine runs at high
efficiency.
3. The exhaust piping is very simple for a multi-cylinder engine and a single
highly efficient turbine can be used.

Disadvantages of constant pressure turbocharging:

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1. The pressure in the exhaust manifold is kept constant to avoid any effect on
the exhausting and scavenging of the cylinder. This requires larger diameter
exhaust pipes, increasing the dimensions of the engine.
2. Since for high efficiency, a higher pressure drop across the turbine is
essential, sufficiently large pressure drop must occur during scavenging.
This makes scavenging a bit difficult.
3. At part load the efficiency of the turbine reduces due to partial admission to
the turbine.

2. Pulse turbocharging:
Considerable part of the blow down energy is converted into exhaust pulses as
soon as the exhaust valve opens. These pulses are led through narrow exhaust
pipes by shortest possible route to the turbine where this energy is utilized. A
large portion of energy is thus recovered. Thus towards the end of exhaust the
pressure in the exhaust pipe drops below the scavenging and large air pressure
making scavenging easy.
Separate exhaust pipes are used so that the exhaust processes of various
cylinders do not interfere with one another. A common pipe is used for those
cylinders whose exhaust cycles do not overlap significantly in terms of time.
The turbine has separate inlets and nozzle segments for each exhaust pipe. The
rate of exhaust gas at the various turbine inlets is different and variable with
time.
Advantages of pulse turbocharging:
1. Except in case of highly supercharged engines having one or two cylinders
per turbine, inlet recovery of the exhaust blow down is quite efficient.
2. The space required is less due to short and smaller pipes.
3. Comparatively better scavenging is obtained at low loads due to reduced
pressures in the exhaust pipe.

Disadvantages of pulse turbocharging:

1. With large number of cylinders complicated inlet and exhaust pipe

arrangements are needed.

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2. Poor turbine efficiency is obtained in case of one or two cylinders per

turbine inlet because the gas states before the nozzle segments differ widely
spatially as well as with time.

Pulse turbocharging is widely used for low pressure ratio turbines and where
rapid acceleration is needed. It is ideally suited for three or four cylinders are
there with common exhaust pipe.

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Chapter 4:
ELECTRICAL SUPERCHARGER
With the ongoing movement toward global environmental protection, regulations
controlling the exhaust emissions and fuel consumption of automobiles are being enforced.
Turbochargers have improved the performance of diesel engines; currently, almost all diesel
vehicles are equipped with turbochargers. More and more gasoline engines are also being fitted
with turbochargers to decrease weight and increase efficiency. In recent years, engine controls
have become widely diversified for the sake of both the environment and operating
performance. Variable geometry (VG) turbochargers, which can vary the turbine capacity in
response to the engine load, are becoming increasingly popular. Also, electrification (and the
installation of various electrical devices in automobiles) has produced the present generation
of hybrid and electric vehicles, and progress continues. Batteries are also expected to improve
in response to this trend. Current electrification projects impacting turbochargers include the
application of electronic control actuators. Moreover, advances in power electronics have led
to the development of ultra high speed motors/generators with a capacity of 100,000 rpm or
higher, which are now available for use in turbochargers.
In an electric supercharger the compressor is directly connected to an ultra-high speed
motor, and the compressor boost pressure is controlled by the motor speed, independent of the
exhaust turbine. This supercharger is expected to contribute to lower fuel consumption, the
reduction of exhaust loss, and the downsizing of engines.

4.1: Classification of electric turbochargers:

Electric turbochargers equipped with ultra -high speed motors are classified into
two types. One of these is a hybrid turbocharger2, in which an ultra- high speed motor
is contained in a conventional turbocharger. The conventional turbocharger supplies
pressurized air to the engine with a compressor rotated by a turbine driven by engine
exhaust. The motor/generator integrated into the turbocharger assists the rotation under
low-speed engine conditions, when the exhaust energy is insufficient, and improves the
weak point of the transient response delay of the turbocharger (i.e., turbo lag).
Under high-speed engine conditions, excess gas energy from exhaust is
recovered as electricity and is utilized for charging the battery or assisting an engine
with an integrated starter generator (ISG). The other type of electric turbocharger with
an ultra- high speed motor is the newly developed electric supercharger, which does
not utilize exhaust. The centrifugal compressor supplies pressurized air to the engine
solely in response to the torque of the high-speed motor that drives it. The electric
supercharger is also effective for constructing a two-stage turbocharger combined with
another turbocharger.

4.2: Constructional features:

To be applicable to current vehicles, the concepts are as follows:
・ The electric power source is 12 V DC.

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・ The compressor, motor, and inverter are integrated into one body.
・ No separate fan or water-cooling device is used for cooling.

The electric supercharger prototype consists of a centrifugal compressor impeller and

a high-speed motor rotor, supported with a ball bearing for improved response and reduced
friction. Grease lubrication eliminates the need for lubrication oil piping. To improve the
transient response by reducing rotor inertia, the rotor has been kept as small in diameter and as
long as possible. Compressor intake air is utilized to cool the motor and inverter. Because the
motor and inverter are upstream of the compressor intake, they are cooled whenever the electric
supercharger rotates. The cooling airflow varies with the compressor working point and is
favorable to high heat reduction in the motor and inverter when the flow volume is large. Using
loss calculations based on finite element method (FEM) magnetic field analysis and circuit
simulation, and using flow velocity distribution calculations in the cooling flow channel based
on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, the temperature increases in the motor and
inverter can be predicted, and the flow channel can be improved. Figure 4 shows the results of
the CFD flow velocity distribution calculations. The cooling-channel pressure loss can also be
calculated to improve the channel shape and to avoid excessive increases in the power required
for the motor and inverter.

FIG 4.1: ELECTRIC SUPERCHARGER

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Chapter 5
VARIABLE GEOMETRY TURBOCHARGER
Variable geometry turbochargers, also known as variable nozzle turbines, are a family
of turbochargers usually designed to allow the effective aspect ratio (A: R) of the turbo to be
altered as conditions change. This is done because optimum aspect ratio at low engine speeds
is very different from that at high engine speeds. If the aspect ratio is too large, the turbo will
fail to create boost at low speeds, if aspect ratio is too small the turbo will choke the engine at
high speeds, leading to high pumping losses, and ultimately lower power output. By altering
the geometry of the turbine housing as the engine accelerates, the turbo’s aspect ratio can be
maintained as optimum. Because of this, VGTs have a minimal amount of lag, have low boost
threshold, and are very efficient at higher engine speeds. VGTs do not require a waste gate.

VGTs tend to be more common on diesel engines as the lower exhaust temperatures
mean that they are less prone to failure. The few early gasoline engine VGTs required
significant pre charge cooling to extend turbocharger life to reasonable levels. But advances in
material technology have improved their resistance to high temperatures of gasoline engine
exhaust.

FIG: 5.1: ASPECT RATIO FIG: 5.2: EXTERNAL WASTE GATE

5.1: Design of Variable geometry turbocharger:

The two most common implementations include a ring of aerodynamically
shaped vanes in the turbine housing at the turbine inlet. In general, for light duty
engines, the vanes rotate in unison to vary the gas swirl angle and the cross sectional
area. In general for heavy duty the vanes do not rotate, but instead the axial width of
the inlet is selectively blocked by an axial sliding wall (either the vanes are selectively
covered by a moving slotted shroud or the vanes move over a stationary slotted shroud).
Either way the area between the tip of the vanes changes leading to a variable aspect
ratio.

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5.2: Actuation:
The vanes are controlled by a membrane vacuum actuator, electric servo actuation, 3-
phase electric actuation,, hydraulic actuator or air actuator using air brake system
pressure.

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CONCLUSION
The biggest disadvantage of superchargers is also their defining characteristic: Because
the crankshaft drives them, they must steal some of the engine's horsepower. A supercharger
can consume as much as 20 percent of an engine's total power output. But because a
supercharger can generate as much as 46 percent additional horsepower, most think the trade-
off is worth it.

Supercharging puts an added strain on the engine, which needs to be strong to handle
the extra boost and bigger explosions. Most manufacturers account for this by specifying
heavy-duty components when they design an engine intended for supercharged use. This makes
the vehicle more expensive. Superchargers also cost more to maintain, and most manufacturers
suggest high-octane premium-grade gas.

Despite their disadvantages, superchargers are still the most cost-effective way to
increase horsepower. Superchargers can result in power increases of 50 to 100 percent, making
them great for racing, towing heavy loads or just adding excitement to the typical driving
experience.

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References:
1. Ibaraki, S. et al., Numerical and Experimental Reliability Evaluation of the High
Temperature Turbine
Wheel for Gasoline Engines, 13th Supercharging Conference, 2008.
2. Ibaraki et al., Development of the "hybrid turbo," an electrically assisted
turbocharger, Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries Technical Review Vol. 43 No. 3 (2006)
3. Yamashita, Y. et al., Development of Electrically Assisted Turbocharger for Diesel
Engine, 8th
International Conference on Turbochargers and Turbocharging, IMechE Paper, p.147
4. Toshihiko Noguchi, et al., 220,000-r/min, 2-kW permanent Magnet Motor Drive
for Turbocharger,
International Power Electronics Conference (IPEC-Niigata 2005)

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