What is the working principle of a turbocharged engine?
2 Answers
Turbine engine principle is to use the exhaust gas from the engine to drive more air into the engine for combustion and work, thereby enabling the engine to achieve better power output. A turbocharged engine refers to an engine equipped with a turbocharger. The turbocharger is essentially an air compressor that increases the intake air volume by compressing air. It utilizes the inertial impulse of the exhaust gas discharged from the engine to drive the turbine in the turbine chamber, which in turn drives the coaxial impeller. The impeller then compresses the air delivered from the air filter pipe, pressurizing it into the cylinders. As the engine speed increases, the exhaust gas discharge speed and turbine speed also increase synchronously, allowing the impeller to compress more air into the cylinders. The increased air pressure and density enable the combustion of more fuel. By correspondingly increasing the fuel quantity and adjusting the engine speed, the engine's output power can be enhanced. The primary function of turbocharging is to increase the engine's air intake, thereby improving the engine's power and torque, making the vehicle more powerful. After installing a turbocharger, an engine's maximum power can increase by 40% or even more compared to when it is not equipped with a turbocharger. This means that the same engine can generate greater power after being turbocharged.
As someone who frequently delves into engine technology, I find the working principle of turbocharged engines particularly ingenious. The key lies in utilizing the exhaust gases expelled by the engine, which drive a turbine blade to rotate at high speed, subsequently connected to a compressor. The compressor draws in fresh air from the outside, compresses it, and then delivers it into the engine cylinders. This way, the intake air density significantly increases, allowing more fuel to be mixed and burned, resulting in greater power output. This design cleverly recycles the energy from exhaust gases, improving efficiency, especially enabling small-displacement engines to deliver impressive horsepower. However, the downside is the presence of turbo lag—there's always about a half-second delay after pressing the accelerator before the car accelerates. Modern models mitigate this issue through electronic control and variable geometry turbos, making the drive smoother. Overall, it makes cars more fuel-efficient yet powerful, like my modified car, which is a blast to drive.
