What is a turbocharger?
A turbocharger is an air compressor that increases the amount of intake air by compressing it. It uses the inertial momentum of the exhaust gas discharged from the engine to push the turbine into the turbine chamber, and the turbine drives the coaxial impeller, which presses the air sent from the air filter pipeline to pressurize it into the cylinder. When the engine speed increases, the exhaust gas discharge speed and the turbine speed also increase synchronously, the impeller compresses more air into the cylinder, and the increase in air pressure and density can burn more fuel, correspondingly increasing the fuel amount and adjusting the engine speed, It can improve the output power of the engine.
Why do cars need turbochargers?
Suppose, a fat man can eat 6 boxes of cookies, and a thin man can eat 2 boxes of cookies. The two contestants compete to see who eats the most energy. The rule is that the more energy you eat, the more energy you eat.
Then according to this rule, fat people can consume more energy than thin people. At this time, the skinny eats compressed biscuits instead. One box of compressed biscuits is equivalent to the energy of 3 boxes of ordinary biscuits. At this time, fat and thin people can consume the same amount of energy without changing their food intake.
And eating compressed biscuits is like the engine inhaling compressed air, the same volume but more oxygen.
Back to the topic, we know that the engine (internal combustion engine) converts chemical energy into kinetic energy by burning a mixture of air and gasoline. It has been found that increasing the intake pressure also allows the engine to take in more air, because the higher the density, the higher the oxygen content in the same volume. Compressing the intake air and then sucking it into the cylinder can significantly increase the intake air volume, make the mixture burn more fully, and close to the perfect air-fuel ratio. Thereby increasing the power output of the engine, which is the fundamental reason why a supercharger can increase horsepower.
Do turbochargers need maintenance?
The designed service life of modern turbines can be maintained at about 250,000 kilometres or even longer, which is equivalent to the service life of the entire vehicle. However, the working temperature of the turbine is as high as 1000 degrees, about 200,000 revolutions per minute, and it relies on oil lubrication and heat dissipation. Hence, the daily maintenance of the turbine depends on two aspects.
1. Keep the filter clean
If the oil filter is not clean, impurities will enter, the lubricating ability of the oil will decrease, and the turbocharger will be scrapped prematurely. However, if the air filter is not clean and impurities such as dust enter the compressor impeller rotating at high speed, it will cause unstable rotation speed or large wear of the shaft sleeve and seal, so the filter should be cleaned frequently.
2. Change the oil regularly
The rotor shaft of the turbocharger and its bearing are very precise. If the oil is too dirty or deteriorated, impurities or abrasive particles will be brought into the turbocharger, which will accelerate the bearing wear in light, and cause the rotor shaft and bearing to be seized in severe cases. . Therefore, it is necessary to change the oil regularly, and it is best to replace the oil filter with each oil change.
In addition, oil below the original standard and label cannot be used. For example, the original factory uses fully synthetic oil, and we can't change it to mineral oil. The original factory uses 5W-40 oil, and we can't use 0W-30.
3. Reduce long-term violent driving and cold-start big throttle
In the early years, we would hear that turbocharged cars should not stop and turn off immediately after high revs, and need to idle for some time. This sentence is not groundless, not without reason. The main reason is that the working temperature of the turbine is too high. After the engine is turned off, the oil circulation stops, and the turbine loses heat dissipation. Now engineers have considered this kind of problem. Sometimes when we turn off the engine, we will hear the fan of the vehicle spinning continuously. That is because the cooling system relies on the vehicle battery to run, that is, it is equipped with a cooling delay system. Although it can be turned off immediately, to cherish the vehicle, try to minimize violent driving and give the vehicle a smooth and slow process to allow the turbine to cool down properly.
In addition, the cold start of the car in winter is the same as the engine. If the lubrication is not in place in time, don't rush to increase the speed. Only by fully lubricating the engine can the turbine maintain a good state.
The service life of the turbocharger is generally about 250,000 kilometres. If the turbocharger is not properly maintained, the service life of the turbocharger will be shortened, and it needs to be replaced in advance.
A turbocharger is a device installed on a car's engine that increases the engine's output. The life of the turbocharger is generally about 250,000 kilometres. If the turbocharger is not properly maintained, the service life of the turbocharger will be shortened, and it needs to be replaced in advance.
Plenty of cars these days are powered by a turbocharger, and it's not hard to understand why.
They provide additional torque, power, and efficiency compared to a similarly-sized normally or naturally aspirated engine.
However, some are fearful of turbocharging, worrying that it adds unnecessary complexity and additional potential failure points for the engine, but the truth is that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
But what is a turbocharger really?
Let's discuss various kinds of turbos, how they work, their pros and cons, and what types of configurations you can have.Read more - How A Turbocharger Works
