Turbochargers

Society is driven by the thought of improving every existing invention to make it bigger, smaller, more cost effective, or simply better. The internal combustion engine has been used in transportation for everyone who lives in a civilized area; whether it is a motorcycle, car, bus, airplane, etc. The most important advances in technology for these engines involve efficiency. Gas mileage, performance, and displacement are key concerns for all engineers of internal combustion engines. With the invention of the turbocharger all of these factors can be improved. The inventor, progression, impact, and current adaptation of the turbocharger are very important in understanding this engineering innovation.

The entire world can thank Alfred Buchi for the invention of the turbocharger. Alfred was an engineer of steam turbines from the Swiss town of Winterthur and lived from July 11, 1879 to October 27, 1959. Alfred wanted to use the pressure the exhaust created in order to create positive pressure going into the engine. The idea was to use waste from the engine and create a product that would improve fuel economy and maximize power at the same time. After creating drawings of his idea he decided on getting a patent. “On 16 November 1905 Swiss engineer Dr. Alfred Buchi received patent No. 204630 from the Imperial Patent Office of the German Reich.” (http://www.gizmag.com/go/4848/)

The basis of the need for more efficient power was all sparked after the invention of the internal combustion four stroke engine in 1890 by Wilhelm Maybach (http://inventors.about.com /library/weekly/aacarsgasa.htm). The first engines produced very little power and were extremely inefficient doing so thus there was a desire to improve the engine to make more power more efficiently. Initially the easiest and best way to gain power was to increase the displacement of the engine. Increasing the displacement was effective at making more power, but there was only so big an engine could be to fit into airplanes and automobiles. Moreover the bigger the displacement of the engine the more fuel the engine would burn emphasizing the need for more efficient means of making power.

Taking bigger displacement out of the picture created the idea of forced induction. Forced induction is using any means to force air into an engine besides the engine’s natural ability to provide an air supply for itself. The supercharger was the first form of forced induction and was invented in 1905 by a man named L. Cruex (http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blcar. htm). The supercharger was not extremely efficient because it involved the engine spinning a shaft which compressed air to feed the engine. The engine spinning the shaft used power in itself, so supercharges robbed power to make power. This is the point in time when Alfred came into the picture with the invention of the turbocharger. After the turbocharger was designed, the advantages of it were seen most by those who wanted more power. At this time ship builders were making enormous ships and their diesel engines could always use more power to push the great weight of the ships they powered. In the 1920’s ships began using turbochargers, but soon after trains began to take advantage of this new technology. Initially the turbocharger was not nearly as efficient as it is today. A turbocharger is like two fans connected by a single shaft. The exhaust gas is forced to turn one fan blade, which in result spins the other side. The side that gets exhaust pressure is called the exhaust side of the turbo and its purpose is simply to spin the other “fan”. The other side of the turbo is called the compressor side and the blade draws fresh air in and compresses it causing massively increased air intake for the engine. The compressed air created by the turbocharger is called boost. The first turbochargers were especially large and inefficient power was gained, but it was not multiplied like it is today. The designs of the way the blades are shaped and the blade housing