Supercharged smaller engines: achieves improvement in gas consumption at lower expense

[JohnWxy]

http://www.indiaautomotive.net/2008/05/supercharged-smaller-engines-future-of.html


‘Car makers are increasingly looking at superchargers to enhance the performance of small engines. Unlike turbochargers, there are no heat issues to manage, and the study of exhaust gases can then be assigned to energy recovery systems,’ he added. Using the dual-speed approach, Antonov reckons that car makers could halve the size of the engine for any particular application with a dramatic reduction in fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

‘A 25 to 50 per cent reduction in engine size seems feasible for road vehicles,’ says Baylis. ‘The dual-speed supercharging solution certainly delivers the performance and, importantly for road cars, maintains excellent driveability. Improved fuel economy is fundamentally achieved through using a small displacement engine, with a dual-speed supercharger allowing it to run more often at low rpm. The two speeds allow us to spread the charge of air from the supercharger to the engine over a wide engine speed range,’ he adds.

‘Essentially, we’re able to create a better match between the supercharger and its host engine – by running the supercharger faster at low engine speeds and slower at high engine speeds. The benefit is predictable low speed engine torque that is always available for enhanced drivability and performance. The change between drive ratios is smooth and virtually imperceptible to the driver,’ says Baylis.

‘The ability of a dual-speed supercharger to operate as a passive device, without the need for sophisticated and expensive electronic control systems or hydraulic actuators, means low cost, high efficiency and simplicity of application. In addition, a supercharger with a simple dual-speed mechanical drive provides most of the benefit of a fully variable drive unit, or various complex combinations of supercharger and turbocharger, at a fraction of the cost,’ he adds.

[liberal N proud]

1. If it is anything like the turbochargers they used in the 80's...

It will cause more stress on the engines than conventional technology reducing engine life.

[JohnWxy]

2. Obviously, the engines have to be built to take the greater demands of higher

combustion chamber pressures. But the extra costs are not prohibitive.

[Uben]

3. I just bought a Mitsubishi Eclipse for my daughter's birthday

She'll be 16 in December and I found a deal on a 2003 model with a 2.5 litre 4 cylinder engine. I am amazed at the pep that little engine puts out! It is rated 30 mpg/hwy, which is why I bought it, but if it were super-charged, I can't imagine the power it would have! These are mid-sized cars and the 2.4 engine drives it very well.