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How Turbo Chargers Work Article courtesy of howstuffworks.com

How Turbo Chargers Work

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How It Works

The turbocharger is bolted to the exhaust manifold of the engine. The exhaust from the cylinders spins the turbine, which works like a gas turbine engine. The turbine is connected by a shaft to the compressor, which is located between the air filter and the intake manifold. The compressor pressurizes the air going into the pistons.

Turbo Plumbing
Figure 1. Diagram of how a turbocharger is plumbed in a car.

The exhaust from the cylinders passes through the turbine blades, causing it to spin. The more exhaust that goes through the blades, the faster they spin.

Turbo Part - Compressors
Figure 2. Inside a turbocharger

On the other end of the shaft that the turbine is attached to, the compressor pumps air into the cylinders. The compressor is a type of centrifugal pump; it draws air in at the center of its blades and flings it outward as it spins.

In order to handle speeds of up to 150,000 RPM, the turbine shaft has to be supported very carefully. Most bearings would explode at speeds like this, so most turbochargers use a fluid bearing. This type of bearing supports the shaft on a thin layer of oil that is constantly pumped around the shaft. This serves two purposes: It cools the shaft and some of the other turbocharger parts; and it allows the shaft to spin without much friction.

There are many tradeoffs involved in designing a turbocharger for an engine. In the next section, we'll look at some of these compromises and see how they affect performance.

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