Turbo Operation
Here I will briefly explain how a turbo works and show the setup of a basic system.
Here you can see the complete turbo sitting. The aluminium side, closest and brightest, is the inlet side, called the Impeller. The cast side, furthest and dullest, is the Exhaust side, this is called the Turbine.
Also visible in the foreground, the cylinder, is the wastegate actuator and wastegate rod.
A closer view of the impeller through the inlet tube.
A view of the Turbine, through the exit hole.
Here's how it works. Exhaust gases leave the engine and pass through the Exhaust manifold into the Turbo. They enter the Turbo and follow the housing which starts to spiral smaller to the Turbine wheel. When the gases hit the Turbine they start to spin it pretty much the same as a windmill. The more gas passing through, the faster the Turbine will spin.
The turbine is attached via a shaft to the Impeller, as the speed of the Turbine increases so does the speed of the impeller, they are joined, the impeller works the opposite to the Turbine, in that it compresses the air that is coming into the housing. This has the effect of increasing the airflow speed and the amount of air and forces it into the engine, so increasing the efficiency of the engine. The more air you can get into the cylinders, the greater the power produced.
One thing that happens to the air as it is compressed is that it heats up, this is undesirable as it expands the air, thus meaning you get less air than if it were cold. To compensate for this an Intercooler is used, this is similar to the design of a Radiator, but it uses airflow across it to cool down the aircharge inside. Cooling the air back down increases the density again, meaning that you get more air in the cylinders, making the engine even more efficient.
This picture shows the basic layout of the turbo setup.
- Turbo Unit
- Turbine
- Impeller
- Waste-gate valve
- Waste-gate actuator
- Pressure switch
- Throttle butterfly
- Fuel Injection unit
- Exhaust Manifold
- Exhaust Pipe
