Re: Superchargers, EFI, & Twin Sparks

["Joseph Kanellopoulos" <kanellj@domain.elided>]

Since we are throwing everything in the mix here, there are 2 methods which
are still "kind of" impractical to make a turbo totally kick ass....

First as those of you who have read some of the rules of WRC know, variable
geometry turbos(read about them at
http://www.egarrett.com/technology/tech_vnt_pv.jsp?justlist=1&l1id=1&l2id=2&;
l3id=3) are not allowed so... in order to spool up fast they have an
injector, inject fuel directly into the exhaust (if I understood it
correctly) causing a loud bang, which causes the turbo to spool up really
fast......you could think of it as the car version of an afterburner!

Of course those guys rebuilt their turbo after every race! On a side note
here, one might want to comment how one could do tricks with "pressure
storage chambers and programmable boost valves...."

The other one which I have yet to see on production vehicles but Honeywell
responded xia email saying it is targeted for about 5 years out and mostly
for diesels is an electically assisted spool up turbocharger...

That's right folks, a turbo that uses a miniature motor to assist in spool
up speed, and also can be used to break the turbo, at some point honeywell
said it could be also used for power generation, but unfortunately I cannot
find the link in their web site anymore..

Since we are taking flights of fancy now, one might want to read up on
multi-stage turbos, and also on a system that if I recall correctly was
called Comprex or Volumex, or both, it was a system based on thermodymanics
and was a Swiss patent if memory serves, saw only service in the diesel Opel
Omega (IF I recall correctly) and was tested at some point by Ferrari in the
80's on the C-126, before it was abandoned (it was never raced just tested).
The idea here is you have a finned chamber whose geometry looks very much
like the wheel of a river boat, that rotate in a chamber between two
openings, the idea was it was more efficient than a supercharger but since
it was driven by a belt it was faster than a turbo to respond to, the
exhaust gas pressure was used to compress the intake air, I do not know much
more detail other than it was a system that proved to have a limited
"bandwidth" so it was doomed to diesel apps. Supposed a lot of work has
taken place in it recently so it MIGHT make a comeback.

My .02

Joseph
88 Milano Verde (jacked up.... on jack stands in the garage)
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