Novel supercharger lets petrol compete with diesel 07 October 2010

Rotrak has developed a novel supercharger claimed to overcome the problems of conventional superchargers and turbochargers.

The joint venture between traction firm Torotrak and supercharger company Rotrex has combined a Rotrex supercharger with a Torotrak full-toroidal traction drive, to produce a mechanical supercharger that connects via a compact variable drive – allowing efficient lag-free operation across the entire engine speed range.

"The need to reduce CO2 emissions is leading to downsized engines, heavily boosted by turbo- or supercharging," comments Torotrak engineering manager David Burtt.

"But while these engines easily reach high peak power and torque figures, they struggle to provide the low-speed response. A fully integrated centrifugal compressor connected to the engine via a variable drive will achieve a unique combination of low- and high-speed performance," he explains.

He also makes the point that petrol engines are typically much cheaper than diesels for the same application, but have higher exhaust temperatures, making advanced turbocharging more difficult.

"Independent analysis has estimated that the world market for pressure-charged gasoline engines will grow from 2.5 million today to 12 million by 2016," says Burtt. "The emergence of a practical and cost-effective way to supercharge small gasoline engines could have significant market impact."

Author
Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Rotrex A/S
Torotrak (Development) Ltd

This material is protected by MA Business copyright
See Terms and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the sales team.