Ce sunt,cum functioneaza si care sunt avantajele si dezavantajele lor

Turbo vs. Supercharger

Este una dintre cele mai des intalnite intrebari ce ne sunt puse – al carei raspuns este aproape
imposibil de aflat- «Ce e mai bun : un supercharger sau un turbo ? »
Ne-am dori ca raspunsul sa fie simplu, dar, din nefericire, nu este. Raspunsul cel mai simplu este :
« Depinde. ». Dar nu va faceti griji, vom analiza mai in profunzime acest subiect aici. Si
supercharger-ele si sistemele turbo au avantaje si dezavantaje distincte. Selectarea solutiei
potrivite pentru masina ta depinde de vehicul, de obiceiurile de conducere, de puterea pe care o
preferi pentru masina ta, de nevoile tale.

Clarificarea confuziei

Conform dictionarului Merriam-Webster, un supercharger este definit astfel : « un sistem (ca un

suflant sau un compresor) pentru presurizarea cabinei unui avion sau pentru cresterea volumului de
aer incarcat in camera de ardere a motorului ,care in mod normal, ar fi tras prin actiunea de
pompare a pistoanelor ». Un turbocharger este definit astfel : « un suflant centrifugal condus de
turbinele cu gaz de esapament si folosit la supraincarcarea unui motor ».

Conform acestui dictionar, un turbocharger este inclus in definitia pentru compresoare – de fapt,
este un model specific de supercharger – acela care este condus de turbinele cu gaz de esapament.
Alte superchargere ce nu intra in aceasta categorie – modelele de care auzim cu totii – sunt, in mod
normal, conduse direct din arborele cotit al motorului spre roata de transmisie. Astfel ca, in
realitate, nu este corect sa comparam toate superchargerele cu turbochargerele, pentru ca toate
turbochargerele sunt si superchargere. Dar in scopul acestei discutii, un supercharger este
considerat ca toate superchargerele care nu sunt conduse direct de motor, in timp ce
turbochargerele vor fi considerate ca toate superchargerele care sunt conduse de motoarele cu gaze
de esapament.

Asemanari

Si superchargerele, si turbochargerele sunt sisteme de admisie si care au acelasi obiectiv – sa

comprime aerul si sa forteze mai multe molecule de aer in camerele de ardere ale motoarelor de
care ar fi nevoie la presiunea atmosferica de pe Pamant (14.7 psi la nivelul marii). Beneficiul
fortarii a mai multor molecule de aer in camerele de ardere este ca ii permite motorului sa arda
mai mult combustibil pe POWER STROKE. Cu un motor cu ardere interna, arderea unei cantitati mai
mari de combustibil inseamna ca poti transforma mai mult combustibil in energie si putere. Datorita
acestui lucru, motoarele supercharger si turbocharger produc, in mod normal, mai multa putere,
intre 40% si 100%, decat motoarele simple aspirate.

Principiul de functionare

Un supercharger este montat la motor si este condus de o roata de transmisie care este in linie cu
cureaua arborelui cotit. Aerul este condus in supercharger si comprimat si de un rotor (supercharger
centrifug), de doua elice (supercharger-elice), sau de un rotor ce se invarte in sens invers
(supercharger de baza). Astfel, aerul este descarcat in admisia motorului. O viteza mai mare a
arborelui cotit invarte superchargerul mai repede si ii permite sa produca mai multe impulsuri (in
mod normal, de la 6 la 9 psi pentru o masina de strada). Vitezele maxime pentru un supercharger
sunt de aproximativ 15000 rpm (pentru superchargele cu elice si cele de baza) si de 40000 rpm
(pentru superchargerele cu centrifuga).

Un turbocharger opereaza aproximativ la fel la un supercharger cu centrifuga (cu admisie interna),

cu exceptia faptului ca nu este condus de o roata de transmisie si de curele atasate la arborele cotit
al masinii. Un turbo este, in schimb, condus de gazele de esapament care au fost expulzate de
motor si scoase pe teava de esapament. Gazul de esapament circula doar printr-o jumatate a
turbinei turbochargerul, ceea ce duce la admisia ce comprima aerul. Vitezele normale ale unui
turbocharger sunt intre 75000 si 150000 rpm.

Comparatie

Acum, este timpul sa evaluam turbochargerul versus superchargerul, luand in considerare cativa
factori importanti.

Costuri
Costul sistemelor supercharger si turbocharger pentru acelasi motor este aproximativ la fel,
astfel incat costul, in general, nu este un factor.

LAG
Acesta este, probabil, cel mai mare avantaj pe care il are un supercharger in fata unui turbo.
Pentru ca un turbocharger este condus de gazele de esapament, turbina acestuia trebuie, in primul
rand, sa fie BOBINATA inainte sa schimbe rotorul compresorului. Rezultatele IN LAG TIME, care
reprezinta timpul necesar pentru turbina sa atinga acceleratia la maxim la o viteza rotationala
intermediara. In timpul acestui LAG TIME, turbochargerul este stimulat putin sau chiar deloc, ceea
ce inseamna o putere castigata mica sau deloc pe aceasta perioada. Cele turbo mai mici SUNT
BOBINATE mai repede, ceea ce elimina din LAG. Turbochargerele folosesc valve ce permit folosirea
unui turbocharger mai mic pentru a reduce LAG in timp ce-l impiedica sa se invarta prea repede la
viteze/ROTATII inalte ale motorului. Aceasta este o valva ce permite evacuarea gazelor prin
ocolirea lamelelor turbinei. Valva simte presiunea, si daca devine prea inalta, poate fi un indicator
ca turbina se invarte prea repede, astfel ca valva evita eliminarea gazelor in jurul lamelelor
turbinei, permitandu-le sa incetineasca. Pe de alta parte, un Supercharger este conectat direct la
arborele cotit, astfel ca nu mai exista « LAG ». superchargerele sunt capabile sa produca stimuli la o
rotatie pe minut foarte scazuta, in special in cazul suflantelor-elice si a celor de baza.

Eficacitatea
Acesta este cel mai mare avantaj al celor turbo. Un turbocharger STOC este, in general, mai usor
de folosit prin energia potentiala din gazele de esapament care, altfel, ar fi pierdute pe evacuare,
in timp ce un supercharger isi ia puterea de la arborele cotit care poate fi folosit la angrenarea
rotilor. Rotorul turbochargerului este alimentat doar de conditiile BOOST, asa ca franarea este mai
buna atunci cand rotorul nu se invarte. Totusi, turbochargerul este eficace caci poate crea o
presiune aditionala de eliminare a gazelor si a intreruperilor de debit.

Caldura
Pentru ca turbochargerul este montat pe teava de esapament (unde este foarte cald), stimularea
turbochargerului face subiectul caldurii aditionale prin carcasa incalzita a motorului turbo. Pentru
ca aerul fierbinte se extinde (scopul opus al unui turbo sau al unui supercharger), un intercooler
devine necesar in aproape toate sistemele de turbocharge pentru a raci aerul inainte sa fie introdus
la motor. Acest lucru creste complexitatea instalatiei. Un supercharger cu centrifuga creeaza o
descarcarea a aerului mai rece, astfel ca un intercooler nu este necesar cateodata la nivelurile sub
10 psi. Acestea fiind spuse, anumiti superchargeri (in special cei de baza) creeaza o descarcare a
aerului mai cald, ceea ce face ca un intercooler sa fie necesar chiar si in sistemele de stimulare
reduse.

Pentru ca un turbocharger intai BOBINEAZA pana ca stimularea sa ajunga la motor, exista un val
de putere ce este imediat trimis atunci cand valva se deschide (in jurul la 3000 rpm). Acest val
poate fi daunator pentru motor si poate face ca vehiculul sa fie dificil de condus sau s-si piarda din
tractiune.

Presiunea
Pentru ca superchargerul elimina nevoia de a trata cu intreruperea eliminarii gazelor creata prin
introducerea unei turbine in debitul gazelor de esapament, nu se formeaza o presiune aditionala.
Puterea care este pierduta de o turbina turbo reduce eficienta.

Zgomotul
 Turbochargerul este, in general, mai silentios decat un supercharger. Pentru ca turbina este in
evacuare, cel turbo poate reduce substantial zgomotul de evacuare, facand motorul sa fie mai
silentios. Anumite superchargere cu centrifuga sunt cunoscute ca fiind zgomotoase si care suiera,
ceea ce este foarte enervant pentru unii soferi (noua, in schimb, ne place !).

Fiabilitatea
In general, superchargerele se bucura de un avantaj substantial in fata turbochargerelor in ceea
ce priveste fiabilitatea. Atunci cand un turbo este intrerupt (de ex. cand motorul este oprit), uleiul
rezidual din rulmenti poate fi ars de caldura de la motor. Astfel, combinat cu rotatiile in numar
foarte mare (150000 rpm), pot cauza probleme cu rulmentii interni si pot micsora viata
turbochargerului. In plus, multe au nevoie de tevi de esapament care nu sunt noi, care sunt, de
obicei, mai putin fiabile decat cele stoc.

Usor de instalat
Superchargerele sunt mai usor de instalat decat cele turbo pentru ca au mai putine componente
si sisteme mai simple. Cele turbo sunt complexe si cer modificari la teava de esapament, la
intercooler, la ulei etc – multe din ele nefiind necesare la superchargere. Un mecanic novice poate
instala cu usurinta cele mai multe sisteme supercharger, in timp ce o instalatie turbo ar trebui sa
fie lasata pe mana unui expert.

Putere maxima scoasa

Sistemul turbo este cunoscut pentru abilitatea de a se invarti foarte repede si de a genera
presiuni imense(25 psi+). Ca sa poti folosi un Turbo la presiuni mari,trebuie neaparat sa ai moficari
majore la restul motorului.

Capacitatea de reglaj
Turbochargerele, pentru ca sunt complexe si se bazeaza pe presiunea eliminata, au o capacitate
de reglaj dificila. De cealalta parte, superchargerele au nevoie de putine upgrade-uri la sistemul de
alimentare si pornire si aproape nici o modificare la motor.

In timp ce compresorul este in general considerat a fi o metoda mai buna de inductie fortata pentru
majoritatea vehiculelor de strada,turbocharger-ul isi va avea intotdeauna locul intr-o piata mai
specializata.Supercharger-ul are marele avantaj de a nu avea deloc”turbo lag”.In plus,este mult
mai usor de instalat si modificat,facundu-l mai practic pentru un mecanic incepator sau pentru
montatul acasa.

Supercharger vs Turbo. The ultimate question in forced induction.

People ask us all the time if it's better to go supercharged or better to
go with a custom turbo kit or an off the shelf turbo kit. Both are
different in terms of how they work, performance and cost. We're not
going to get into the technical details of each one, but hopefully this
information will show you the difference between the two so you can
decide which route you are more interested in going on your car or
truck.
Essentially, a turbo sits off of your exhaust manifold, and the exhaust
gasses spin one end of the turbo (the exhaust side), which makes
your compressor side spin also and force air into the intake system,
therefore creating air pressure. A supercharger doesn't work off the
exhaust gas, it is attached to your engine and spins with the
crankshaft. When the crankshaft spins the supercharger, it forces air
into the motor. The turbo is more efficient as it doesn't require engine
power to spin it, so it makes more power per boost. A supercharger
also does not create full boost until redline, which is when the engine
is spinning the supercharger as fast as possible.
What is forced induction?
Both a turbo and supercharger are forced induction systems. They are
designed to literally force air into your engine. The more air you can
get into your engine, the more power your car will make.
What is a supercharger?
A supercharger is a unit that bolts to your engine and connects with a
belt between your crankshaft and the supercharger unit. As the engine
spins, it spins the supercharger and makes the supercharger force air
into the engine. The size of the pulley that spins the supercharger
determines how much boost you will make. A smaller pulley means
the supercharger will spin faster so it will make more boost. The
supercharger is limited by it's efficiency, so if you overboost the
supercharger, it will blow hot air into your engine and you will not
make as much power (amongst a myriad of other problems). Since the
engine needs to literally spin the supercharger, it is not as efficient as
you need to use horsepower to make horsepower.
What is a turbo?
A turbo is similar to a supercharger, except it has an exhaust housing
instead of a pulley, and runs off of your exhaust gasses. As your car
produces exhaust, the exhaust gas spins the turbine which causes the
compressor to force air into the engine. A turbo is more efficient than a
supercharger since your engine does not need to work harder to
power the turbo. Because a turbo is not connected directly to the
engine, it can spin much faster than a supercharger.
Is a turbo or supercharger smog legal?
There are far more smog legal supercharger kits than there are smog
legal turbo kits. The reason is that the supercharger doesn't have as
much smog altering or modifying equipment such as a turbo usually.
While a supercharger can have an intercooler and blow off valve, it
does not have a wastegate. These items can make your car or truck
not pass smog, and would need to be expensive to be done in an
emissions friendly way, which makes them out of the budget for most
people.
Turbo vs Supercharger - What we like
At Redline360, we like turbo power over supercharged power. It's a
personal preference. Both produce tons of power, both feel great, but
we like the power delivery and torque that a turbo produces. Plus, it
just sounds cool. Many argue that the supercharger is more reliable,
but we have good luck with our turbo cars and know they require more
maintenance which we are perfectly ok with. You can't go wrong either
way, but hopefully after reading this, you have a better understanding
of the difference between a supercharger and a turbo.

Engineering Explained: The Pros And Cons Of

Turbochargers Vs Superchargers
Have you ever wondered what the advantages of a turbocharger are over a supercharger? Or
vice versa? Well, wonder no more, because here is the best explanation you're likely to ever
read...

When designing an engine to pull in more than atmospheric pressure,

tuners often turn to forced induction. It’s one of the fastest ways to add
significant power to almost any engine, and there are two prevalent ways it
can be done: supercharging and turbocharging.

What’s the difference? A supercharger is an air compressor driven by the

crankshaft of an engine, usually connected with a belt. Alternatively, a
turbocharger is simply an air compressor driven by an exhaust gas turbine.
That’s the one key difference; a supercharger requires engine power to run,
while a turbocharger runs off waste energy created by the engine. You
might assume that because the turbo is run off waste gases that it’s more
efficient, and you’d be correct!
1. Turbocharger advantages and disadvantages:

Pros:

 Significant increase in horsepower.

 Power vs size: allows for smaller engine displacements to produce
much more power relative to their size.
 Better fuel economy: smaller engines use less fuel to idle, and have
less rotational and reciprocating mass, which improves fuel economy.
 Higher efficiency: turbochargers run off energy that is typically lost in
naturally-aspirated and supercharged engines (exhaust gases), thus
the recovery of this energy improves the overall efficiency of the
engine.

Cons:

 Turbo lag: turbochargers, especially large turbochargers, take time to

spool up and provide useful boost.
 Boost threshold: for traditional turbochargers, they are often sized for
a certain RPM range where the exhaust gas flow is adequate to
 provide additional boost for the engine. They typically do not operate
across as wide an RPM range as superchargers.
 Power surge: in some turbocharger applications, especially with
larger turbos, reaching the boost threshold can provide an almost
instantaneous surge in power, which could compromise tyre traction
or cause some instability of the car.
 Oil requirement: turbochargers get very hot and often tap into the
engine’s oil supply. This calls for additional plumbing, and is more
demanding on the engine oil. Superchargers typically do not require
engine oil lubrication.

Here’s a quick video on how turbochargers work. Hold judgement on my

drawing capabilities, it’s the second video I ever made…

2. Supercharger advantages and disadvantages:

Pros:

 Increased horsepower: adding a supercharger to any engine is a

quick solution to boosting power.
 No lag: the supercharger’s biggest advantage over a turbocharger is
that it does not have any lag. Power delivery is immediate because
the supercharger is driven by the engine’s crankshaft.
 Low RPM boost: good power at low RPM in comparison with
turbochargers.
 Price: cost effective way of increasing horsepower.
Cons:

 Less efficient: the biggest disadvantage of superchargers is that they

suck engine power simply to produce engine power. They’re run off
an engine belt connected to the crankshaft, so you’re essentially
powering an air pump with another air pump. Because of this,
superchargers are significantly less efficient than turbochargers.
 Reliability: with all forced induction systems (including turbochargers),
the engine internals will be exposed to higher pressures and
temperatures, which will of course affect the longevity of the engine.
It’s best to build the engine from the bottom up to handle these
pressures, rather than relying on stock internals.

Superchargers often go hand in hand with big V8s, and they’re certainly
capable of producing big power. Here’s a video on how they work:

Which do I prefer?

As an engineer, it’s difficult to not side with efficiency. Turbochargers simply

make more sense, as they improve the efficiency of the engine in multiple
ways. Superchargers are an extra demand on the engine, even if they are
capable of producing useful boost at low RPM. But if you find yourself
unable to decide, it is possible to use both simultaneously, and it’s called
twincharging.
Image source: Mercedes AMG Petronas

Where will things head in the future?

Electric turbos will likely be more common in future vehicles, where an

electric motor spools up the turbo at low RPMs, producing useful boost until
the exhaust gases are sufficient enough to power the turbo. This is exactly
what’s happening in Formula 1 with the ERS system, and it’s the solution to
the turbo’s biggest disadvantage - turbo lag.

Here’s a video explaining how electric turbochargers are utilised in Formula

1 engines:

With all of this in mind, which is your preference; turbocharger or

supercharger? Or are you more of an N/A kind of petrolhead…?