Super Charging

Super Charging

The power output of an engine depends up on the amount of air indicated per unit time, the degree of utilization of this air and the thermal efficiency of the engine. The amount of air inducted per unit time can be increased by increasing the engine speed pr by increasing the engine speed or by increasing the density of air intake. The method increasing the inlet air density, called supercharging, is usually employed to increase the power output of the engine. This is done by supplying air to a pressure higher than the pressure at which the engine naturally aspirates air from the atmosphere by using a pressure boosting device called a super charger.

OBJECTS OF SUPERCHARGING

The increase in the amount of air inducted per unit time by supercharging is obtained mainly to burn a greater amount of fuel in a given engine and thus increase its power output. The objects of supercharging include one or more of the following.

1. To increase the power output for a given weight and bulk of the engine. This is important for aircraft, marine and automotive engines where weight and space are important.

2. To compensate for the loss of power due to altitude. This mainly relates to aircraft engines which lose power at an approximate rate of one percent 100 meters altitude. This is also relevant for others engines which are used at high altitudes.

A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine. The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally-aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be provided and more work to be done per cycle, increasing the power output of the engine.

A supercharger can be powered mechanically by a belt, gear, shaft, or chain connected to the engine's crankshaft. It can also be powered by an exhaust gas turbine. A turbine-driven supercharger is known as a turbosupercharger or turbocharger. The term supercharging technically refers to any pump that forces air into an engine—but in common usage, it refers to pumps that are driven directly by the engine as opposed to turbochargers that are driven by the pressure of the exhaust gases.