Turbo Lag

[Bill Sarkozy]

At 07:40 PM 3/3/96, you wrote:
>Maybe I've got the wrong end of the stick on this one, but it
>appears to me that this idea uses a pump of some kind to produce a
>tank of compressed air under low-load conditions. This tank of
>compressed air is then used when needed, to drive a compressor to
>produce, yes you've guessed it, compressed air. Once you've got
>your tank of compressed air, why not regulate it and blow it
>straight though your throttle body and cut out all those mechanical
>losses inherrant in the second pump/compressor ? 
>
>                        Brian Warburton 
>
>>
>>>Check this out, an air motor connected to a centrifugal blower. Air tools
>>frequently turn at very high speeds. A mid size air motor might be the
>>ticket. Imagine a small air tank and an electric or engine driven pump.
>>During low load, the pump tanks the air under high pressure. When boost is
>>needed, high flow solenoids open up and all hell breaks lose. Almost no
>>parasitic losses and instant gratification! This should be possible with off
>>the shelf components. As always, EFI would be needed to make the system
>>really work. 
>>>
>> GMD
>
>
I think you'll find that an air motor used to  spin up a centrifugal
compressor would require air at substantial pressure (i.e. >100 psi).   A
centrifugal turbine wouldn't have a prayer of delivering air at that
pressure.  You'd need the equivilent of an electric transfomer to convert
low-pressure/high-volume air to the high-pressure/low-volume air required by
the air motor.....or else compress the air directly using a (gasp!)
belt-driven vane or piston compressor.  The beauty of the turbocharger is
that both the input and output sections are of similar "impedance" and no
transformation is required.  

                                                                            
          Bill