Turbo vs Super. was variable comp...variable disp....

[Andrew F. Gunnesch]

On Feb 22, 11:09pm, gt bradley wrote:
>   One idea I liked, (and is commercially available as an automotive after
> market modification),  is to have a turbocharger with a stator? (spinning
part
> of an electric motor) built into the turbine.  For acceleration from low
> rpm's, current is applied and the unit effectively becomes a centrifugal
> supercharger, once the engine speed builds, the exhaust takes over and it
> functions like a turbo (current no longer applied, and the stator spins
free).
>
> Since this is used only for the initial spin-up a much smaller motor is used
> than would be required for a full electric supercharger (already dismissed by
> this thread), and with a low duty-cycle, many of the mechanical/electrical
> problems become solvable.
>
> The initial application is for Bus/Trucks, but auto-enthusists are fitting it
> to street cars.  I'm not sure if any work has be done on a control system
(for
> the car application) or if it is just a switch for use when waiting for the
> street light to turn green.

That's quite an interesting concept.  How do they handle the heat issues
with the electrics getting toasty via the exhaust gas in the same housing,
though?  Seems to me that would be a pretty expensive proposition.