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

[jb24 at chrysler.com]

The Turbodyne is a compressor-mounted motor with an over-running clutch
(about 8 inches long in an aluminum housing that fits over the
compressor inlet).  It keeps the turbo spinning at a minimum of around
30,000 rpm, intending to eliminate lag.  Current draw is minimum
without load (i.e. once exhaust turbine is spinning), so it doesn't
need to be switched off.  I don't think the current iteration provides
enough oomph to provide boost.

John Bucknell is jb24 at chrysler.com
---------------------- Forwarded by John R Bucknell/JTE/Chrysler on
02/23/98 11:11 AM ---------------------------

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        02/23/98 10:53 AM
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Subject: Re: Turbo vs Super. was variable comp...variable disp....

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.