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Difference between Turbocharger and Supercharger
Both turbocharger and supercharger are used to increase the pressure of atmospheric air before sending it to the engine cylinder. The compressed air increases the amount of fuel to enter into the engine cylinder for combustion, which in turn increases the power of the engine.
Basically both turbocharger and supercharger perform the same operation. However, they are different from each other in many ways, which we are going to highlight in this article.
What is a Turbocharger?
A forced induction system which uses energy of exhaust gases to compress the atmospheric air and sends it to the engine cylinder is known as turbocharger. The compressed air has more oxygen which allows more quantity of fuel entering into the engine cylinder to produce more power.
Typically, an IC engine with turbocharger produces approximately double power as compared to that is produced without the turbocharger. There is no direct connection between the turbocharger and the engine. The major drawback of turbocharger is that it has a lag problem due to discontinuous supply of energy from exhaust gases. The turbocharger works more efficiently when operates on high speed, its typical speed is up to 150000 RPM.
What is a Supercharger?
The supercharger is also a forced induction system which compresses the atmospheric air before sending it into the engine cylinder. The supercharger is generally mounted on the top of the engine and is directly coupled to the crankshaft of the engine for working.
The design and installation of supercharger is relatively simpler than a turbocharger. The supercharger can operate on low speeds, the typical speed of it is up to 50000 RPM. The major advantage of the supercharger over the turbocharger is more reliability and negligible lag in function.
Difference between Turbocharger and Supercharger
The following table compares and contrasts the different features of a turbocharger and a supercharger −
| Basis of Difference | Turbocharger | Supercharger |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A turbocharger is a forced induction system that uses energy from exhaust gases to compress the intake air of the engine. | A supercharge is a forced induction system that mechanically draws power from the engine to perform the operation, i.e., to compress the air. |
| Connection to engine | Turbocharger is not directly connected to the engine. | Supercharger is directly coupled to the engine through belt. |
| Source of energy | Turbocharger utilizes energy of exhaust gases to perform operation. | Supercharger draws energy from the crankshaft of the engine. |
| Speed | Turbocharger is suitable to operate at high speeds. The typical speed of turbocharger is up to 150000 RPM. | Supercharger operates at low speeds, typical speed is up to 50000 RPM. |
| Efficiency | The efficiency of turbocharger is comparatively high. | Supercharger is relatively less efficient. |
| Design & Installation | Turbocharger is more complex to design and install. | Supercharger is simple in design and installation. |
| Operation of compressor | The compressor of the turbocharger is operated by a turbine. | The compressor of the supercharger is operated by the crankshaft of the engine. |
| Temperature of compressed air | In turbocharger, the temperature of the compressed air is relatively high. | In supercharger, the compressed air has relatively low temperature. |
| Reliability | Turbocharger is less reliable. | The reliability of supercharger is comparatively more. |
| Smoke | Turbocharger reduces the smoke and carbon emission from the engine. | Supercharger does not uses the exhaust gases, so the engine with supercharger emits the smoke. |
| Maintenance | The maintenance of turbocharger is difficult. | The maintenance of supercharger is simple and easy. |
| Noise production | The operation of turbocharger is quite silent. | The operation of supercharger is not so quieter. |
| Blade erosion | In turbocharger, the blade erosion occurs due to dust particles. | In supercharger, there is no problem of blade erosion. |
| Lag problem | There is a problem of lag in the turbocharger due to discontinuous energy supply from the exhaust gases. | Supercharger has negligible lag problem as it receives energy from crankshaft of the engine. |
Conclusion
The most significant difference between a turbocharger and a supercharger is that a turbocharger receives energy from the exhaust gases to operate, whereas a supercharger receives energy from the crankshaft of the engine. However, both supercharger and turbocharger perform the same operation of compressing the air before sending it to the engine cylinder.
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