The quest for better turbocharger compressors

With the prevalence of automotive engine downsizing for better efficiency and emissions, greater emphasis is being placed on turbo aerodynamics to achieve wider-range and high-efficiency single-stage compressors.

Downsizing and achieving ever-increasing emissions standards are becoming synonymous with the primary technical challenges of tomorrow's internal combustion (IC) engine design. The former is chiefly concerned with increases in power density, while the latter is focused on controlling a number of critical parameters influencing the formation of undesirable exhaust products. The typical trade-offs to reduce unwanted emissions often result in decreased engine performance. In a simplistic view that ignores the combustion chemistry at the extremes of operation, this translates into a similar need to increase power density.

For over a century now, IC engines have been coupled with turbochargers to achieve improved performance. The operating characteristics of a given turbocharged IC engine rely on the proper selection and integration of turbomachinery elements.