What is the difference between a compressor and a turbine in cars?

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

Every year, automakers are trying to increase engine power without increasing their displacement. Not so long ago, turbocharged engines in passenger cars were considered a rarity. But today they are put on gasoline engines. It is worth noting that not every manufacturer puts a turbine. A good compromise between power and resource is the installation of a compressor. In today's article, we will take a closer look at how a compressor differs from a turbine in cars and which option is better to choose.

Main function

It must be said that the compressor and the turbine have the same function. Their task is to increase engine power. This is achieved by forced air injection into the internal combustion engine cylinders. On atmospheric engines, air enters the chambers by vacuum, which is created by the pistons themselves. Thus, the main function of these units is an increase in the performance of the internal combustion engine, and as a result, an increase inauto speakers.

Compressor

So, what is this mechanism? The compressor is a mechanical air blower that is installed near the engine. There are several types of mechanisms: centrifugal, rotary and screw. Unlike turbines, compressors are much older.

They received mass distribution in the 60-70s of the last century in the USA. Then American muscle cars were completely equipped with these superchargers. In 2000, the installation of the compressor was practiced by the Mercedes company. A vivid example of this is the Mercedes C-class car. Such cars were distinguished by the “Compressor” nameplate on the rear of the body.

Compressor benefits

Vehicles with a compressor have several advantages:

• Reliability. The mechanism is quite simple, and therefore does not require frequent attention and repair. The compressor is also maintenance free.
• No "turbo-lag" characteristic of turbines.
• No need for lubrication. The compressor does not require additional cooling and lubrication.
• Low risk of overheating.

Disadvantages of the compressor

Now about the shortcomings, due to which cars with a compressor are practically not produced now. There are few cons, or rather, one. This is poor performance. Thanks to the compressor, you can increase engine power by only 10 percent. What is the difference between compressor and turbine? The first mechanism is installed on a belt drive and is brought toaction from the engine crankshaft. Because of this, the maximum speed of the impeller is severely limited. As a result, the device cannot drive such a volume of air as the turbine does. At the same time, compressor engines will be better than atmospheric ones. There are no power failures and more torque. A compressor repair may be required on runs far beyond 300 thousand kilometers. The engine itself will require attention faster than the compressor, owners say.

Turbine features

What is the difference between a turbine and a compressor on a car? This mechanism is also a mechanical supercharger, but already high-temperature. The turbine does not work from a belt drive and a crankshaft, but from the energy of the exhaust gases. How is a compressor different from a turbine? The last mechanism has two sides - hot and cold.

Gases pass inside the first one, causing the second one to rotate by inertia. In turn, the impeller of the cold part of the turbine pumps air into the intake manifold. The faster the exhaust gases move, the higher the speed of the turbine. On average, the temperature of its hot part is 800 degrees. In order to ensure the cooling of the unit and the smooth operation of the impeller (which rotates 10 times faster than on the compressor), the engineers provided for a lubrication system. As practice shows, thanks to the turbine, it is possible to increase engine power by up to 40 percent. But even here there are pitfalls, which we will discuss later.

Pros and consturbines

As we said earlier, the main plus of this unit is a huge increase in power. An ordinary 120-horsepower engine can be “inflated” to 180. And if this is not enough, there is chip tuning. Specialists at the software level change the fuel dosage and other settings in the electronic control unit. As a result, the turbine "swells" more, and the car turns out to be even more dynamic. The compressor will never give such results. But considering the difference between a turbine and a compressor, it is worth mentioning reliability. You need to understand that the motor will be constantly loaded. First of all, the resource suffers. If in the case of a compressor, the engine could run more than three hundred thousand, then turbocharged engines take care of about 150. Next, repairs begin related to both the piston system and the turbine itself. This is especially true for "chip" copies. You need to know the measure. Don't chase power. Everything has its limit. Increasing power, we always lose in the resource. Here everyone chooses for himself what is important to him.

What makes a turbine different from a compressor is service. As the engine is subjected to loads, oil life is also reduced. On compressor and simple atmospheric engines, an oil change must be done every 10 thousand kilometers. In the case of a turbine, this operation must be performed at least once every 7, and ideally every 5 thousand kilometers. Moreover, the oil should not be used the cheapest - motorists say. How is a turbine different from a compressor in this regard? Alsolevel must be monitored. Turbocharged engines love to eat up oil from the factory. This is the norm for such engines. The average consumption is from two liters per 10 thousand kilometers. Driving with a low oil level is fraught with repairs. Repairing a turbocharged engine is always a big investment. In addition, you need to be able to find a knowledgeable specialist. How is a turbine different from a compressor? The next disadvantage is the exactingness to the quality of fuel. This applies to both gasoline and diesel turbocharged cars.

Which is better to choose?

No one can give a definite answer to this question. Everyone chooses a car according to their needs. Compressor internal combustion engines are perfect for those who do not want to invest a lot of money in car repairs and at the same time there is no need for a significant increase in power. Such machines run for a very long time without breakdowns.

For those who want to get the most out of their car, you definitely need to choose turbocharged engines. They are very productive. But it should be understood that the resource of such internal combustion engines will be less. After a while, intervention in the engine or turbine will definitely be required. Also, owning such a car, you can not save on fuel and lubricants.

Conclusion

So we've looked at the difference between a turbine and a compressor. As you can see, these are completely different units in terms of the principle of operation, which have the same task.