Centrifugal-type Supercharger
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What is a centrifugal-type supercharger?
The centrifugal-type supercharger is an engine-driven compressor used to increase the power output of an internal-combustion engine by increasing the amount of available oxygen by compressing air that is entering the engine. This type of supercharger is practically identical in operation to a turbocharger, with the exception that instead of exhaust gases driving the compressor via a turbine, the compressor is driven from the crankshaft by a belt, gear or chain drive.
Like any centrifugal pump, the boost provided by the centrifugal supercharger increases with the square of the speed. This means that the centrifugal design provides little boost at low engine speeds, in some cases allowing air to pass back through the supercharger, such as during deceleration. On the other hand, the design is also the most efficient, besting designs like the Roots type supercharger and twin-screw type supercharger, which have the advantage of producing boost at any speed.
Many World War II piston aircraft engines, such as the Rolls-Royce Merlin and the Daimler-Benz DB 601, utilized single-speed or multi-speed centrifugal superchargers. Because high-performance aircraft engines were typically mated to constant-speed propellers and did not see a great variation in engine speeds, the poor low-rpm performance of centrifugal superchargers was not an issue. Superchargers have since fallen from use in the aviation world, replaced by turbochargers of ever-improving quality.
From Wikipedia, images from, Vortech, ATi
Like any centrifugal pump, the boost provided by the centrifugal supercharger increases with the square of the speed. This means that the centrifugal design provides little boost at low engine speeds, in some cases allowing air to pass back through the supercharger, such as during deceleration. On the other hand, the design is also the most efficient, besting designs like the Roots type supercharger and twin-screw type supercharger, which have the advantage of producing boost at any speed.
Many World War II piston aircraft engines, such as the Rolls-Royce Merlin and the Daimler-Benz DB 601, utilized single-speed or multi-speed centrifugal superchargers. Because high-performance aircraft engines were typically mated to constant-speed propellers and did not see a great variation in engine speeds, the poor low-rpm performance of centrifugal superchargers was not an issue. Superchargers have since fallen from use in the aviation world, replaced by turbochargers of ever-improving quality.
From Wikipedia, images from, Vortech, ATi
