How a Turbo Wastegate Works
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The Basics of How a Turbo Wastegate Works
If you want to understand which boost controller might be right for you, a basic understanding of the turbo system is in order. The turbo is essentially a supercharger, driven by exhaust gas. The function of any supercharger is to force more air into the system than the engine could draw in from its own pumping action. The atmosphere itself, won’t create power. Instead, it enables more fuel to get burned. So, although many of us center on “the boost”, boost alone will not be enough. The truth is, in the example of the gasoline engine, boost alone causes a lean condition and destruction for the engine. Much more about that in a future article.
We’ve mentioned your turbo is actually an exhaust driven supercharger. The supercharger is simply a sort of air compressor, that is driven by belt, exhaust, motor unit, etc. There are several sorts of compressors employed in supercharger systems, although with turbos, you will be essentially working with a compressor wheel. This wheel uses an inducer and exducer combination, to bring in air at atmospheric pressure and cram it into the engine. There’s considerably more to that, but this is a “basics” article, so that’s all we must have for the moment.
Linked to the compressor wheel (literally, connected by the shaft), is the exhaust turbine. That’s where the “turbo” nickname derives from. Hot exhaust from the engine is directed over the turbine, making it spin. This in turn, makes the whole compressor side cram more air into your engine, creating “boost” pressure. This lets the engine to:
1) Burn more fuel
2) Make more power
3) Make more exhaust to drive the turbine
If left unchecked, the cycle repeats 1,2,3 1,2,3 1,2,3 until BOOM! Your engine self-destructs. Not the most effective arrangement, so we want a solution to keep your power from climbing, unchecked. Enter the wastegate. The wastegate is actually a valve (literally, a “gate”) that permits a lot of the exhaust gas (waste) to bypass the turbine. Now we can add a fourth step:
4) The wastegate opens, allowing the turbine to slow, and the boost pressure (and by extension, the power) to fall. The cycle then repeats.Linked to the wastegate itself, is a wastegate actuator. This is just a spring loaded diaphragm that holds the wastegate closed, until some boost pressure is reached. As soon as the boost pressure is sufficient overcome the spring pressure, the wastegate is opened and the boost pressure falls. The cycle will repeat, if there’s sufficient exhaust pressure and boost (I.e., when you keep your foot in it).
This basic device is enough for the turbo unit to work. The boost pressure will be set to what the wastegate actuator spring supports. Nonetheless, we desire more boost. So, we’ve got to discover a method to make the boost pressure adjustable. Say hello to the boost controller. Most factory OEM turbo systems add an electronic boost control system to the equation. These systems are generally not user-adjustable, nonetheless they work exactly the same as aftermarket systems. In my next article, I’ll explain how the best electronic and manual boost controllers (MBC) work.
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Source by Maximilian Best