- #1
Ayrity
- 92
- 0
Im a mech engineering student and I am very interested in alternate fuels, and better mpg. So I was thinking and did some research on the topic I am posting about and found very little so I am looking to experienced moders for some input.
what if you were to hook up a turbocharger so that the exhaust spun the turbo shaft but instead of turning a compressor blade, it was used (through a gear reduction, or pulley system to slow the rpm to a usable rate) to turn the alternator? then you could use a smaller serp belt on the engine, and you could see some increased efficiency because of the decrease of parasitic loss. the most difficult parts of a project like this would be to make sure that at idle, the car was spinning the turbo at a fast enough speed to produce the amount of electricity needed, and that to reduce the gearing (i use the term loosely because it might not be best to use "gears" to do this) from the turbo spinning at very high rpm, to what the alternator is used to seeing.
It would be best to be able to use the stock alternator, thus reducing cost and the pain of replacing it, and/or moding the wiring from it. other than that the game is on for ideas to improve this concept.
I know BMW is using a similar idea involving capturing the heat loss from an engine/exhaust to run a small steam turbine to run the electrical system, but I think that the turbo idea might be a better one as far as a bolt on goes.
as far as added back-pressure goes, you could put in a free flow exhaust, and the turbo all together and thus roughly maintain "stock" back-pressure.
any input?
what if you were to hook up a turbocharger so that the exhaust spun the turbo shaft but instead of turning a compressor blade, it was used (through a gear reduction, or pulley system to slow the rpm to a usable rate) to turn the alternator? then you could use a smaller serp belt on the engine, and you could see some increased efficiency because of the decrease of parasitic loss. the most difficult parts of a project like this would be to make sure that at idle, the car was spinning the turbo at a fast enough speed to produce the amount of electricity needed, and that to reduce the gearing (i use the term loosely because it might not be best to use "gears" to do this) from the turbo spinning at very high rpm, to what the alternator is used to seeing.
It would be best to be able to use the stock alternator, thus reducing cost and the pain of replacing it, and/or moding the wiring from it. other than that the game is on for ideas to improve this concept.
I know BMW is using a similar idea involving capturing the heat loss from an engine/exhaust to run a small steam turbine to run the electrical system, but I think that the turbo idea might be a better one as far as a bolt on goes.
as far as added back-pressure goes, you could put in a free flow exhaust, and the turbo all together and thus roughly maintain "stock" back-pressure.
any input?