Supercharger

:For other meanings, see supercharger (disambiguation)

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A supercharger (also known as a blower, a positive displacement pump or a centrifugal pumper) is a gas compressor used to pump air into the cylinders of an internal combustion engine. The additional mass of oxygen that is forced into the cylinders allows the engine to burn more fuel, which improves the volumetric efficiency of the engine and makes it more powerful. A supercharger is powered mechanically by belt- or chain-drive from the engine's crankshaft. It is similar in purpose to the closely related turbocharger, but a turbocharger is powered by the flow of the engine's exhaust gases driving a turbine. Superchargers may absorb as much as a third of the total crankshaft power of the engine, and in many applications are less efficient than turbochargers. In applications where a massive amount of power is more important than any other consideration, such as top-fuel dragsters and vehicles used in tractor pulling competitions, superchargers are extremely common.

Related Topics:
Gas compressor - Cylinder - Internal combustion engine - Oxygen - Fuel - Volumetric efficiency - Turbocharger - Turbine - Power - Top-fuel dragsters - Tractor pulling

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