The development of turbocharger accelerator motors and drives and their integration to vehicle electrical systems

This paper presents the development of an induction motor drive based system that offers acceleration of an internal combustion engine turbocharger, combined with generator action, to exploit some of the surplus energy in the exhaust gas that would otherwise be discharged via the waste gate. The system: 1) improves vehicle driving characteristics by reducing turbo lag; 2) reduces emissions particularly for driving cycles involving frequent accelerations and gear changes; and 3) improves overall fuel consumption by several percent. A prototype accelerator motor has been evaluated by test and advanced versions with solid rotors are in development.