DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT OF E-TURBO FOR SUV AND LIGHT TRUCK APPLICATIONS

The purpose of the project is to develop an electronically controlled, electrically assisted turbocharging system, e-Turbo, for application to SUV and light truck class of passenger vehicles. Earlier simulation work had shown the benefits of e-Turbo system on increasing low-end torque and improving fuel economy. This paper will present further data from the literature to show that advanced turbocharging can enable diesel engine downsizing of 10-30% with 6-17% improvement in fuel economy. This is in addition to the fuel economy benefit that a turbocharged diesel engine offers over conventional gasoline engines. E-Turbo is necessary to get acceptable driving characteristics with downsized diesel engines. As a first step towards the development of this technology for SUV/light truck sized diesel engines (4-6 litre displacement), design concepts and hardware were evaluated for a smaller engine (2 litre displacement). It was felt that design and developments issues could be minimized, the concept proven progressively on the bench, on a small engine and then applied to a large Vee engine (one on each bank). After successful demonstration of the concept, large turbomachinery could be designed and built specifically for larger SUV sized diesel engines. This paper presents the results of development of e-Turbo for amore » 2 litre diesel engine. A detailed comparison of several electric assist technologies including permanent magnet, six-phase induction and conventional induction motor/generator technology was done. A comparison of switched reluctance motor technology was also done although detailed design was not carried out.« less