On the spreadsheet in the learning of thermal engines in the undergraduate engineering education: Applications to study turbocharged reciprocating engines

Software applications can be valuable tools to assist in the study of thermal engines and thermodynamics. This study presents a spreadsheet that allows students to model and analyze a commercial turbocharger coupled to an internal combustion engine. The air‐fuel cycle of both naturally aspirated and turbocharged engines is computed. The computation method is based on iterative procedures that, in a straightforward way, lead to the performance analysis of the compressor, turbine, and the coupled system. The spreadsheet requires the engine geometry, its rated and peak torque conditions, and the compressor‐turbine maps. The analysis of the engine‐turbocharger coupling provides its operating range, and it gives experience to students about this type of device in an easy and reliable way.