Turbonormalizing V Turbocharging
Turbochargers, despite what some may think, are not a figment of fanciful Hollywood imaginations. They’re a real engine component, generally geared more for use on aircraft, used on vehicles to make them more efficient. And they work in one of two ways, “turbocharging” and “turbonormalizing”.
Turbocharging is a “forced induction” that increases intake manifold pressure above that at sea-level. It uses a gas compressor to force more air into the engine’s combustion chamber than normally possible with a naturally aspirated engine, allowing the engine to maintain sea-level manifold pressure as altitude increases.
Turbonormalizing is a similar process in which an exhaust gas turbine drives a compressor to increase the engine’s intake manifold pressure. The manifold pressure is automatically limited to that of sea level at all altitudes up to the system critical level. After the critical altitude, the manifold pressure and, consequently, the power, decreases.
These two processes, as you can see, are very similar. They both involve compressing air and making it available so that the engine can make more power, drive a centrifugal compressor at high speeds as high as 120,000 RPM, and can use the same turbo components. The key, and only meaningful, difference is that the typical turbocharger uses around 32.5 “Hg of manifold pressure and the typical turbonormalizer uses around 30 “Hg of manifold pressure to make the same 285 horsepower at sea level, making turbonormalizing slightly more efficient.
These are important engine components, especially for aircraft, since they compress the air and feed it to the naturally aspirated engine so that it can create more power and fly at higher altitudes. Turbocharged or turbonormalized, all engine parts and engine components are subject to wear and tear, and therefore need to be repaired and maintained. Fortunately, if you need any
turbocharger parts, you can depend on us at Aerospace Purchasing. Aerospace Purchasing, owned and operated by ASAP Semiconductor, is a leading supplier of aviation and aerospace parts and components. We have a vast inventory of parts new and obsolete and an experiences and friendly team ready to help you 24/7, 365 days a year. For a quote, or more information, call us at
+1-412-212-0606, or email us at
sales@aerospacepurchasing.com.
