EFFECTS OF TURBOCHARGER ON FUEL SAVING OF A DOWNSIZED ETHANOL ENGINE

Resumo

The present study intends to investigate the relation of the use of turbochargers coupled to internal combustion engines for downsizing purposes, aiming at fuel saving by reducing mechanical friction and the engine pumping losses. The present work focused on the use of biofuels, such as ethanol, in order to benefit from its charge cooling capacity for increasing the downsizing capability. This approach reflects a global trend in current days. In the past, the main purpose of turbocharging was simply to maximize the engine power output at the expense of higher fuel consumption. Nowadays, the turbocharger technology allows engines to meet the current performance requirements focused on minimizing fuel consumption and complying with the increasingly strict exhaust emission standards. These factors have a direct impact on the projects and processes of the automotive industry, and thus, the automakers are able to produce smaller engines with much higher power density.