Some months back, a student of marine engineering who was on his final year project research wrote us, asking more about; the working principle of marine engine turbocharger, maintenance level, how and cost of maintenance.

On that discussion, we also relate turbocharger vs supercharger,  listed about 14 differences between both systems. Well to bring this topic to our audience, I will like give more comparison between turbocharger and supercharger.

Before we continue, let first understand the working principles of this two engine devices as well as the definition of both systems.

Basic understanding of marine engine turbocharger

Turbocharger: is an exhaust gas turbine-driven which forced induction system that compresses the atmospheric gases and transfers it to the engine inlet manifold – cylinder.

The engine efficiency and power output increase by the extra air being forced into the combustion chamber from this system.

This device is commonly use in; marine engines and heavy-duty engines and it’s mainly use because of its high efficiency.

Related post: Reason why exhaust outlet temperature of an engine cylinder unit may be higher than other units

In the marine engine, the compressed air requires an intercooler to reduce its temperature before entering the engine cylinder.

What is a supercharger?

Unlike the marine turbocharger; the supercharger is an air compressor connected to an engine crankshaft which compresses the atmospheric air and transfers it to the engine through inlet manifold to the cylinder.

By doing this, it gives each intake cycle of the engine more oxygen, letting it burn more fuel and thus increases its performance.

This device is in common use in car engines and some trucks. It can spin up to 50000 rpm, thus depends on the engine speed.

As said before, there is a little difference between turbocharger and supercharger, but the working principles and common goals remain the same.

I hope this short article gives you a clear understanding of the above engine devices. To connect or receive updates from our weekly articles, do subscribe on the form below.