Assessment of supercharging boosting component for heavily downsized gasoline engines

Current trend on engine downsizing forces engine manufacturers to contemplate powertrains with more than one boosting device. The presence of these devices leads to complex 1-D engine models which rely on performance maps provided by turbo/supercharger manufacturers. So far, no detailed analysis has been carried out to understand how these maps affect engine performance simulation. As part of the UltraBoost project (65% gasoline engine downsizing), Imperial College tested the boosting components of a turbo-super configuration. The acquired data were used to assess the effectiveness of 1-D engine performance prediction and to contemplate the opportunity to exploit the boosting system and use it as engine charge air cooler in the form of an expander.