1

Recommendation to Begin a New Study on Furthering the

Efficiency of Turbochargers

For
My Future Boss at McLaren Motors
McLaren Motors
Research and Development

By
Luke Marshall
McLaren Motors
Research and Development

May 17, 2015

Table of Contents
Research Proposal
Progress Report
Research Recommendation

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Memorandum
To:
From:
Date:
Subject:

Boss at McLaren Motors

Luke Marshall
4/30/2015
Turbocharger Research Proposal

Proposal of Research
I would like to propose that I how turbochargers work to increase the power output of an engine
while simultaneously being more efficient than a larger engine of the same power output.

Statement of Opportunity
You hired me last May and for that I am grateful. However, I have been feeling that I am not
useful enough to this company. So; in response to this, I would like to use the next two weeks to
increase my knowledge on the subject of turbochargers and their uses and effects. This will not
only benefit me in the long run, but it will also benefit the company in a new knowledge that I
bring to the table.

Scope of Proposed Research

My research will encompass the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Learning how turbochargers accomplish what they achieve.

Learning how they are made.
Learning the differences in performance they make.
Meeting people who could be vital connections in my career as well as potential partners
for you.

Methods and Data Sources

1.
2.
3.
4.

Interviews with turbocharger users of high-end cars.

Interviews with companies/ people who make these turbochargers.
Online database research on the exact process of how a turbocharger works.
In-person work with building/using one.

If you have any further questions, I would be happy to discuss this proposal with you in person,
at your convenience.

Memorandum
To:
From:
Date:
Subject:

Boss at McLaren Motors

Luke Marshall
7/7/2015
Research Progress Report

Work Completed
Since you gave me research approval on April 30, 2015, I have looked into all five of my peer
reviewed secondary sources. They are as follows:
1. Journal of Materials Science and Engineering Development of new TiAl
turbocharger
This article outlined some a new material that is being used to make turbochargers
lighter. This means that there is potential for less turbo lag due to lessened resistance.
2. American Society of Mechanical Engineers - Improvement of the Dynamic
Characteristic of an Automotive Engine by a Turbocharger Assisted by an Electric Motor
This article was very enlightening as it also was attempting to tackle the problem of
turbo lag. It accomplished this by using a separate electric motor to keep the turbo
spooled while the driver is braking or is not yet at sufficient speeds.
3. Society of Automotive Engineers Basic review of turbochargers
This article just went over the basics of turbochargers and how they work. Basically
there is a lot of wasted energy in the form of gaseous exhaust and the whole idea of a
turbocharger is to harness this energy. It does this by injecting extra air into the
cylinders, thus creating a more dynamic reaction and more power is achieved.
4. International Journal of Engine Research Evaluation of different heat transfer
conditions on an automotive turbocharger
This article was an exploration on how turbochargers affect engines in different
environments. It was very interesting that there was actually more power created in
cold temperatures, but it makes sense because cold air is denser.
5. The Science Journal An Assessment of the Performance and Requirements for
"Adiabatic" Engines
This was an article exploring the different ways that a car can be made far more
efficient. The biggest one was to make the engine smaller and to add a turbocharger,
which is a relatively easy thing to do in the manufacturing scheme of things.
Work Remaining
I still need to start outlining what I am going to be discussing specifically and find more sources
if necessary.

Memorandum
To:
From:
Date:
Subject:

Boss at McLaren Motors

Luke Marshall
5/17/2015
Further Research Recommendation

Purpose of Recommendation
The purpose of this report is to assess the current industry standards on how turbochargers are
being built, find areas of improvement on these standards, and to recommend, based on their
current efficiency, that research be done on how to improve the overall efficiency of our
turbochargers. There has been much research on the subject of efficiency in the past but for our
purposes, when more power can be harnessed by a smaller engine, it means a greater power to
weight ratio. This is of paramount importance to McLaren Motors and is what has made us what
we are today.

Introduction
In recent years there has been a shift towards smaller, more efficient engines. However, this is
also relevant to the field of performance cars because instead of needing to build bigger engines,
we can now enhance them with things such as a turbocharger or a supercharger. This saves
weight and therefore increases the power to
weight ratio. This technology has been
around for a while, but this report
encompasses the current and past innovations
in the area of turbochargers. In addition to
this it also is a recommendation to sanction
new research in this area to further increase
the power output of the modern turbocharger.

Background
Turbochargers have been around for quite a
while. In fact, they were designed almost as
early as the internal combustion engine itself.
In 1905, Alfred Buchi patented an early
design for a turbocharger.i They were first
used on large engines such as those in ships,
but in 1962, they were first used in
commercial car production with the
Oldsmobile Jetfire and the Chevy Corvair
Monza.

Alfred Buchi's Original Patent Courtesy of Smithsonian

Magazine

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This report is a comprehensive analysis on current turbocharger design as well as research being
done on how to further improve upon them. The main goal of this report is to convince McLaren
Motors to set aside time and money in order to do research and development in hope of
increasing the efficiency of turbochargers

Past Innovations
In the past turbochargers were used for a variety of reasons:

To improve fuel consumption by using a smaller engine with a turbocharger

To improve emissions
To decrease weight

Since then, the way turbochargers accomplish these things has changed slightly. Where there
used to be a limit as to how large one could be simply because there would be too much pressure
and it would be too hot, causing catastrophic engine knocks;ii there are now more pressure and
heat resistant materials that allow the turbocharger to work at higher pressure and temperature. In
addition to this, turbochargers used to be most efficient at high speeds, even though most of the
time is spent at low or moderate speeds. Now they can be tuned to work most efficiently at
different speeds.

Modern Turbochargers
Modern turbochargers
encase the turbocharger
bearings in intricate water
passages, and engine
coolant is used to
significantly reduce
turbocharger bearing
temperatures in order to
eliminate the coking and
lacquering issues that
fouled old fashioned
turbocharger bearings.iii
Heat loss efficiency of a ball bearing versus a floating bearing Courtesy of Air Power Systems
In addition to this they
now use wastegates. A
wastegate is essentially a device that bypasses some exhaust flow around the turbine section of a
turbocharger to control maximum boost.iv

Current Research Being Done

A novel, patented technology called active control turbocharging (ACT) has been developed in
the research group, based on a variable geometry nozzle set with fast actuation which is tuned to
enable maximum energy extraction from the unsteady pulsating engine flow. This makes better
use of the exhaust energy of the engine than currently available turbochargers do.v This method
requires a computer to control when the turbo is engaged and when it is closed.

Areas for Potential Research

I believe that there are still significant advances that can be made in turbocharger efficiency mostly
in the area of material selection. As my area of study, I have become acutely aware of how many
different ways materials can be manipulated perform far beyond what was previously thought
possible. I am requesting to research these materials specifically:

Low Carbon Steel

Titanium Alloysvi
Cobalt Alloys
High Density Ceramics

Conclusion
In recent years there has been a shift towards smaller, more efficient engines. Turbochargers are
widely used to compensate for a smaller engine, but when combined with a performance engine
the result is spectacular. This technology has been around for a while, but this report
encompasses the current and past innovations in the area of turbochargers.

Recommendation
I formally recommend that McLaren Motors sanctions a new research and development team in
order to further the current turbocharger technology. This report showed that there is still room
for improvement to make our cars faster through the use of turbochargers.
If you have any further questions I would be happy to discuss them with you at your
convenience.

Scoltock, James. "Alfred Buchi - The Inventor of the Turbocharger." Smithsonian Magazine, 15 July 2010. Web. 9
May 2015.
ii
"Engine Knock Causes - What Is Engine Knock?" HowStuffWorks, 20 Dec. 2009. Web. 11 May 2015.
iii
"Modern Turbochargers and Superchargers." Modern Turbochargers and Superchargers. Air Power Systems, n.d.
Web. 10 May 2015.
iv
"How a Turbo Wastegate Works." Banks Power, n.d. Web. 10 May 2015.
v
Botas, Ricardo. "Experimental Evaluation of Active Flow Control Mixed-Flow Turbine for Automotive
Turbocharger Application." American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 01 Feb. 2005. Web. 10 May 2015.
vi
Tetsui, Toshimitsu. "Development of a TiAl Turbocharger for Passenger Vehicles." Elsevier Science, 2002. Web.
10 May 2015.