Quote:
Originally Posted by mans
on #1 may I correct something here..
when hooking up such a setup you have a very small pully on the turbo and a very large one on the alternator. so the only part of this setup thats going 100k rpm is the turbo pully. even the belt isn't speeding, so the alternator certainly isn't. also you hook it up to bypass the exhaust gasses when the turbo gets up to a too high speed...
on #2. the racing guys say superchargers waste energy from the engine , and turbos don't, that why ultimately there's more power to be had from a turbo cuz the power driving the turbo would otherwise be wasted, unlike the supercharger. I'd imagine these racing guys usually know their stuff, and if thats true then the turbo alternator idea should be quite sound.
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I'm not saying the idea is not possible, but it may not be practical with current technology. Anything spinning at such high speed needs extremly fine balancing and you'll need specialised pulleys & belts to ensure minimal losses.
Turbo's do draw power from an engine, but they push more air in so more fuel can be burnt and hence provide more power. Just like putting a wind generator on the roof it provides power, but creates drag. Put a turbo in the exhaust and yes it can provide power, but forms a restriction, which means less exhaust is drawn out of the cylinders, so less air in, so less efficiency.
Why do you think "racing guys" polish the inside of their exhaust manifolds & put on extractors, insulate the manifold etc. all these are to increase exhaust gas speed and let the engine breathe more freely.
It definately can be done, but the question is will you lose more efficiency from the engine than you gain in electricity.
Even the idea of using seebeck cells to generate electricity from the exhaust has an expense, to get any effective output you need to move heat through them, the more heat you move from the exhaust, the slower it flows and same issue again.
That's just my opinion, from what I have read and experienced myself.