Electric Supercharger?! (adaptable for fuel economy?)

[t vago]

Originally Posted by baldlobo

while i like the idea of electric forced induction. about the only one i like is the e-ram; most of you will call it a bilge pump fan.

e-Racing :: OFFICIAL SITE :: The e-RAM Electric Supercharger from e-Racing Motorsports

The trouble with this super-spiffy eRam Electric Supercharger is... it doesn't work.

Dynamometer Runs conducted on 07 February 2004 - Base vs. Electric Supercharger Comparison

I did a set of dyno runs back about 8 years ago, and this pile of junk was tested, as delivered and hooked up per instructions. While the eRam did in fact deliver increased output levels over baseline, the increases ( +0.42 HP and +1.78 ft-lbf of torque) are so small as to be meaningless.

The Thomas Knight electric supercharger is an example of just how much power is required to make real levels of boost. This shiny bilge fan that eRam sells does not deliver. The supposed gains on the eRam website can be attributed to removing restrictions present on the factory induction system.

[Mustang Dave]

And notice the products at eRAM are sold out and available 3-15-11.They need to update their website.

[user removed]

Green Car Congress: CPT developing 48-volt electric supercharger for micro-mild hybrids

regards
Mech

[baldlobo]

never said it worked or that it was worth what they were asking for it, but those numbers could be attributed to operator error(did you do more then one run for each variable?).

actually thomas knights(he made that around 2003-04 i think) is more a handy man's special; considering you can now a days get a 5-7kw r/c motor that can no load spin up to 10k rpms.

got any pictures of the inside of the e-ram?

[niky]

Doesn't matter how fast they spin. It's how much positive pressure they can generate. Thomas Knight's motors had a 15 hp draw. That's about what it would take to make positive pressure on a modest four-banger. (Indeed, their dynos showed that boost petered out at higher rpms on the 2.4 liter Altima they used as a test car.

5-7 kW might just cut it... probably enough to give your Jeep around... 5-6 psi of boost... ...the question is how much weight in capacitors or batteries you're willing to carry around?

[baldlobo]

Originally Posted by niky

Doesn't matter how fast they spin. It's how much positive pressure they can generate. Thomas Knight's motors had a 15 hp draw. That's about what it would take to make positive pressure on a modest four-banger. (Indeed, their dynos showed that boost petered out at higher rpms on the 2.4 liter Altima they used as a test car.

5-7 kW might just cut it... probably enough to give your Jeep around... 5-6 psi of boost... ...the question is how much weight in capacitors or batteries you're willing to carry around?

yes it does, force= mass * velocity

mr. knights device was powered by 1 or 2 extra batteries required to power the 3 starter motors; and i think in the end the car was hauling around 200lbs more then it would have with a normal m62 or m90, completely making 5-6lbs of boost, negated by the additional weight.

ps. 15hp=12kW

[lamb.chop]

F=ma not mv, thats linear momentum....

[user removed]

I read about that Altima. How many of us try to run 10 second quarter miles on our daily drive? Another point. they did not try to put a 1.6 liter direct injection Nissan engine in the Altima and then use the supercharger for the less than 1% of the time when you would need more than the 1.6 would provide.

With the advent of smaller engines ,aka Ford ecoboost, driving much larger cars, and better battery technology. I see a place for an electric supercharger as a means of lowering the fuel consumption of a naturally aspirated engine without a turbo or mechanically driven supercharger.

Having driven two cars with mechanical superchargers, a Buick Rivera and a Mercedes 230 SLK, maybe my experience means a different attitude to mechanical supercharging versus turbocharging.

I really don't think this topic belongs in the Unicorn section, but that does not change it's significance to me.

regards
Mech

[some_other_dave]

Originally Posted by baldlobo

while i like the idea of electric forced induction. about the only one i like is the e-ram; most of you will call it a bilge pump fan.

That was the one I was speaking of earlier. Tested and debunked.

I still like OldMechanic's idea of using a (functional!) switchable power-adder on a small engine. The electric clutch (but still belt-driven) S/C might be a better idea than a bilge pump fan, though I do wonder how much power even the disengaged pulley takes to spin? I don't remember it being something I could turn by hand.

Due to the horrible environment that turbochargers live in, I can't see a good way of making one of those switchable. Well, maybe if "cut-outs" have come a long way since last I looked into them. But the heat, moisture, and chemicals in the exhaust are not very kind to most diverter valves that I know of.

-soD

[oil pan 4]

You never want to "turn off" a turbocharger on a diesel.
It will hurt fuel economy by up to 20%.