Turbo-Charged Alternator
 

Had this idea a few weeks back, did some searching and apparently I'm not the first to have this revelation...but I am wondering has anyone actually completed the build? I know there are quite a few nay-sayers, but at the same time alot of us around here are puttering on a 1.0L-1.6L motor.

I have a feeling that my 2.5L Subaru has some exhaust gas to spare without negatively effecting performance.

So I'm looking for any information on a completely machined unit and maybe some ideas of how it was done. There are a few differences that will occur using a turbo spline to drive an alternator and not a turbine. Or even information on where it failed if it was tried. :)

I share with you my thoughts but I would be jeopardizing my patent pending design :)

If you've already applied there shouldn't be any risk unless you think someone can make a design and slip one in before you.

Well some of us are more about sharing open ideas to achieve results than capitalizing the crap out of them. :-p I'm not going into production just yet. But I have several very different ideas around how to get it to work. Each one about as costly as the next, some with a higher price build, and others that would require every weekend for about 4-6 months to build the prototype. The concept is simple, but the feasibility is moderate, but building from idea, to paper, to prototype, to road testing, to reliability is an entirely different animal. Its quite simply a project that could end up costing 4-5 years worth of fuel if done improperly. My labor is free and thinking is free, poorly built and failed attempts are wasted materials and money. :-)

I'm very tempted to head out to the junkyard today to see if I can find a few decent alternators and a turbo unit. I'm more concerned about be able to remove a turbo unit at the junk yard, especially with it be just below freezing here in PA.

BTW Bill, when you're ready to go into production and stake a claim on that patent, I'm 45 minutes from the NJ Border, have a BS in Industrial Physics, background from iron foundry casting ductile iron, and currently stuck working in a warehouse in PA :-/

Oh and I'm car crazy :D

The sad truth is that if you have a great idea and it would impact a large company in a negative way and you share too much info they will take and patent the idea and force and bury it never to be used till the patent runs out. Although a great idea can be as good as the Megamillions jackpot your odds in pulling it off are just as remote in winning it.

LOL zero,

I am lazy and have a BS in History that I spent 10 + years to get but I am great with my hands and mechanics. I do have a extra turbo from my old Grand National left over and a few extra engines and plenty of parts in the garage.

What I need to do is figure the math, the resistance of how much psi does it need to turn the compressor wheel of the turbo and move the resistance of the alternator and belt and then measure the output of electricity to the battery pack.

My ideas are nothing that anyone with a mechanical mind would not be able to figure out. I am not genius and would share everything with most anyone in a sitdown conversation. I learned the hardway in sharing a grreat idea with someone that has the power to lock you out of any profitability.

Maybe an East coast get together would be cool in the future just need some time to get my projects in order before I consider showing up to one :)

I'm spending the day farting around on the internet, sending out more job apps, trying to locate reasonable priced Argon/CO2 tank & gas. I still tempted to head out to the local salvage yards. Alters and turbos are $10/$25. Could potential get some of the basic parts to fiddle with for <$50.

Sadly the argon tank and gas will not be nearly that cheap :-/ It might be flux core welding for a while.

45 mins from NJ border? What part of PA are you in?

On topic, have you checked with a rapid prototype company? Even if they build a non-working model, it would at least give you a physical unit to play with. Not sure what cost runs on that, though. :(

Hahaha I think if I had enough money to be sending off design diagrams for someone to build a prototype, I think I\'ve come to the wrong place. :-p I\'ll have to do some digging elsewhere on this one to see what I can come up with.

But I\'ve found a local source for argon/co2 gas. Prices are pretty good compare the other locations I\'ve called.

Okay there is nothing new about his idea....

Same problem exists too. Turbos spin at 100,000+ rpm. Alternators spin at 6000 rpm max.

There is a company that is marketing a design and the only way they are getting around the problems is a custom alternator driven by a rather large turbine.