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Electric supercharger??


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The blade design on that first supercharger is the wrong kind. A propeller produces high cfm, but it is near useless when you need it to create pressure. A centrifugal design like that in a real turbo is what you need. Notice how they advertise huge cfm numbers but no psi numbers. Also notice how they show that it draws 57 amps :rolleyes: Hmm, if it doesn't burn the alternator belt off, you'll be losing way more hp than you gain.

 

The second model might do something, but for 2 grand I'd just put a real turbo on it. This one doesnt run straight off the alt, it runs in 15sec pulses when you hit the button, from a seperate battery pack. On second thought, I'd just get a big nitrous kit :rolleyes:With this thing you've got three custom wound high hp/short life electric motors, and a battery pack that isn't going to last more than a couple years to go wrong. Doesn't sound like much of an investment to me. hell, why don't they just stick the three 6hp electric motors onto the crankshaft and give a good 18 direct hp. :D

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  • 1 month later...

The only supercharger (Electric DC motor powered) that actually WORKS comes from Thomas Knight superchargers - http://www.boosthead.com/home.phpWe have actually begun building one based on our Bladeless Disk Turbines (http://www.frank.germano.com/thecompany.htm ), and intend on using thomas knight's drive motors as the power source...see if we can up the ante' with a bladeless disk supercharger system, ala Tesla.

These electric units (Knight's) are becoming very attractive - no HP loss as from a belt driven unit - all the "power" comes from auxilliary mounted batteries in the trunk (usually four of them) and they are 36 HP motors (tri-motor set-up) that are driving that Eaton blower. Seems they are even attracting converts from the NOX crowd, as there is no refill costs associated. $2700 - 3500 bucks for the system, though. Knight pretty much has the best supercharger (electric powered) out there for the moment. If you feel like dumping that much money into it, you'd probably have one pocket rocket of a horsepower increase, that's for sure.

 

Frank Germano

www.frank.germano.com

1989 Subaru XT6 4WD EAT

1989 Subaru XT6 4WD FS

1987 Subaru Turbo XT 4WD

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I am torn between two replies. I half want to say go ahead and buy it, send off your cash for a model airplane ducted fan or a bilge pump (at a premium price) and pretend your $65.50 did the job of a $2500 piece of hardware. The other half says otherwise. I am by profession a scientist in the space program. I want to explain the realities of axial flow compressors and what all, but I return to option1 and let the stupid learn their own lessons.

 

As Mr. Germano explained their is such a thing as an electric supercharger that works. It is pricier than the direct driven solution and needs one serious power supply. In the end, it is more practical to go with a direct driven supercharger.

 

As my sainted grandmother used to say: " For phucksake sonny, speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?"

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I'm going to chime in with another post. I have personally seen Thomas Knight's superchargers...the entire system. I had offered him the use of our Bladeless Disk Systems (Tesla turbines/pumps) as a way to improve his performance on his current units, and am still working towards that end. As noted in a prior post, the Tesla PUMP (note - not the turbine in this case) can move an increadible amount of air (in a very small physical space) with less HP requirements...the only drawback to the bladeless disk pumps are that they "normally" do so at a very low specific PSI. However, to combat the need for HIGH psi, you can very easily compound the pumps in series (i.e. the outlet of one pump with several disks, flowing into the next pump, into the next, in series - still in a very small physical space, and all contained inside the same over-all case). This is what we have done.

Now, back to the Knight Supercharger: His motors spin 6500 @ 12V, 9500 @ 24V, and 11,500@36V - he's kicking out right around 1000 CFM @ 7 PSI...not too darn shabby. Now yes, the motors (three of them) are drawing serious voltage, HOWEVER, it's not parasitic, as in a belt-driven unit...the battery banks are mounted in the trunk, and the unit only kicks in at WOT (which is really the only time you would WANT that boost anyway, same as a NOX boost), so, the only real question is this - do you want to spend upwards of 2500 to 3500 bucks for the extra HP? How MUCH HP will the Knight unit kick out on a Subaru (2.7) liter engine has been right around 85 extra horsies at WOT...yippie-ki-yaaa...(that's a lot of bucks/per HP in my book!).

Now, what WE are working on is using basically the same type of electric motor set-up, direct drive DC, and powering the much more efficient Bladeless Disk System, mounted in series. What we are shooting at delivering to the electric supercharger/ NOX replacement crowd is 1000 CFM @ 10-12 PSI. We also have another neet idea of using the Tesla Turbine, fired by a Hydrogen Peroxide blast (Hydrogen Peroxide at a buck a gallon, when fed into a Platinum lined condensor causes instant explosive expansion - similar to steam) driving the bladeless disk supercharger, and THIS would elliminate the need for a DC motor altogether.

Now before anyone starts getting to "happy" about the existance of this upcoming unit...let's backtrack for a moment - does the Knight Supercharger work? Yes. Justify the cost for yourselves, though. It's quite expensive for the output, plus the fact that you will either have to upgrade to a 200 AMP alternator, or recharge via electric cord...we've also tested the eRam (don't waste your time), and just got our hands on a KKK Kompressor (electric motor powered - just a standard starter motor mounted on the back) that actually made us LAUGH! What a piece of eBay crap. So it's still a buyer-beware world out there for the electric supercharger market.

I hope to change that quite soon, however. If you need to "bone up" on just exactly what we are working on, I humbly suggest you take a good long review of my website, and the history of the Tesla Turbine and Pump - www.frank.germano.com - we build complete systems...it's what we do.

Thanks for letting me rant with this post.

 

Frank

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  • 6 months later...
Now yes, the motors (three of them) are drawing serious voltage, HOWEVER, it's not parasitic, as in a belt-driven unit...the battery banks are mounted in the trunk, and the unit only kicks in at WOT (which is really the only time you would WANT that boost anyway, same as a NOX boost), so, the only real question is this - do you want to spend upwards of 2500 to 3500 bucks for the extra HP? How MUCH HP will the Knight unit kick out on a Subaru (2.7) liter engine has been right around 85 extra horsies at WOT...yippie-ki-yaaa...(that's a lot of bucks/per HP in my book!).

 

Frank

i bet that looks great on a dyno, but on the street the BANK OF BATTERIES in the trunk, will work a little differently. how many batteries? how much weight.

if you could make hp from electricity, without any loss you would have a perpetual energy machine.

 

i always thought this was snake oil. why not plumb in a turbo and go to town!_?

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now a gas powered leaf blower... that makes sence to me.
And it's been done to a VW beetle. They burnt up the pistons tho cuz it was running WAY lean :lol: Little bugger couldnt compensate with fuel for all the extra air.

 

Now about those electric superchargers. So you need '4 mil-spec batteries' to run the thing. That's a grand total of 5 full size batteries in your once light weight XT6. Batteries are NOT LIGHT WEIGHT. Now about about the drag on the alternator to keep those things charged; especially after 'boosting' and they are starting to drain. That's power robed right from the crank to the alternator. So here you are robbing power from the crank to make electricity to make your electric supercharger work.

 

Now I ask why dont you just rob power from the crank DIRECLTY TO a super charger? Cut the middle man (electricity) and go directly the BOOST :drunk:

 

ANY way you cut it; you have to use power to make power (boost). Why not use your exhuast (already spent power) to create the boost (read: turbo charger); instead of robbing it directly from the crank?

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