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Hydroturbo

Water Powered Turbo
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If you know anything about turbochargers, you know that it needs to suck dense air inside to make the inner impellers to spin via intercooler. The impellers then force air into the engine cylinders maiking them able to have a higher compression ratio which enables the engine to use more fuel at a time, which as you know sends a vehicle lurching forward from the boost that the turbocharger provides. Well, I have just thought of a whole new idea for a turbocharger: Why not make a turbo that uses pressurized water to make it's inner impellers to spin. It makes perfect sense. Water is already dense as it is, so why not have a water tank connected to a water cooling, pressurizing pump instead of an intercooler which fuels the turbo with cold pressurized air? If you have real dense, cold water going through the turbocharger at high speeds then the impeller could spin at very high speeds and force tons of air into the cylinders of an engine- contrary to an intercooled turbocharger which is fueled by pressurized air. Also, after the water leaves the turbocharger, it would be dircted back to the water tank via a series of more stainless steel pipes and go thorough the whole cycle again. And because the water is cooled by the pump at the same time, the turbocharger wouldnt get hot to the point where it would blow. Also, there are no electrical components in a turbocharger, so nothing could short out unless there was a leak in the system or the system was not assembled properly. You could use basically any water, although it would probably be safer to use distilled or spring water. If you were to use stainless steel for the metal components for the whole turbo system, the water would not corrode it. The idea was originally planned for a boat's engine, but why would you not be able to use it for a car's engine?
Lil'Man, Oct 07 2003

Steam Anti Turbo-Lag System http://www.halfbake...0Turbo-Lag_20System
[phoenix, Oct 17 2004]

[link]






       For 1, If you were to use stainless steel, the water would not corrode the metal components of the whole system.   

       For 2, The water pump would COOL and pressurize the water, so the water wouldn't evaporate as fast- if at all. Not to mention all of the water is enclosed inside the components of the system, so the water wouldn't go anywhere if it were to evaporate.   

       For 3, recycling water would not be a real hassle because you could probably use basically any kind of water other than polluted or sewage water if you get my idea.   

       I'm not trying to make you look like an ass, UnaBubba, just using constructive crticism- Make sure you read EVERYTHING before you make any kind of reply. This applies to everyone!
Lil'Man, Oct 07 2003
  

       I'm trying to get a mental picture of what you have in mind. A turbocharger sucks air in through the intake, straight from the atmosphere. The impeller compresses the air. During compression, the air becomes hot. (there is no such thing as a "cooling pump". if you put energy in, some of it will become heat.) An intercooler is not necessary, but it is helpful in re-cooling the air to atmospheric temperature, allowing more flow to enter the engine. The whole system is driven not by "dense" air, but rather by "hot" air, in the form of exhaust gases.   

       A turbocharger is basically a jet engine with a really complex combustion chamber. Dumping water into the exhaust of heat turbomachinery (unless it is very carefully directed specifically as cooling flow for the components) the result is always a drop in output.   

       Perhaps if I had a better idea of what you were describing, I could provide better criticism.
Freefall, Oct 07 2003
  

       Could we have some sort of evidence of (form of link) of a water pump's ability to cool water?   

       [UnaBubba], try or not, he certainly didn't. Well the task was accomplished, who was made to //look like an ass// in what's in question.
swamilad, Oct 08 2003
  

       Thanks for getting the category correct, but please search before posting. Welcome to the HalfBakery.
phoenix, Oct 08 2003
  

       Garrett already came up with that but dropped it. It was called the Hydracharger. ran off hydraulic fluid from the engine(Hydraulic pump hooked up to engine) and had two compressors in one housing. Its pretty much a supercharger but can create higher pressure and be intercooled more easily. Also intercoolers are placed after the turbos; compressed air heats up. What the turbo sucks in is ambient, you can't make it any colder unless by an external source. There are no electronics on a turbocharger, its fully mechanic. water pumps can't cool water, thats the job of a heat exchanger. cooling the turbo with water wouldnt really matter because you are using a intercooler. water sucks, use hydraulic fluid(every wonder why they use hydraulic fluid in brakes and power steering systems instead of water?). water inside the engine bay wouldnt really matter because you drive in rain sometimes, you have a radiator under there, and you also have various fluid reservoirs that sit next to fuse boxes so the engine is pretty much water-proof.
K2e2vin, Oct 13 2003
  

       1.5 lbs of boost isnt boost, it is ground air pressure. Most cars with a turbocharger create like 10-15 pounds of boost. Most racecars create 15-30 pounds of boost, the same with turbo-diesel trucks.
craigm1987, Feb 25 2004
  

       I would think the high density of water would make it very hard to push through small pipes at such high speeds. That alone would probably decrease the efficiency quite a bit. Belt driven super or exaust driven turbo would be more efficient. Could always liquid cool the turbo if that's what you're going for ;)   

       And craigm1987, the atmospheric pressure at ground level is around 14.6psi. If a car runs 15psi, that's 15psi above the atmospheric pressure. He was saying 1.4 atm of boost. That's 1.4 times atmospheric pressure, not psi.
nomel, Jul 15 2005
  

       your water would evaporate or end up in the engine. and pumps DO NOT COOL, fish for you
amuse, May 02 2006
  

       "Not to mention all of the water is enclosed inside the components of the system, so the water wouldn't go anywhere if it were to evaporate."   

       So I pose a question: What happens to a liquid when you add heat? It expands. Now boil it. It expands RAPIDLY! Rapily expanding fluids in a closed system makes...you guessed it! BOOM!!
wittyhoosier, Jun 27 2006
  
      
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