I touched on this before but am hoping to get an insightful conversation on them. I'm on the fence about it because I have some ideas that make them seem promising but also question why so many oppose them.

The concept of an electric supercharger... In theory, at first, it seems like a good idea. Yet I see so many people who despise them, I can just hear the trolls shouting "Scam! Snake oil! Why? Because I said so."

I'm not looking at the idea of an electric fan create boost, but rather just bumping up the volumetric efficiency of a 4 cylinder engine.

The engine is sucking up air and there are moderate to severe restrictions in its path along the intake pipe. This is going to reduce the amount of air flowing into the engine.

I've been studying the acoustics of an engine and how resonation theories can modify the power band and allow better VE.

So with that introduction I'm asking you guys why placing a fan in the intake would not work if you have the right conditions?

I calculated the CFM of my 2.2L. Its consumes about 250 cdm at 6k RPM. In theory a marine bilge at 250cfm would not restrict airflow until after that point. And by then the car would be past its peak HP anyways.

I've read an argument that the CFM ratings are in open air and that when placed in a pipe the fan cannot perform the same. But I'm thinking that the engine is bringing in air anyways, there is an area of low pressure and an intake resonator can take care of the high pressure wave bouncing back. If anything the two are helping each other bring in more air.

If designed properly it should work, right? Not for serious performance applications, which is the basis for such harsh opposition. But just to help make your daily driver a bit more fun to drive around in.

You would have the intake split into two parts, one with the fan and then a valve that would open at a higher RPM to allow for NA air flow.

I'm not completely supporting the idea of these things, especially the way the companies advertise them. I would just like to know what things are plausible and what things don't work.

So I'm not saying to go out and buy those dumb $200 kits. But if you were to have the time on your hands, design a contraption with a marine bilge and some tubing. $40, tops.


Feel free to correct or support any points I made. I wanna get the correct idea on this as to not be influenced by opinions.

 

While you may believe there is a meaningful restriction in your intake system, I beg to differ.

Any electronic supercharger (if one existed) capable of supplying any meaningful boost would overwhelm the electrical of your car.

 

Hiiii shipo

Yeah. I'm not saying my intake has a lot of restriction. The moderate amount I speak about is that in a typical engine. If theres a MAF sensor, the mesh has shown to restrict flow quite a bit. Unless you have individual throttle bodies and velocity stacks directly outside each intake port, there is restriction cutting down VE at some point. But thats not exactly my point here.

My approach is that I'm not looking for boost like to would with typical forced induction, rather it is assisting the engine in its air intake. People who install these commercial electric superchargers claim an increase in throttle response. The main attack is that this makes the power drop as the CFM of the engine meets that of the fan. I'm wondering about an alternative and cheaper design.

I did mention this in a post a while ago. You commented but then left me hanging

So I'd like to see, based on what you've studied (I ask not of partial opinions please), if these are not as much as a bad idea as people are so quick to claim.

I should mention there is an electric supercharger available that is used in professional racing. But its with a dedicated electrical system and provides boost for a short time.

 

There's really not much difference between boost & "assisting" the engine drawing in air.

The biggest thing I'm aware of for electric boost is the inefficiency of 12v systems. The efficiency of the alternator together with the efficiency of the motor makes for so much energy-loss that it hasn't been a good match.

The only electric blowers that I've heard serious talk about rely on 48v or higher electrical systems.

 

Per the analysis I saw done about fifteen years ago, the demands of the engine quickly overwhelm the electric blower, so instead of it helping, it creates a restriction in and of itself.

Long story short, adding an electronic blower will not yield any positive performance benefits off the line and WILL yield a reduction in performance when the engine is running at full-tilt.

 

It's possible but if it were plausible I'm sure this would have already been attempted/incorporated.

 

It has been attempted. I see a stigma on these things with out significant data though. I hope I don't sound like I'm arguing, I'm just hearing reasons without explanations behind them when I look up the info. Give me the long story please :P Auto Technology has come a long ways in 15 years.

From what I see, the load on the engine is around 5 amps. Isn't that about the same as your headlights or radiator fan?

As far as the restriction goes, if the fan can create 250CFM at 5 amps and the engine consumes less than 250CFM and the alternator can take that extra load, why is there no gain?

I'm not sure how dangerous it is mentioning this but I've experimented with electrical loads with other devices. Pulling 12 amps on my engine has not resulted in noticeable a loss of power or fuel efficiency on my car.