Principal Investigator Amos Winter
Project Website http://gear.mit.edu/Research_Projects/Turbo.html
Turbocharging increases the power per capacity of internal combustion engines, compared to natural aspiration, by using exhaust energy to force fresh air into the combustion chamber to burn more fuel. Single cylinder engines are difficult to turbocharge because the intake valve is always closed when the exhaust valve is open; when the turbo is being powered by the exhaust gases, it cannot pump fresh air into the intake of the engine, thus wasting the recovered exhaust energy. This project is focused on creating a means of turbocharging single cylinder engines. The resulting technology will be applicable to many devices that use single cylinder engines, including tractors, generators, water pumps, rickshaws, and motorcycles.