Most of us have heard the term applied to various applications and situations, from turbo boosting a career, your love life, finances or computers.

But what on earth is it?

Well, its a combination of two wheels, usually mounted on the very same shaft. When I say a wheel, I mean that it is more like a fan, impeller or propeller. Though none really describe accurately, what either wheel is.

A fan will blow something in a particular direction, while it must also suck something from a particular place.

An impeller is like a fan but usually associated with liquid, and would accurately describe the apparatus which pumps water in the water pump housing of your car.

A propellor is like a impeller and can apply to air as in an aeroplane, or a liquid as in the device for propelling a boat in either a forward or backward direction.

But a turbo has two forged wheels, one known as a compressor wheel and the other is known as the turbine or turbo wheel.

The turbine wheel is in the exhaust stream or path and the compressor wheel is in the air intake stream or path.

With both wheels on the very same shaft, then it follows that if one turns, then the other must turn as well. No pulleys, belts or external driving devices!

So, as the exhaust “fumes” are forced or evacuated from the cylinder by the action of the exhaust stroke, then one is in a position to harness this power. With a conventional non-turbo engine, such forces are wasted to the environment.

With a turbo system in place, the exhausted air causes the turbine wheel to spin, which must turn the compressor wheel, which then pumps air back into the intake system. While the air is not compressed to any large degree (as compression goes), this gives a considerable advantage when compared to an engine without a turbo. In the absense of a turbo, intake pressure is dependent on the induction stroke and other channelling factors

Willam is a technical advisor at Boy Racer Ireland which is a new forum and information portal for car enthusiasts and modifiers.

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