Latest thinking on the Turl harging of truck engines.
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BY DR MAGNUS PYKE.
"Ford are bringing out an improved turbo-charged diesel engine and they think that I can explain what's new about it and why it's better than other engines.
Most trucks have had diesel engines for the last 30 years or more.
The principle Herr Rudolf Diesel introduced, when he first heard how inefficient steam engines were. was to connnress
the air so tight in the cylinder t its temperature was sent up to about 800°C.
This was so hot that whe the fuel was injected it ignited' away without need for a sparking plug.
A further advantage was• by running the engine like this at high pressure he obtained greater efficiency.
That is to say he got mon work from each unit amount of
Turbo-charging, first applied to big marine diesels, u part of the waste energy of the gases in an engine's exhaust r to run a little turbine.
This drives a compressoi which forces more air into the engine's cylinder than would ot wise be sucked in by the pistoi It gives three important advantages. The first is a mon efficient use of fuel.
The second is particular] valuable: because more fuel is taken into each cylinder at ev( stroke, more power is obtained from the engine.
A third benefit is that because the turbo-charger COff presses the air which flows int( engine, this air becomes hot, the fuel that is mixed with it bur more promptly and the engine i consequently quieter.
By fitting a turbo-charger these considerable advantages are obta for an increase in the weight of the trucl of about 100 lbs.
If the owner gets an extra 30 HP fc this increase in weight (as indeed he do he can therefore carry some tons more goods in his vehicle. Dugh to stand the extra pressure, the )ling system must be efficient enough to sipate the extra heat which is inevitably ected by the engine.
This is part of the Carnot Cycle hich,I need hardly add, is not a means of nsport but one of the fundamental nciples of thermodynamics).
And, since the turbo-charger may imes need to spin at100,000 RPM it must viously be properly made, adequately )ricated and precisely designed to suit the gine itis to work with.
Ford have, they say, done three things make their Turbo II engine better than previous model they made.
To start with, the engine has been .engthened by clamping the cylinder head wn more firmly.
Next, they have taken a good deal of ■ uble to make sure that the cooling stem works more efficiently, the thermotts do their job and the water circulates matter what the engine is doing. Finally, improvements have been made in turbo-charger lubrication to make it easier for the men who service the trucks and keep them in good order After having heard what the Ford people had to say about their Turbo II engine I felt that I knew what they were talking about.
I hope that now you do too7 Those of you who are directly involved with the transport business will obviously want to know more. Contact your local Ford Ruck Specialist Dealer He'll be pleased to arrange a presentation of the new Turbo II engine for you.