GM reinvents the turbo
New patent proves US car giant has radical sequential turbo in the works. Will have more power, less dragGeneral Motors has been caught patenting a radical new turbocharger that could significantly cut lag and boost power compared to a regular compressor.
The leaked blueprints, revealed by GM car blog gminsidenews.com, appeared late last night online and had been submitted to the US patent office just last month.
The patent images show a turbocharger that can isolate the high or low pressure parts of the turbo from one another.
Normal two-stage or sequential turbochargers are restricted by having to operate both turbines simultaneously. This limits performance at low to mid pressures (or engine speeds).
The GM turbo cleverly avoids this by gifting the turbo a bypass system. This means, at low revs only the high-pressure compressor's turbine spins.
The new turbo works by linking the small high pressure turbo to the exhaust manifold through a high pressure duct, while the low-pressure turbo is connected using its own low pressure inlet.
To optimise boost, a bypass valve has been added. Living within the exhaust manifold, the special valve then regulates both inlets and decides which turbine to feed,
The bypass valve is controlled by the car's ECU management software.
The new arrangement allows engineers to optimise the inlet designs, helping increase power and reduce pumping losses.
The US GM fan-site is tipping Cadillac to be the first GM brand to benefit from the new tech.
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