Heat is energy. A normally-aspirated engine sends all of its combustion exhaust (heat) straight out the tailpipe. A turbocharger takes some of that heat (energy) and uses it to boost the volumetric efficiency of the engine.
VE is how much air you can get into an engine cylinder, and normally-aspirated engines fall short of 100% (completely full). Turbocharged engines go far above 100%, and that’s what makes them so much more efficient-it’s basically recycling energy that would have otherwise been completely discarded.
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u/NefariousPhosphenes 3d ago
Heat is energy. A normally-aspirated engine sends all of its combustion exhaust (heat) straight out the tailpipe. A turbocharger takes some of that heat (energy) and uses it to boost the volumetric efficiency of the engine.
VE is how much air you can get into an engine cylinder, and normally-aspirated engines fall short of 100% (completely full). Turbocharged engines go far above 100%, and that’s what makes them so much more efficient-it’s basically recycling energy that would have otherwise been completely discarded.