Readit NewsBut to your point, I agree. Once the boost is achieved, the effects of the boost occur, because they aren’t really related to the source of the boost or how it is implemented. However, systems that use the engine for power like turbos may lose efficiency compared to compressed gas at the same boost level, depending on how much the gas system weighs compared to your turbo. It’s an interesting idea, especially for drag racing.
Yes, they put in the energy to compress the air 'offline' and then have that free to propel the vehicle. The cooling of the charge also improves the efficiency, the useful energy output is proportional to the temperature difference before and after the combustion.
A high capacity intercooler would be an interesting experiment also in utility vehicles.
Again no expert but from what I can see, high-end aluminum rods can use 7075 aluminum[2], which has a Young's modulus of about 72 GPa, while titanium has a modulus of about 105 and up[3][4], depending on grade.
At least that's my understanding.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young%27s_modulus
[2]: https://www.enginebuildermag.com/2017/03/racing-rods-builder...
[3]: https://titanium.com/alloys/titanium-and-titanium-alloys/gra...
[4]: https://titanium.com/alloys/titanium-and-titanium-alloys/ti-...
Aluminium is also significantly cheaper, and easier to machine.
Titanium (or high strength steel, which is the strongest both per area and per weight and also the most expensive and difficult to machine) would be used where the volume of the part would be a concern.
Also how they use aluminum for the connecting rods instead of stronger and stiffer metals like titanium, as they can then act as shock absorbers protecting the crankshaft bearings.
Lots of interesting tech to eek out performance and lifetime.
I've been enjoying watching Steve Morris's YouTube channel[2], he shares a lot of such information. He's mainly making drag and drive engines, which has the additional constraint of having to survive thousands of miles of regular roads between races.
I've also enjoyed Brian Lohnes channel[3] for interesting historical accounts from the early days.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Fuel#Performance
The 7000 aluminium alloys are similar to titanium in strenght/weight
The systems has regulators that step the air pressure down from thousands of PSI in the tank to a much smaller, regulated number at the nozzle that gets sprayed into the intake.
From the source company that sells the system:
> The very low temperature medium pressure air stream is then throttle one more time in the Electronic Pressure Regulator before being discharged into the engine air intake tract. The throttling effect that occurs here is small compared to that which occurs at the Mechanical Pressure regulator but, similar in nature.
The tuner can adjust the pressure that is being discharged into the intake tract, but that's not equivalent to the pressure in the manifold.
The system works by having the air expand rapidly in the intake, causing a rapid cooling effect.
The company describes it better on their own site: https://casupercharging.com/tech/#system-overview
EDIT: There is some mention of an "isolation valve" but not within the "Theory of Operation" section of the company's own description: https://casupercharging.com/tech/#system-overview
So there might be some scenario where the system shuts off the intake valve, too, but it's weirdly unclear from their own system description.
My strong impression is that even the roots of the tree are debated, with competing models that often change.
> The four-kingdom system should have died out decades ago
First, hopefully not! :) Second, I think it's used because it's the last stable model. Third, it's a model that the public can understand - theres no point in even trying to use "Archaeplastida, Excavata, SAR supergroup, Amoebozoa, and Opisthokonta" unless you are an expert in phylogenics or evolution. Who can understand and remember that?
Anybody who is interested in it
Worse that "moats" are a good thing, which they are for the company, but not necessarily society at large. The larger the moat, the more money coming out of your pocket as a customer.
It is insidious.