CaughtinmyGrill

OK, I am not actually considering this but more of a curiosity question.

Has anyone ever tried placing a high speed electric (12 volt) fan in the intake tube? The fan, which would only draw filtered air could push this air towards the turbo. I know at WOT it wouldn't matter much but at take off, it might add 5 pounds boost until the turbo gets spooled.

The fan would also always be pushing air to the turbo. If powerful enough, it might add a couple more pounds of boost towards the top end as well. If I were actually going to attempt something like this, I would increase the size of the intake tube to 6" and mount the fan inside the tube half way between the filter and turbo. Once the turbo is at full boost, the 6" tube would allow the turbo to pull enough air past the fan if the fan couldn't spin fast enough.

So tell me why this wouldn't work.

Hoss

Don't know if it will work or not, but it sounds like a GREAT idea.

Lary Ellis (Top)

It wont work because the fan will will not be able to push the amount of air that turbo is drawing. Thus the fan will become an obstruction blocking air and defeat your whole purpose. Just no way for a small electric fan to push the kind of CFM we are talking about here.

v8440

What Larry said, and also, if the tube were bigger than the fan (so air could get past the fan under high boost like you said) then you couldn't ever get any boost from the fan. Think about it-if air can get past the fan when the turbo is drawing more than the fan can deliver, air can also go the other way when the fan is trying to build boost.

Your basic idea is fine, it's just that fans that are practical to run off your electrical system are not powerful enough to do anything in this scenario.

Patrolman808

Me and some buddies were throwing around the idea of putting an electric leaf blower motor on a gas engine to see what happens. Basically it'd be like having a supercharger whenever you want it. But we've never had a vehicle that we could tear up and try stuff like this on.

Car_nut57

Lary is correct. We have done some air flow testing on the 5.9L Cummins and measured intake air velocity at 9750fpm at only 25psi boost. If you want to increase air flow into the turbo and engine, you might consider a Turbo Air Guide TAG-III. We have some data posted on our website about air flow before and after on a chart on this page http://www.dieselpowerproducts.com/tag The chart shows air flow in cfm at different boost pressures.

CTDHokie

850 CFM eh? Out of curiousity what is the free area of your TAG?

Kyle Graham

I saw some guy on Ebay was trying to sell a electric fan intake setup it was funny his business name was dirty south. Once the turbo started spooling electic fan would restrict air flow and if the tube was bigger than fan you would never build any pressure.

JohnnyH

Imagine what your tubo would look like if the fan came apart. I'd like to see you take it in for warrenty work and explain that.

Car_nut57

Thats about right at 25psi boost, but can go closer to 1100cfm at the higher load conditions. By free area, I take it you mean the open area of the cells. Difficult to give an exact answer to that. The cell walls are 0.004" thick. The TAG increases air flow not because of its open area, but rather its effect on the performance of the turbo with smooth directed air flow.

JHardwick

I've asked this question before and so have others.

I have a solid modeling program that I can give you the answer with if you can supply me with some dimensions etc ......

Car_nut57

I have figured this out at one time, but didn't keep it handy. The diameter is 3.73", the cells are .125".

Ramtough

over on the jeep board there was talk about an electric supercharger much as what you are really talkjing about. it is a very hard thing because you have to power this thing with electricity which requires more altenator which requires more grunt from the belt. so your making and converting and using energy at this time around three times. not goona work. energy can niether be created nor destroteed but it will dissipate through heat and such...

redneckonthenet

Whats this melted black plastic in the turbo? Good thought. Need some more engineering work!

Diesel Dyke

If I may interject

From what I've read, air mass moving in the same direction as the turbo is spinning, actually reduces the boost! So I can't see a fan that can't match the rpm of the turbo actually doing anything other being foreign material in the turbo.

If money was no object, I'd say a second turbo or being off your rocker and getting a supercharger in there that spins in the opposite direction, would certainly increase the cfm and density of aircharge...in my mind anyways, but feel free to educate me.

But here is a cheaper alternative I've found and plan to get and the logic seems plausible....
http://www.uglytrucksplus.com/produc...rbo+Air+Guides