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Wastegates are critical for regulating boost pressure by controlling the flow of exhaust gases into the turbo; therefore, you must carefully choose between internal wastegated (IWG) turbocharger or external wastegate (EWG) turbocharger. Internal Wastegates (IWG) Design IWGs use an actuator to control the boost output and divert excess gases from the turbine wheel. They are integrated within the turbocharger housing. Advantages:  Compactness: Due to their integrated design, it saves more space for engine bays with limited room. Usually applied on OEM applications.  Cost Effectiveness: IWG is much easier to install and is less costly than an EWG due to fewer...

Every turbocharger has different cooling setups by default. Oil-cooled and water-cooled turbochargers are two common types of turbo cooling systems. In general, you see turbo with only oil-cooling system on journal bearing turbocharger, although this does not apply to all of the journal bearing turbos; some journal bearing turbos have both oil and water-cooling systems. However, due to their mechanical design nature, all ball bearing system turbos are basically required to cool by both oil and water. Below we’ll discuss about water and oil cooling differences and their various characteristics. Cooling Method As turbochargers operate under high temperature, cooling during...

When choosing a turbocharger, the very first thing to decide on is whether you’d like to use a journal bearing turbocharger or ball bearing turbocharger. These are two common types of bearing systems used in turbochargers, each offering unique performance characteristics. We’ll be discussing the key differences between these two systems below.  Design and Operation Looking at a turbocharger from its appearance we’re unable to tell whether it’s a ball bearing or journal bearing turbo. The bearing system lies inside the cartridge; when you open up the cartridge you’ll see the design of ball bearing and journal bearing system completely...

Wastegate actuator is one of the critical parts of a turbocharger. It controls the boost pressure produced by the turbocharger. We’re going to introduce its components and talk about how it works.  Components of a Turbo Actuator Actuator Diaphragm: Actuator diaphragm connects to a rod or linkage and it is a flexible membrane that responses to pressure changes of a turbo without any contact to other components. Spring: Spring holds the actuator shut until the boost pressure reaches the designated level. It then opens to release gas, reducing the boost pressure. Rod/Linkage: It connects the diaphragm to the wastegate valve....

When choosing a turbocharger, you often see an A/R number, and if you’ve taken a closer look, you’d find out that A/R applies both on to compressor cover and turbine cover. A/R stands for Area over Radius. Both compressor and turbine housings use the same formula to describe the housing size. A/R is a critical parameter in the design and performance of turbocharger. Understanding A/R Area(A):  This is the cross-sectional area at the narrowest point of the turbine or compressor housing. Radius(R):  This is the distance from the center of the turbine or compressor wheel to the center of the...