The British transmission specialist Torotrak has cleverly inserted a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) in series with a conventional planetary gearset to drive a centrifugal compressor at sufficient speed to boost the intake pressure in both gasoline and diesel engines.
Weighing only 13.2 pounds in the illustrated experimental configuration, Torotrak’s V-Charge compressor is spun by a belt connected to the engine’s accessory drive system. The toroidal CVT, consisting of specially shaped driving and driven discs spinning without direct contact, is located just behind the input drive pulley. An electromechanical servo can switch the CVT drive through its full 10-to-1 ratio spread in only 0.4 second. Next in line inside the V-Charge housing is a fixed planetary gearset, which multiplies shaft speed by a factor of nine. At the end of the shaft, a centrifugal compressor wheel is surrounded by a housing that admits filtered air at atmospheric pressure and delivers it at boosted pressure to the engine’s intake manifold.
Quieter than a Roots blower and cooler than any turbocharger, V-Charge spins between 10,000 and 100,000 rpm. The servo controller needs only 10 watts of electrical power to operate, so, unlike electrically powered superchargers, a 48-volt electrical system is not required.
Backed by the British government and in collaboration with both the University of Bath and the Ford Motor Company, Torotrak spent more than a year developing this booster. Instead of manufacturing it in-house, Torotrak would prefer to license its V-Charge technology either to a carmaker or some auto industry supplier.
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