Diesel engines are one of the earliest types of internal combustion engines used in vehicles. Known for their higher torque and compressive resistance, diesel engines are widely used in automobiles, especially in heavy vehicles. Since heavy vehicles require more power, a turbo-diesel engine came into the picture. A turbo-diesel engine offers fuel efficiency and generates higher torque and improves overall engine performance.
Let’s dive a little deeper and discuss turbo-diesel engines, and their pros and cons in more detail.
Turbo-diesel Engines
Turbo-diesel engine is simply a diesel engine fitted with a turbocharger. The turbocharger increases engine efficiency and output by providing more air for combustion. The function of turbochargers in petrol and diesel engines is more or less similar, the only difference is fuel combustion.
How a Turbo-diesel Engine Works
To make turbo-diesel engines work, air enters the turbocharger through the intake manifold. The turbocharger contains a compressor which compresses air. After that, the compressed air enters into parts of the combustion chamber where it is mixed with fuel.
The air-fuel mixture is then compressed and combusted inside the chamber. As a result of combustion, heat energy is generated that forces the piston downwards rotating the camshaft. Whereas, the excessive heat is directed towards the turbocharger.
The heat energy rotates the turbine inside the turbocharger which is connected to an impeller. An impeller is a turbocharger component which aids in increasing the air intake. That said, the increased airflow fastens the combustion reaction, resulting in high power generation.
Pros and Cons of Turbo-Diesel Engine
Now that you are aware of the working of turbo-diesel engines, let’s move towards the pros and cons of using cars with turbo-diesel engines.
Pros of Turbo-diesel Engines
Here are some pros of the turbo-diesel engine which justify its usage in cars.
- Higher Fuel Efficiency: The turbocharger pumps more air into the chamber resulting in efficient fuel combustion which increases fuel efficiency.
- Increased Torque: The higher air density and pressure in turbo-diesel engines increase its responsiveness due to which torque output increases.
- Greater Towing Capacity: Since the torque output of a turbo-diesel engine is high, the towing capacity is also greater, contrary to other vehicles of the same capacity engine.
- Reduced Emissions: Turbo-diesel engines have reduced carbon emissions, as the fuel mixture is burned efficiently.
Cons of Turbo-diesel Engines
Before you make your decision regarding the purchase of turbo-diesel engine cars, here are some cons of driving a car with a turbo-diesel engine.
- More Vibration: The excessive power generated by the engine causes more vibration and wear and tear.
- Increased Complexity: Turbocharger is an additional auto part which increases the diesel engine complexity. This can also result in increased maintenance costs.
- Turbo Lag: Turbo lag is a common problem in turbo-diesel engines. Turbo lag is caused when a vehicle takes longer to accelerate due to insufficient air pressure inside the combustion chamber.
Turbo-Diesel Engine Vs Petrol-Diesel Engine
The function of turbochargers in petrol and diesel engines is more or less similar. However, the output, efficiency and construction of turbo-diesel and turbo-petrol engines are different.
Let’s take a closer look at the difference between turbo-diesel and turbo-petrol engines.
Construction
Diesel engines compress the air-fuel mixture to ignite it. Therefore, turbo-diesel engines are manufactured using heavier and more durable parts which increase their size and weight. The turbo-petrol engines are exempted from this condition.
Combustion
In turbo-petrol engines, the air-fuel mixture inside the chamber is ignited with the help of a spark plug. However, diesel engines compress the mixture inside the chamber, until it reaches an optimum temperature and ignites.
RPM
Since turbo-diesel engines are manufactured using heavier parts, more energy is consumed to move these parts. The higher energy consumption lowers the Revolutions per Minute (RPM) band. On the contrary, turbo-petrol engines consume less energy and, therefore, have higher RPM bands.
This was all about turbo-diesel engines in cars. Vehicles with turbo-diesel engines are known for their higher torque, efficiency and towing capacity. Therefore, a majority of heavy vehicles are equipped with turbo-diesel engines. If you are also looking for a heavy vehicle with a turbo-diesel engine, browse through these used heavy vehicles for sale in the UAE and select an appropriate vehicle for yourself.
Stay tuned to dubizzle’s auto blog for more information on turbo-diesel engines.
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