Overview
A centrifugal supercharger is a specialized type of supercharger that makes use of centrifugal force in order to increase the manifold air pressure, MAP. An increased MAP allows the engine to burn more fuel, which results in an increased power output. Centrifugal superchargers are generally attached to the front of the engine via a belt-drive or gear-drive from the engine's crankshaft.
Types of centrifugal superchargers
The centrifugal supercharger is used in many applications including, but not limited to, automotive, truck, marine, aircraft, motorcycles and UTV's. Of these applications, they are most commonly utilized for increasing horsepower in street vehicles and race applications. While the first practical centrifugal compressor was designed in 1899, centrifugal superchargers evolved during World War II with their use in aircraft, where they were frequently paired with their exhaust driven counterpart, the turbosupercharger. This term refers to the fact that turbochargers are a specific type of centrifugal supercharger, one that is driven by a turbine.
Lately, centrifugal superchargers have become very common in today's performance automotive world. Superchargers are sometimes installed as original equipment on some vehicles manufactured today. Centrifugal supercharging creates an efficient, compact and intercooler friendly means to boost horsepower in both gasoline and diesel engines for a wide variety of watercraft, land craft and aircraft.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).