BRISTOL Aero-Engine TurboCharger Experimental Research...

[xylstra]

I have seen many references to BRISTOL AeroEngine experimental research into turbochargers but I have yet to find any comprehensive detail. Does anyone have any useful web-links to information on these experiments by BRISTOL? Thanks.

 

[ThomasP]

Hey xylstra,

These are the relevant pages from the "The Supercharging of Aircraft and Motor-Vehicle Engines" from 1927 by A.H.R. Fedden. Not a lot of info, but maybe a starting point.

 

[xylstra]

Hey xylstra,

These are the relevant pages from the "The Supercharging of Aircraft and Motor-Vehicle Engines" from 1927 by A.H.R. Fedden. Not a lot of info, but maybe a starting point.

You're the man! Spot on. Gives all the relevant detail. ROLLS ROYCE also played around turbocharging the Condor engine so it seems England wasn't entirely a backwater when it came to turbocharger research. Bit of a mystery though why the RAE didn't co-opt Whittle into modern turbo research and development.

 

[pbehn]

You're the man! Spot on. Gives all the relevant detail. ROLLS ROYCE also played around turbocharging the Condor engine so it seems England wasn't entirely a backwater when it came to turbocharger research. Bit of a mystery though why the RAE didn't co-opt Whittle into modern turbo research and development.

When asked for a high altitude engine for the Wellington RR considered using a turbo but decided against it, at least in part, because it would be difficult/ impossible to fit in a single engined plane like the Spitfire.

 

[Snautzer01]

England wasn't entirely a backwater when it came to turbocharger research

Certainly were not. Take a look at their racing cars. I.g. the bentley 4 1/2 l blower.

 

[Bretoal2]

Certainly were not. Take a look at their racing cars. I.g. the bentley 4 1/2 l blower.

You are confusing supercharger and turbo supercharger (i.e. exhaust driven supercharger).

The 4 1/2 l. Bentley racing car had a Roots blower, the worst type of mechanical-driven supercharger !


Just before the war, the leaders in turbocharging were French (Rateau), Swiss (Brown-Boveri), and US (GE). Not english.

But... Is the turbo the panacea? Strangely, the best all-round fighter of WW II was the P 51D, with a 100 % english two-stage mechanical blower...

 

[Snautzer01]

The point is they were busy with the idea. Thank forcthe rest of the info.

 

[SplitRz]

Polite <ahem>
When people refer to technology developed by the British and manufactured across Britain, would they please refer to Britain and the British, and *not* 'England' and 'the English'?

» Rolls-Royce Hillington: Portrait of a Shadow Factory

 

[SaparotRob]

Uk and Uksters is right out.

 

[SplitRz]

H

Uk and Uksters is right out.

Especially if Usters forget that its the UK, not Uk

 

[SaparotRob]

USters.

 

[MikeMeech]

I have seen many references to BRISTOL AeroEngine experimental research into turbochargers but I have yet to find any comprehensive detail. Does anyone have any useful web-links to information on these experiments by BRISTOL? Thanks.

Hi
For information some extracts from wartime books on superchargers used on Bristol aero engines, from 'Aeronautical Engineering' Ed. R A Beaumont, Chapter V 'Supercharging of Aero Engines:

Also from 'Internal Combustion Engines Illustrated', Chapter 12 'Supercharging of Engines' by J L Batchelor:

Mike