On the Subject of Supercharger Testing and Compressor Efficiency

Testing is absolutely essential to the product development process, and the need to test supercharger products is no different. On the technical side, the development engineer must know if his design and product execution meets specifications. For example, were his initial assumptions correct? What about modeling and simulations conducted during the design process – were these calculations correct, and does the actual performance, in fact, validate them? From the consumer’s perspective, he wants to know what level of performance he can expect from his hard-earned dollars. Will this supercharger perform as advertised? What power levels can I expect to gain? How does one manufacturer’s products stack up against another’s? The bulk of these very legitimate questions can be answered through testing. Further, the efficiency of a supercharger (compressor) can only be determined through appropriate bench testing, conducted in accordance with an adopted standard. Fortunately, the science behind testing of turbomachinery products, like centrifugal superchargers, is mature and has benefited from many years of development. It is through the correct and consistent application of test discipline that both engineers and consumers alike can be presented with trustworthy data to assess supercharger performance.