Turbochargers for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks

Honeywell develops and markets turbocharger technologies for passenger vehicle engine sizes ranging from 0.5 to 6 liters. Technologies currently available include wastegates, rotary electric actuators, and variable geometry. 

The introduction of VNT™ (Variable Nozzle Turbine) turbochargers in 1989, and its evolution throughout the 1990s and into the 21st Century, makes the technology the most successful engine-boosting concept the world has ever seen. The system makes it easier for car manufacturers to fully deploy the torque and fuel economy advantages of direct injection diesel engines. The technology involves the use of a turbine housing that can change its internal configuration to adapt to variations in the engine’s air boost requirements. VNT™ enables the turbocharger to supply greater engine boost at lower speeds, yet match the performance of a larger turbo at higher speeds. VNT™ turbochargers also help to control the emission of NOx from diesel-powered vehicles by introducing exhaust gas re-circulation (EGR) into the engine. 

Turbocharging is also a key enabler for modern gasoline engines as automotive engineers seek to develop engines that combine high performance with lower CO₂ emissions. Downsizing and direct injection represent the future of the gasoline engine, with high temperature turbochargers playing an increasingly important role in delivering new, more efficient solutions for high performance engines with low environmental impact. These turbochargers perform at 1050oC, enabling fuel settings to be optimized while at the same time meeting the requirements for stricter emissions and CO₂ limits.

Honeywell provides twin scroll solutions for gasoline engines but is now actively leveraging its world-renowned variable geometry turbine technology to explore its full potential in spark ignition engines.