A supercharger is a device driven by a belt, chain or gears that increases engine power by pumping air into the combustion chambers.
Combustion is limited not by the amount of fuel that can be injected but by the amount of air an engine can gulp in to mix with that fuel. Forcing air into an engine’s intake manifold at higher-than-atmospheric pressure allows more fuel to be burned, which results in higher output. The related turbocharger also compresses intake air but is driven by the rush of exhaust gases past a turbine. In production vehicles, rubber belts typically drive the supercharger, which compresses the air before it enters the engine’s intake manifold.
Turbo and superchargers often work in tandem with an intercooler, which serves to cool the compressed air before it enters the engine. Compressing the air heats it, which makes it less dense and negates some of the positive effect, and causes pinging or knocking. Intercoolers typically are simple radiators through which the intake air passes to shed some heat, increasing the density before combustion. The “inter” means between, as intercoolers are positioned between the supercharger and the intake manifold.
Superchargers have advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is that they increase the power output of an engine of a given size, which is especially useful in vehicles that wouldn’t accommodate a larger engine. The disadvantages include additional cost, complexity and decreased fuel economy.
Information for this was taken from the Cars.com’s glossary, written by Joe Wiesenfelder.
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