Porsche researches split turbocharger design

Newly published patents reveal Porsche has been investigating a split ‘turbocharger’ system on a six-cylinder engine.

Online patent registries have published information on filings Porsche made in Germany back in July 2020, revealing key insights to the radical turbocharger technology under development at the firm.

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An exploded view of a turbocharger

In concept, it’s not unlike the turbocharger system Ferrari had announced almost four years ago. Porsche’s designs outline a petrol-powered six-cylinder engine with a turbocharger split into two separate parts.

These parts comprise the boost-generating compressor and exhaust-driven turbine that are systematically linked through an electric motor and generator.

As the patent reveals, Porsche intends for exhaust gases to drive a pair of turbines connected to a generator unit.

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The Audi SQ7 uses electric-driven compressors

This generator charges a battery that supplies charge to an electric motor that, you guessed it, drives the compressor – which creates pressurised intake air for the engine.

What this means in the real-world is a system of forced induction that harnesses the best of both supercharging and turbocharging.

On one hand, you get instant boost response from the motor-driven compressor, while the generator ensures exhaust gases are not wasted.

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Both the compressor and turbines can be operated at independent speeds, Porsche claims, and maximum efficiency more often.

As well as this, Porsche also employs axial turbine technology, further boosting the efficiency on the engine’s exhaust side.

The setup could also employ more than one compressor, according to images published on Carbuzz, which show compressors share a common shaft with the electric motor ­– like the turbines do with a generator.

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This would ultimately allocate a turbine and compressor to a bank of cylinders each.

Either way, we’re yet to see this sort of turbocharging system on the road. We are set for something similar, though, when Mercedes-AMG debut the Project One hypercar.

Designed around the engine which powered the F1 championship-winning 2015 W06 racer, it employs a split-turbocharger system which accommodates a generator on a common shaft. It’s due for release this year.