SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/comm-turbocharger-exhaust-driven

A turbocharger gets its power from what?

The engine's exhaust gases.

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  1. The engine's exhaust gases ✔
  2. A gear train from the crankshaft
  3. An electric motor

Why: Exhaust gas spins a turbine, which drives a compressor on the same shaft. It recovers energy that would be wasted. A supercharger, in contrast, takes power from the engine through gears.

Huh, didn't know that: Turbocharging heats the intake air, because a gas gets hotter when it is compressed.

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References

Answer: The engine's exhaust gases. Exhaust gas spins a turbine, which drives a compressor on the same shaft. It recovers energy that would be wasted. A supercharger, in contrast, takes power from the engine through gears.

  1. PHAK ch 7, Aircraft Systems (FAA-H-8083-25C) www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/09_phak_ch7.pdf
    because turbochargers are powered by an engine's exhaust gases.
    Checked 2026-10-10.
  2. PHAK ch 7, Aircraft Systems (FAA-H-8083-25C) www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/09_phak_ch7.pdf
    A supercharger is an engine-driven air pump or compressor
    Checked 2026-10-10.
  3. PHAK ch 7, Aircraft Systems (FAA-H-8083-25C) www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/09_phak_ch7.pdf
    Since the temperature of a gas rises when it is compressed, turbocharging causes the temperature of the induction air to increase.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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