Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton has begun operation of its new engine supercharger test bench in Europe. This performance testing facility is located in the European research and development center Rastatt, Germany, and is to be used in determining the performance, mapping and noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) values of mechanical superchargers for modern diesel and gasoline engines. The new test stand is part of a comprehensive development and production facility for superchargers that Eaton is successively realizing at the European R&D center in Rastatt. Further endurance test facilities and a prototype build shop will be installed over the coming months. The current testing system is suitable for all superchargers available on the European market. Eaton can adapt the test stand to specific engine characteristics in order to run the superchargers with individual engine profiles of specific vehicle manufacturers. “With this new test infrastructure, we can provide vehicle manufacturers here in Europe with better and faster local service. We have been running our test programs at our R&D facility in the United States, and we will continue to work closely with our North American colleagues on the development of the next generation of superchargers. With this new capability in Rastatt, we can now address the needs of our European customers in an even more targeted manner,” explained Mike Lau, Eaton’s Engineering Manager Supercharger Division for the EMEA Region. Alongside the development of prototypes and new supercharger generations, the test bench will also be used for testing chargers out of series production. “Until now, we have primarily developed fluid conveyance systems at our research center in Rastatt. We foresee steady growth in supercharger sales and with Europe as our largest market for this technology, we are systematically reinforcing our European supercharger development capabilities with this enhanced testing operation,” explained Jeff Schick, Vice President and General Manager Supercharger Operations at Eaton. Superchargers enable the use of a downsized, more fuel-efficient engine while maintaining performance. Eaton’s superchargers consist of intermeshing rotors powered by the crankshaft. The rotor design pumps air directly into the engine intake system; the additional air mixed with fuel creates extra boost and therefore, more power. Eaton provides various supercharger designs based on the advanced Twin Vortices Series. The Twin Vortices Series features twin four-lobe rotors that are twisted at 160-degrees. The fourth lobe and the specific twist angle, combined with aerodynamic inlet and outlet ports, create a steady and highly effective flow of air into the engine, improving fuel efficiency, noise and vibration characteristics. Eaton is the worldwide leader in supercharger solutions for small through large displacement engines for customers in markets around the world. Eaton’s Supercharger technology has been selected by numerous leading global automakers, including Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, General Motors, Jaguar, Nissan and others.
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