An air door or air curtain is a machine used for separating two spaces from each other. The machine is mainly used at doors into buildings. The most common setup for air curtains is a downward-facing blower fan placed over an opening. Normally this opening is an door to a building The air curtain keeps flying insects out by making turbulence. It also helps keep outside air out, avoiding cold winds by mixing-in warm air from the air curtain. The fan must be powerful enough to generate a jet of air that can reach the floor.
Phosphor
A phosphor is a chemical compound that emits light when it is exposed to light of a different wavelength (i.e. color). Phosphors do not contain the chemical element Phosphorus, which can be made to glow a different way. This sometimes causes confusion. Phosphors are used in many types of lighting, including fluorescent bulbs where they change the ultraviolet light produced by excited mercury vapor into visible light.
The chemistry of phosphors varies greatly depending on what the phosphor is to be used for. Phosphors include 'glow in the dark' materials that can be found in novelties, toys, and emergency safety lighting for buildings. They are used in the screens of older style cathode ray tube televisions to make visible light from an electron beam. They can also be used to visibly detect ionizing radiation. Light-emitting diodes are devices that often use phosphors to obtain a particular color or color temperature.
Neon lamp
A neon lamp is a light bulb that can make many colors when Noble gasses are inside of the bulb. For example, helium would give a light yellow color and neon would make a red or orange color when an electric current is run in the tube. It is normally used to make letters for signs. Different gases make different colors. Neon Lamps are used to make neon signs.
From left to right: Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, and Xenon.
A neon glow lamp is a little orange light bulb. There is an electric current that flows between the two electrodes.
Turbocharger
A turbocharger, or turbo, is a gas compressor. It is used to force air into an internal combustion engine. A turbocharger is a form of forced induction. It increases the amount of air entering the engine to create more power. A turbocharger has the compressor powered by a turbine. The turbine is driven by the exhaust gas from the engine. It does not use a direct mechanical drive. This helps to improve the performance of the turbocharger.
Early builders of turbochargers called them as "turbosuperchargers". A supercharger is an air compressor used for forcing air into an engine. They thought that by adding a turbine to turn the supercharger, it would yield a "turbosupercharger". The term was soon shortened to "turbocharger". This can now create some confusion. The term "turbosupercharged" is sometimes used to refer to an engine that uses both a crankshaft-driven supercharger and an exhaust-driven turbocharger. This is also called twincharging.
Some companies such as Teledyne Continental Motors still use the term "turbosupercharger" to refer to their turbochargers.
An engine creates power by burning a mixture of air and fuel. The air and fuel are put into the cylinders to burn. When they burn, they push the piston down. The piston turns the crankshaft and creates power. For car engines, this is measured "horsepower".
An engine that does not use a turbocharger or a supercharger is called a "naturally aspirated" or "normally aspirated" engine. Normally, when engine specifications are listed, a note is only made if the engine uses a turbocharger or supercharger. Most car engines are naturally aspirated. The power they can create is limited by the amount of air the pistons can pull into the cylinders.
A turbocharger is a small fan pump that spins around a shaft. The pump is driven by the pressure of the exhaust gas. A turbocharger consists of a turbine and a compressor. They are both mounted on the same shaft. The turbine is a heat engine. It converts exhaust heat and pressure to rotation. This rotation is used to turn the compressor. The compressor takes in the draws in the outside air. It squeezes or compresses the air. It then sends the air to the engine. Because the air pressure has been increased, more air and fuel may be put into the cylinders. This is sometimes called "boost pressure".With more fuel to burn, the engine can create more power. This increases the "horsepower" of the engine.
The engine can be damaged if the air pressure in the cylinders gets too high. If there is too much exhaust gas sent to the turbine, the compressor can create too much pressure. To stop this from happening, a "wastegate" is used. The wastegate will limit amount of exhaust gas sent to the turbine.
The turbocharger was invented by Swiss engineer Alfred Büchi. His patent was applied for use in 1905. Diesel ships and locomotives with turbochargers began appearing in the 1920s.
During the First World War French engineer Auguste Rateau fitted turbochargers to Renault engines powering various French fighters with some success.
In 1918, General Electric engineer Sanford Moss attached a turbocharger to a "Liberty" aircraft engine. The engine was tested at Pikes Peak in Colorado at . The test was to show that the turbo could add the power airplanes lose at high altitude. Internal combustion engines lose power because at high altitude, the outside air pressure is low. Less air and fuel can be drawn into the engine.
Turbochargers were first used in production aircraft engines in the 1930s.
The first turbocharged diesel truck was built by the "Swiss Machine Works Saurer" in 1938. The first production turbocharged automobile engines came from General Motors in 1962. The Oldsmobile Cutlass Jetfire was fitted with a turbocharger and the Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder with a TRW turbocharger.
In 1974, at Paris Auto Show, Porsche displayed the 911Turbo. This was during the height of the oil crisis. The 911Turbo was the first production sports car with exhaust turbocharger and pressure regulator. The pressure regulator was the wastegate.
The first production turbo diesel automobiles were the Mercedes 300SD with a Garrett turbocharger, and the Peugeot 604. Both were introduced in 1978. Today, most automotive diesels are turbocharged.
The first successful turbocharged racing engine appears to have been in 1952. Fred Agabashian in a diesel-powered Cummins Special qualified for the pole position at the Indianapolis 500. He led for . Then the turbo was damaged by tire debris. Offenhauser's turbocharged engines first came to Indianapolis in 1966. Their first victory came in 1968 using a Garrett AiResearch turbocharger. Turbocharged cars dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1976 and 1988, and then from 2000-2007.
Formula One had a "Turbo Era" from until . Engines with a capacity of 1500 cc could produce as much as 1500 hp (1119 kW). In 1977, Renault was the first to use turbocharged engines F1. The performance made up for the high cost. Other engine manufacturers started building turbos. The turbocharged engines took over the F1 field. They ended the Ford Cosworth DFV era in the mid 1980s. the FIA decided that turbochargers were making the sport too dangerous and expensive. In 1987, the FIA decided to limit the maximum boost of the turbos. In 1989, turbochargers were banned completely.
World Rally Car racers have long preferred turbocharged engines. They offer a very high power-to-weight ratios. Turbo power started to rise to the levels of F1 cars. The FIA did not ban turbos. They restrict the turbo power by limiting the inlet diameter.