Engine/ Turbo theory question

[rplines at pacifier.com]

If you think of the engine/turbo as a 'black box' system, what you are puting in is
air and fuel.  What you get out is exhaust gas, waste heat, and shaft work.  The
turbo ends up converting some of the waste heat into shaft work, hence the increase
in power.  Another way to look at it is the turbo uses waste heat to pump air into
the engine.  The more air, the more fuel you burn (assuming the ratio is kept relatively
constant), and thus Yipeeee! more power
"Maximum Boost" by Corky Bell is an excellent read, as has been mentioned.

BTW, my senior mechanical engineering project was a thermodynamic analysis of a 6.5L
GM turbodiesel V8 running on a dyno. (Alas, if only I could have gotten my hands
on an Audi turbo engine instead!)

-Peter L.  ('86 4kq)