A 

supercharger is an air compressor that increases the pressure or density of air supplied to an internal

combustion engine. This gives each intake cycle of the engine more oxygen, letting it burn more fuel and
do more work, thus increasing power.

Power for the supercharger can be provided mechanically by means of a belt, gear, shaft, or chain
connected to the engine'scrankshaft. When power is provided by a turbine powered by exhaust gas, a
supercharger is known as a turbosupercharger[1] – typically referred to simply as a turbocharger or
just turbo. Common usage restricts the term supercharger to mechanically driven units.

Types of supercharger[edit]
There are two main types of superchargers defined according to the method of gas transfer: positive
displacement and dynamic compressors. Positive displacement blowers and compressors deliver an
almost constant level of pressure increase at all engine speeds (RPM). Dynamic compressors do not
deliver pressure at low speeds; above a threshold speed, pressure increases with engine speed.[5]
Positive displacement[edit]
Positive-displacement pumps deliver a nearly fixed volume of air per revolution at all speeds (minus
leakage, which is almost constant at all speeds for a given pressure, thus its importance decreases at
higher speeds).

Major types of positive-displacement pumps include:

 Roots
 Lysholm twin-screw
 Sliding vane
 Scroll-type supercharger, also known as the G-Lader
Compression type

Positive-displacement pumps are further divided into internal and external compression types.

Roots superchargers are external compression only (although high-helix roots blowers attempt to emulate
the internal compression of the Lysholm screw).

 External compression refers to pumps that transfer air at ambient pressure into the engine. If the
engine is running under boost conditions, the pressure in the intake manifold is higher than that
coming from the supercharger. That causes a backflow from the engine into the supercharger until the
two reach equilibrium. It is the backflow that actually compresses the incoming gas. This is an
inefficient process and the main factor in the lack of efficiency of Roots superchargers when used at
high boost levels. The lower the boost level the smaller is this loss, and Roots blowers are very
efficient at moving air at low pressure differentials, which is what they were invented for (hence the
original term "blower").
All the other types have some degree of internal compression.

 Internal compression refers to the compression of air within the supercharger itself, which, already
at or close to boost level, can be delivered smoothly to the engine with little or no back flow. This is
more effective than back flow compression and allows higher efficiency to be achieved. Internal
compression devices usually use a fixed internal compression ratio. When the boost pressure is equal
to the compression pressure of the supercharger, the back flow is zero. If the boost pressure exceeds
that compression pressure, back flow can still occur as in a roots blower. Internal compression
blowers must be matched to the expected boost pressure in order to achieve the higher efficiency they
are capable of, otherwise they will suffer the same problems and low efficiency of the roots blowers.
Supercharger drive types[edit]
Superchargers are further defined according to their method of drive (mechanical—or turbine).

Mechanical[edit]

 Belt (V-belt, Synchronous belt, Flat belt)

 Direct drive
 Gear drive
 Chain drive
Exhaust gas turbines[edit]

 Axial turbine
 Radial turbine
Other[edit]

 Electric motor
 Auxiliary Power Unit in some large industrial applications.
With direct injection engines, fuel is squirted directly into the combustion chamber instead of hanging out in the air intake
manifold.

© 2009 HowStuffWorks

Supercharger Advantages
The biggest advantage of having a supercharger is the increased horsepower. Attach a supercharger to an otherwise
normal car or truck, and it will behave like a vehicle with a larger, more powerful engine.

But what if someone is trying to decide between a supercharger and a turbocharger? This question is hotly debated by
auto engineers and car enthusiasts, but in general, superchargers offer a few advantages over turbochargers.

Superchargers do not suffer lag -- a term used to describe how much time passes between the driver depressing the gas
pedal and the engine's response. Turbochargers suffer from lag because it takes a few moments before the exhaust
gases reach a velocity that is sufficient to drive the impeller/turbine. Superchargers have no lag time because they are
driven directly by the crankshaft. Certain superchargers are more efficient at lower RPM, while others are more efficient at
higher RPM. Roots and twin-screw superchargers, for example, provide more power at lower RPM. Centrifugal
superchargers, which become more efficient as the impeller spins faster, provide more power at higher RPM.
Installing a turbocharger requires extensive modification of the exhaust system, but superchargers can be bolted to the
top or side of the engine. That makes them cheaper to install and easier to service and maintain.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of
supercharging vs. turbocharching?

supercharging is great for giving boost right from idling speed. but to get a BIG supercharger, you need a big
engine. if the engine isn't powerful enough to spin the supercharger, it might reduce performance. 

turbocharging is good because it doesn't put that much of a load on the engine to put into operation because
its spun by the exhaust gases and not the crankshaft. but if you get a big turbocharger it will cause turbo lag
which means the turbo won't kick in until a higher rpm. but most turbos now have not that much turbo lag. also
for any turbos to be more effective, it should be on engines with high redlines so you could reach higher rpms.
that's why you don't see a lot of "american muscle" with turbos and instead they have superchargers because
their rpm can't reach as high as most smaller engines. 

disadvantage of both is that most of the time you have to use premium fuel but not always. i remember the
later model toyota previas had superchargers because the naturaly aspirated ones were underpowered for a
van. But think about that, having to use premium fuel in a minivan, that would be dumb. so toyota reduced the
piston stroke so the engine compression won't be as high, so you could use regular gas. it reduced some of
the effectiveness of the supercharger, but still, you don't have to use premium. 

also both superchargers and turbos will cause the engine to use more gas. turbos not as much if you drive
lightly. but superchargers put more strain on the engine because the engine has to turn it via the crankshaft, so
it will use more fuel.