What is the difference between a Twin Screw Supercharger and a Centrifugal Supercharger?
A. A Twin Screw is considered a positive displacement supercharger, meaning it pumps a specified amount of air in one direction for each revolution. Positive displacement superchargers do not have to turn high RPMs to create boost and make full boost starting at just off idle. A centrifugal supercharger is basically a belt driven turbo, which uses an impeller to move the air. It relies on RPM to create airflow and therefore needs to spool up. The higher RPM centrifugal superchargers produce more heat than the lower RPM twin screw style. Another benefit of the twin screw style is that they make more low RPM power than the centrifugal type because of how quickly the boost comes on. A centrifugal supercharger actually causes a drag and decreases power slightly in lower RPM ranges.
A Twin Screw is considered a positive displacement supercharger, meaning it pumps a specified amount of air in one direction for each revolution. Positive displacement superchargers do not have to turn high RPM’s to create boost and make full boost starting at just off idle. A centrifugal supercharger is basically a belt driven turbo, which uses an impeller to move the air. It relies on RPM to create airflow and therefore needs to spool up. The higher RPM centrifugal superchargers produce more heat than the lower RPM twin screw style. Another benefit of the twin screw style is that they make more low RPM power than the centrifugal type because of how quickly the boost comes on. A centrifugal supercharger actually causes drag and decreases power slightly in lower RPM ranges, but can make more peak HP at higher RPM’s.
