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A place where restoration project-type threads can go to avoid falling off the main page in the WIX hangar. Feel free to start threads on Restoration projects and/or warbird maintenance here. Named in memoriam for Gary Austin, a good friend of the site and known as RetroAviation here. He will be sorely missed.
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R-2800-59 Question

Wed Aug 19, 2020 7:24 pm

I know the R-2800-59 is the Pratt and Whitney engine used in late model P-47 thunderbolts and used a turbosupercharger as it was then known. My question is since the R-2800 generally used a mechanical supercharger did the -59 use one as well? Did the turbo charger feed air into the supercharger which in turn fed the carburetor?

Re: R-2800-59 Question

Wed Aug 19, 2020 10:10 pm

The centrifugal supercharger was internal to the accessory case of the engine. The turbocharger was totally external to the engine. The combination was two stages of supercharging.

Generally speaking, the turbocharger was used for altitude compensation.

Re: R-2800-59 Question

Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:23 pm

Maybe, these pages from the P-47 Pilot Training Manual will help. As you can see, there was a lot of plumbing that the air to the carburetor and the exhaust to run the turbo had to run through before it made it’s way to the carburetor and then to the internal mechanical supercharger.

Image06D50EED-9A07-4514-AC76-4D537386C0A1 by tanker622001, on Flickr

Image5045E650-8700-4256-B842-133F1D45C572 by tanker622001, on Flickr

ImageEDEE0A61-C020-4ED9-8F51-0058C1F05C04 by tanker622001, on Flickr

Re: R-2800-59 Question

Thu Aug 20, 2020 10:33 am

Keep in mind also that the internal centrifugal supercharger itself may have had more than one stage (two compressor wheels) and/or more than one speed. Often there were intercoolers between stages to keep the engine inlet air temperature under control. Bubble #6 on the diagrams Larry provided are an example of that. Corsairs with two stage centrifugal superchargers had intercoolers between those stages. The intercoolers were supplied with fresh air via the inlets in the gull wing near the wing root.

Re: R-2800-59 Question

Tue Feb 01, 2022 10:12 pm

And other than boost the internal super charger also helped distribute the airfuel mixture from the carburetor.
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