Authors: Premdas T. P., Dr. Rajeesh C. R.
Abstract: The turbocharger is a critical component of modern diesel powertrains, enabling higher specific power output, improved fuel economy, and reduced emissions by forcing pressurised air into the combustion chamber. Because it operates at extremely high rotational speeds and thermal loads while depending on a thin, uninterrupted film of lubricating oil, the turbocharger is also one of the more failure-prone auxiliaries in an engine, and its breakdown often causes disproportionate downtime and repair cost relative to its size. Six cases attended in Consumer Dispute Redressal Commissions, Kalpetta, Wayanad, related to vehicle disputes in connection with car engine sei-zure due to turbocharger failure motivate this review. The paper reviews the published literature on turbocharger failure mechanisms — lubrication-related wear, foreign object and particulate damage, thermal and overspeed failures, and fuel- or oil-contamination-induced degradation — drawn from automotive, industrial, and marine diesel applications. It then examines operating-environment factors that are particularly relevant to Kerala: a tropical, high-humidity, coastal climate; heavy reliance on road transport (including the state-run KSRTC bus fleet) and in-land/marine diesel propulsion for fishing and inland-waterway vessels; monsoon-season operat-ing conditions; and recurring concerns over diesel fuel quality and adulteration in the wider Indian context. The review finds that while the generic failure modes of turbochargers are well docu-mented internationally, peer-reviewed, region-specific studies quantifying turbocharger failure rates, root causes, and maintenance practices for Kerala's automotive and marine diesel fleet are scarce. The paper synthesises the existing literature into a conceptual framework linking operating environment to failure mode, and identifies this scarcity as a clear research gap that a field-based, Kerala-focused study could address.
