Eli5: why do diesel engines tend to be turbocharged rather than supercharged or even N/A?

Question

Eli5: why do diesel engines tend to be turbocharged rather than supercharged or even N/A?

In: 7

Answer 1

The vast majority of diesel engines are naturally aspirated. Vast, vast. It’s very rarely that you’ll see a turbocharged diesel generator, or similar. For transportation, you see turbo diesels a lot because apart from being the most fuel-efficient piston engines we have, the amount of torque they offer, and its distribution makes them particularly excellent for utility operation, and ease of use.