Worlds Most Powerful Diesel Motor

[Redrum]

The Most Powerful Diesel Engine in the World
81,000kW!
The Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C turbocharged two-stroke diesel engine is the most powerful and most efficient prime-mover in the world today. The Aioi Works of Japan's Diesel United, Ltd built the first engines and is where some of these pictures were taken.

It is available in 6 through 14 cylinder versions, all are inline engines. These engines were designed primarily for very large container ships. Ship owners like a single engine/single propeller design and the new generation of larger container ships needed a bigger engine to propel them.

The cylinder bore is just under 38" and the stroke is just over 98". Each cylinder displaces 111,143 cubic inches (1820 liters) and produces 7780 horsepower. Total displacement comes out to 1,556,002 cubic inches (25,480 liters) for the fourteen cylinder version.

Some facts on the 14 cylinder version:


Total engine weight:
2300 tons (The crankshaft alone weighs 300 tons.)


Length:
89 feet


Height:
44 feet


Maximum power:
108,920 hp at 102 rpm


Maximum torque:
5,608,312 lb/ft at 102rpm


Fuel consumption at maximum power is 0.278 lbs per hp per hour (Brake Specific Fuel Consumption). Fuel consumption at maximum economy is 0.260 lbs/hp/hour. At maximum economy the engine exceeds 50% thermal efficiency. That is, more than 50% of the energy in the fuel in converted to motion.
For comparison, most automotive and small aircraft engines have BSFC figures in the 0.40-0.60 lbs/hp/hr range and 25-30% thermal efficiency range.

Even at it's most efficient power setting, the big 14 consumes 1,660 gallons of heavy fuel oil per hour.



A cross section of the RTA96C:



The internals of this engine are a bit different than most automotive engines.
The top of the connecting rod is not attached directly to the piston. The top of the connecting rod attaches to a "crosshead" which rides in guide channels. A long piston rod then connects the crosshead to the piston.
I assume this is done so the the sideways forces produced by the connecting rod are absorbed by the crosshead and not by the piston. Those sideways forces are what makes the cylinders in an auto engine get oval-shaped over time.

Installing the "thin-shell" bearings. Crank & rod journals are 38" in diameter and 16" wide:



The crank sitting in the block (also known as a "gondola-style" bedplate). This is a 10 cylinder version.
Note the steps by each crank throw that lead down into the crankcase:





A piston & piston rod assembly. The piston is at the top. The large square plate at the bottom is where the whole assembly attaches to the crosshead:



Some pistons:
And some piston rods:




The "spikes" on the piston rods are hollow tubes that go into the holes you can see on the bottom of the pistons (left picture) and inject oil into the inside of the piston which keeps the top of the piston from overheating. Some high-performance auto engines have a similar feature where an oil squirter nozzle squirts oil onto the bottom of the piston.



The cylinder deck (10 cylinder version). Cylinder liners are die-cast ductile cast iron. Look at the size of those head studs!:





The first completed 12 cylinder engine:


I have pics but don't know how to put on, can email them, or put on later if I work out.

[Redrum]

pictures

[RavenLS1]

Omg!!!

[CAMS290]

It makes a Cat C16 truck engine pale into total insignificance.

600HP @ 2100 RPM
2050 ft/lb @ 1100RPM

[zetec]

Mmmmmm. Wonder if that would tow a boat... maybe the Titanic? Ford F9000050 Series with new, 50,000tonne SuperMaxiUltimate Heavy Heavy Duty towbar.

[FPV8U]

Each cylinder displaces 111,143 cubic inches (1820 liters) and produces 7780 horsepower.

OMG!!!

[tex]

Great post, commercial size equipment is awsome.

Cheers.

[Qwikcorty]

wheres the turbo pictures? i dont think xs power make a 100,000hp t3/4 hybrid yet.

[borry]

Originally Posted by Qwikcorty

wheres the turbo pictures? i dont think xs power make a 100,000hp t3/4 hybrid yet.

hasnt even been run in yet, they currently have 150 T-88's in th pipeline, to run 25 pound.... hoping for low 4's

[Dazza XLT]

Thats bloody massive!!!

[FGX-351]

its probably a tad off topic but the queensland rail 4000 class diesel electric locomotives are the most powerful narrow gauge del's in the world(cant remember the specs although i believe them to be 16 cylinders)

[ScoopED]

Originally Posted by hbk_dx

its probably a tad off topic but the queensland rail 4000 class diesel electric locomotives are the most powerful narrow gauge del's in the world(cant remember the specs although i believe them to be 16 cylinders)

Here are some specs for their new 5000 class Standard gauge locomotive.

Manufacturer: United Goninan
Max Speed 80kph
Length over couplers - 22000mm (22m)Mass: 180T
Gross Power: 4250hp
Tractive effort: 585,000N
Fuel capacity: 9900 litres

I saw one of these babys..... holy crap they are HOT!!!!....... THE SOUND!!!!!, my god THE SOUND!!!!!

Oh, and I would also love to see the Turbo pictures for that incredible marine diesel!!!!

Mike

[kempster1]

Most of my working life I have worked on Diesel gensets and Gas turbines.

Worked at the Power Station in Alice Springs for a few years

They had 2 differant types of large dual fuel engine types
Pielstick 16PC2 400 Engines and Mirrlees KV16 Majors engines

The Pielsticks had a 300mm bore and where about 9 metres long with a weight of about 80 ton
The Mirrlees had an 380 mm bore and where about 10 metres long with a weight of about 100 ton

Not quite in the league of the sulzer but still big.

Currently working with 70 litre V16 3516 Caterpillar gensets, Nordex and Vestas wind turbines

[kempster1]

Originally Posted by kempster1

Most of my working life I have worked on Diesel gensets and Gas turbines.

Worked at the Power Station in Alice Springs for a few years

They had 2 differant types of large dual fuel engine types
Pielstick 16PC2 400 Engines and Mirrlees KV16 Majors engines

The Pielsticks had a 300mm bore and where about 9 metres long with a weight of about 80 ton
The Mirrlees had an 380 mm bore and where about 10 metres long with a weight of about 100 ton

Not quite in the league of the sulzer but still big.

Currently working with 70 litre V16 3516 Caterpillar gensets, Nordex and Vestas wind turbines

There should have been a picture of main engine room in Alice Springs in the last post.
Here it is

[svo347]

Some of the powerstation re diesel / generators were this size...
Remarkable to walk inside the crankcase

[Fairlane]

Now thats cool

and I think this is pretty damn impressive

the engine exceeds 50% thermal efficiency

[MrSparkle]

There's something about an engine that requires a staircase to traverse from top to bottom.... !!

Awesome!

[Xploded]

Dam that thing is big, I love looking at big things like that ha ha its very interesting

[Dodge]

what a way to go, u jump in the gas tank and go for a splash ontop of a massive piston, do ya last dance and kiss the world good bye as u get compress thru a valve bigger than a circus tent and rolled out a massive exhaust .

[kempster1]

http://www.bath.ac.uk/~ccsshb/12cyl/

And this is the tub it is going in

http://www.wartsila.com/en,shippower...312544,0,,.htm

[SPK-250]

Do Castlemaine do a fitting kit for one into a cortina? Hate to be standing next to one if it threw a rod!!