World’s Most Powerful Diesel Engine?

[Bruce Nunnally]

The Wärtsilä RT-flex96C diesel engine produces 109,000 horsepower of energy; The engine speed varies from 22-102 rpm.

Read more: http://www.gamengadgets.com/worlds-powerful-diesel-engine/

[Texas Jim]

That's a lot of power...

RPM range... 22 to 102 RPM

[Bruce Nunnally]

Horsepower = torque X rpm / 5252 so Torque = HP x 5252 / rpm

at 109K HP at say 102 rpm this engine makes 5.6M lb ft of torque. That will move your boat alright.

[Texas Jim]

Horsepower = torque X rpm / 5252 so Torque = HP x 5252 / rpm

at 109K HP at say 102 rpm this engine makes 5.6M lb ft of torque. That will move your boat alright.

Now THAT'S what I would call a BIG BLOCK....

You know what they say... no replacement for displacement....LOL

[airmike]

Horsepower = torque X rpm / 5252 so Torque = HP x 5252 / rpm

at 109K HP at say 102 rpm this engine makes 5.6M lb ft of torque. That will move your boat alright.

That would SINK any boat I ever saw! lol

[two2go]

You know what they say... no replacement for displacement....LOL

Also... "The only substitute for cubic inches is cubic feet." (said back before metric overtook cubes)

[Cadillac Jim]

The large piston engine is something of a dinosaur even for small ships these days. For larger ships it was long ago replaced by steam turbines, fired by oil or coal, e.g. the same fuel but with more tolerance to weight, additives, etc. than diesel fuel. The reasons are size, weight, cost, and efficiency. A turbine ship will simply get more inches per gallon (cm per liter) for the same hull. Smaller engines have an advantage over turbines in size, weight and cost but that line is moving. Already there are turbine drivetrains for eighteen-wheelers. See these interesting articles. First, WalMart has a prototype turbine truck:

http://wot.motortrend.com/1403_walmart_debuts_turbine_powered_wave_semi_truck_prototype.html

Here are some companies that sell turbine engine truck drivetrains. New Engine System Trust (NEST):

http://pesn.com/2009/08/04/9501559_Turbine_Truck_Engine_revolution/

Truck Accessory Guide article on a 540 hp Turbine Truck Engine:

http://truckaccessoryguide.com/540-hp-turbine-truck-engine-prototype/

Turbine Truck Engines, Inc. pushes the Green attributes of their engine offerings:

http://www.ttengines.com/home-TTE.html

The Truth About Cars.com has an article about past and present truck and other turbines:

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2009/12/turbine-trucks-and-more/

Note that a turbine about the size of a grapefruit, running a generator for a battery-powered car, will produce more horsepower than any car will ever use on a continuing basis other than an extended run top speed record run. The reason that we don't see them in the ELR is that solving the problems with insulating such an engine thermally and acoustically would result in a package too large for a small car, not to mention the cost, which is why we are seeing them in large trucks that have high initial cost, space for a large engine, and strong requirements for lower long-term operating costs.