No replacement for displacement!!

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

:tab So you want a little more HP and Torque, try this out for size:

Worlds Most Powerful Engines (http://www.bath.ac.uk/~ccsshb/12cyl/)

:shock: :shock:

Wonder what the transmission looks like?? :?

[AggieVFR]

Ran across that site a month or so ago. One of the grad students was interviewing with Sulzer Pump and he showed us the site. Don't think we'll see that on a bike anytime soon... :wink:

[buck000]

Ha! This'll probably be Honda's next salvo against the Triumph Rocket III in the Big Cruiser Wars... :-D

[Tourmeister]

:tab I would love to see a Modern Marvels show about the history and progression of the technology of motors like these! It would be really cool if they focused on how they are produced, the parts fabricated, etc,... The engine block looks to be single piece!! That would be one serious casting job with amazing follow up machining :shock: Same thing for that massive crankshaft. I'm guessing it is fuel injected. Imagine the size of the injector nozzles?! I'd love to see one of these up close, maybe do a factory tour... :mrgreen:

Adios,

[AggieVFR]

And how much do you figure it costs to change the oil? We have a 300hp 1200scfm compressor at work that runs about $1500 per oil change. It uses a special synthetic made by the manufacturer to keep from voiding the warranty. And YES, we do need the warranty. It is designed to be run continuously, but since it is not, we tend to run into problems... How many gallons of oil do you figure that big engine runs? :shock:

[Tourmeister]

How many gallons of oil do you figure that big engine runs?


Think in terms of barrels ;-) Actually, with the really low RPM's, I'm wondering if it cannot go a lonnnng time between oil changes. Or they may have some kind of throughput system for the oil where they don't just change it all at once. Perhaps, it is like a two stroke and the lube is in the fuel?

I tried doing a search to see if I could find more detailed info and did not turn up much. Of course, I only spent two or three minutes at it.

Adios,

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

:tab So I got to poking around on the net... It seems that the engine in the original post is no longer the biggest baddest dude on the block. It was eclipsed by their competitors a few years after its' introduction. but that is not really what is so interesting. Here is the cool stuff.

:tab These huge diesels are two strokes. This means like two stroke dirt bikes, weed eaters, etc,... the oil for lubrication is mixed in with the fuel. The engines are run at a constant RPM rgardless of ship speed. There is no transmission. The engines are directly mated to the propeller shaft. The really cool part is that the propellers are variable pitch. It is the changing of the blade pitch that controls the speed of the ship. This gets rid of the problems associated with lack of revvability of the motor because of the enormous inertia of all those huge pistons and the 300 ton crankshafts.

:tab Speaking of crankshafts. The engine in the original post has gear driven cams!! Wonder if they whine like my VFR? But all the shipping customers wanted more reliable engines. 10000 hours between overhauls was not enough. So the designers came up with "smart engines". These beasties constantly monitor themselves and compare the results against stored optimal engine conditions. If any PART of the engine deviates from the stored optimum, that PART will self correct. Part of the process of going electronic was the elimination of the gear driven cams in favor of hydraulically or electrically activated valves. This allows for real time variation in the fuel injector and valve timing. Cool. I have to wonder just how big those injectors are and what kind of flow rate they can sustain?! Another of the big benefits of all this whizbang techno gadgetry is seriously reduced emissions.

:tab These engines produce so much power, are so thermally efficient, and burn so clean, they are being sold to third world countries as powerplants! These monsters put out from 30-250 MW!! They reach thermal efficiencies of 40-49%. Often the waste heat from the exhaust gases is used to preheat the fuel and also for desalinization of water to create drinking water to the local municipality. Maybe California should invest in some of these things!?

:tab The company MAN B&W is one of the largest and oldest producers of diesel engines and related technologies. They have two museums in Augsburg, Germany and another in Copenhagen, Denmark. Both have examples of diesel technolgy from the very beginning up to modern stuff. Lots of working models and cutaways. A veritable Nerd paradise! Man I would love a tour of their production and machining facilities :)

Adios,

[kawi jm]

You know some people just don't know when to quit... and you thought the GSXR 1000 was overkill :eek: :dude:

[Cagiva 549]

Big 2 strokes do have oil sumps and circulation pumps , no mix , they also have a centrifuge and thermostatic coolers ,the oil is not changed it is cleaned cooled and additives are replenshed as needed per continous oil sampling . the air is forced in by blowers . 2 stroke is not as effeciant as 4 stroke , but has a higher power to weight ratio . When you start talking 500 ton engines that is a substantial advantage .
I worked on a tugboat in the late 60's with a direct reversing engine , 300 rpm max ,the propeler was bolted directly to the engine . to reverse you would shut off the fuel stop the engine ,change the camshaft with a lever on the side of the engine turn on the fuel and start the engine in reverse . with a little practice you could you could watch the rockers and at the right moment just before it stopped you could flip the cam , turn on the fuel and it would reverse without restarting .
It was an Atlas engine , built in 1929 , had never had the crankshaft out or been out of the boat . Valves could be replaced under way , spares were onboard .valve seat and valve would lift out of the cylinder head as a unit , Each cylinder had individuale fuel control and pyrometers . The chief engineer had worked on this boat since it was built , I liked him . I dont know if they retired the boat when he retired or not . To start it you shot air to the cylinder that was just past top dead center . There was a post in ADV a while back of big iron if I can find it I will link it . SEYA

[busarider1]

When I was an MP on Johnston Atoll, there was a giant engine like that at the chemical munitions (destruction) plant. It was only about a third the size of that in the article.

[John Bennett]

I would love a tour of their production and machining facilities

Don't be a tourist, be a part of it!

Jobs: http://www.man.de/index.php?id=1039

Ahhh. If only I were younger.

[1TallTXn]

talk about digging up your past! :eek:

I was going to ask what those were for, but it looks like I already got my answer.

I don't care who you are, that right there is a BIG engine :eek2: