Big and Powerful Engines

[Shel_B]

This video showcases some of the largest and most powerful engines in the world including a four-story Diesel engine, jet-powered drag racing trucks, an engine designed to power an entire city, and a jet car that broke both the land speed record and the sound barrier. You may not agree with every choice and may even have some suggestions of your own, but I'm sure you'll admit that there are some amazing and mind-boggling engines and machines here. I think from the perspective of sheer spectacle, the triple-jet-engined drag trucks might be at the top of the list.

 

[vavavroom]

The wortld's largest diesel engine, the 14-cylinder Wärtsilä-Sulzer/Wintertur Gas & Diesel RTA96-C in another video. it's just insane.

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[Exhaustgases]

Insane is how some like in the first picture are built. It would not take much of a failure to destroy the whole thing. Most top end parts may be reusable though. Similar to most everything now, they aren't built like they used to be, many corners cut to save construction costs.
I'd like to know how many millions they sell for?

 

[billt460]

Those things are the size of small office buildings. When you look at their sheer weight and size, compared to the horsepower they produce, other engines are much more practical and efficient.

For piston, gasoline burning engines the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major was a beast. Later versions produced up to 4,300 Horsepower. And they were unbelievably reliable considering they had 28 cylinders in 4 rows. (That's a total of 56 spark plugs per engine). And they were the most powerful piston engines ever put into aircraft. And they built almost 19,000 of them.

"Power output: 4,300 hp (3,200 kW) at 2800 rpm, plus 320 pounds of jet thrust from the residual exhaust gasses, equal to more than 200 Horsepower at the +40,000 feet of operational altitude".

Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Cujet]

The 500,000HP GE 9HA. Used to produce electricity. 44% thermally efficient in a simple cycle (directly driving a generator head) and up to 64% in a combined cycle plant. Around 600 MW each in a combined cycle steam plant.

 

[Shel_B]

Those things are the size of small office buildings. When you look at their sheer weight and size, compared to the horsepower they produce, other engines are much more practical and efficient.

For piston, gasoline burning engines the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major was a beast. Later versions produced up to 4,300 Horsepower. And they were unbelievably reliable considering they had 28 cylinders in 4 rows. (That's a total of 56 spark plugs per engine). And they were the most powerful piston engines ever put into aircraft. And they built almost 19,000 of them.

"Power output: 4,300 hp (3,200 kW) at 2800 rpm, plus 320 pounds of jet thrust from the residual exhaust gasses, equal to more than 200 Horsepower at the +40,000 feet of operational altitude".

Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Pratt & Whitney wasn't designed to provide power to an entire town or propel an ocean liner. It would fail miserably at those tasks which the more massive engines could handle easily, And the 4-story Diesel would be a failure was it attached to a fighter plane. The video also describes the Pratt & Whitney engine you mentioned in very positive terms.

The engines were designed and built for entirely different purposes. So why disparage one by giving a flawed comparison to another? Your comment suggests you didn't watch the linked video in its entirety.

 

[billt460]

So why disparage one by giving a flawed comparison to another? Your comment suggests you didn't watch the linked video in its entirety.

I wasn't. I was simply comparing size and weight to power output. Nothing to get bent out of shape about.

 

[Shel_B]

The 500,000HP GE 9HA. Used to produce electricity. 44% thermally efficient in a simple cycle (directly driving a generator head) and up to 64% in a combined cycle plant. Around 600 MW each in a combined cycle steam plant.

Wow! That's even more powerful than the GE turbine engine featured in the video.

I'm sometimes amazed at the technology and engineering that goes into making things like these.

Impressive, on several levels!

 

[Malo83]

Thought this was appropriate.

Arfons Brothers Green Monster 5

Arfons Brothers Green Monster 5

bangshift.com

 

[Shel_B]

Thought this was appropriate.

Arfons Brothers Green Monster 5

Arfons Brothers Green Monster 5

bangshift.com

I certainly remember Art Arfons although my memory is a little hazy around Walt. I put Arfons and Garlitz as a couple of the true pioneers of speed and power in the quarter mile. I think Garlitz got more publicity, though. Every month, it seems, his exploits would be on the back cover of the hot rod mags I read. Swamp Rat and Green Monster are names burned into my memory. Thanks for posting the article.

 

[OVERKILL]

4,590MWth; 6,155,291HP. Actual electrical output is 1,770MWe or 2,373,609HP.

 

[Malo83]

Those things are the size of small office buildings. When you look at their sheer weight and size, compared to the horsepower they produce, other engines are much more practical and efficient.

For piston, gasoline burning engines the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major was a beast. Later versions produced up to 4,300 Horsepower. And they were unbelievably reliable considering they had 28 cylinders in 4 rows. (That's a total of 56 spark plugs per engine). And they were the most powerful piston engines ever put into aircraft. And they built almost 19,000 of them.

"Power output: 4,300 hp (3,200 kW) at 2800 rpm, plus 320 pounds of jet thrust from the residual exhaust gasses, equal to more than 200 Horsepower at the +40,000 feet of operational altitude".

Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Cujet]

4,590MWth; 6,155,291HP. Actual electrical output is 1,770MWe or 2,373,609HP.

Nuclear is best power

 

[OVERKILL]

4,590MWth; 6,155,291HP. Actual electrical output is 1,770MWe or 2,373,609HP.

Here it is heading down the road: