The Most Powerful Diesel Engine in the World!

[Cup of Joe]

If you find that amazing I can give you fuel consumption numbers for a Navy battle group.

 

[Jakegday]

looks like an inline, wonder if they come in V configurations.... lol

 

[Smokescreen]

Boxer type engine would be a treat to see...

 

[Ken2]

These engines use 30 wt oil in the crankcase and 50 wt or 60 wt 70TBN oil injected directly into the sides of the cylinder to lube the piston and cylinder liner walls. The fuel is heavy black residual fuel oil with 3% sulfur so the need for the high TBN cylinder oil. The conn rod is two piece. The piston rod is bolted hard to the piston, goes through a sealing gland, then down into the clean crankcase to a wrist pin, called a crosshead pin. The crosshead is where the force from the angularity of the crank is transferred to the engine frame. Below the crosshead is the connecting rod.

The pistons are cast iron with replaceable forged steel piston crowns, about 7 tons each, and cooled internally by circulating water or oil. Each cylinder block section is cast separately and bolted together. Heads are individual forged steel and weight about 8 tons each. These are two-stroke engines with an exhaust valve in the head and intake ports in the cylinder liner. The exhaust valve is opened via a hydraulic jack on the camshaft and hydraulic cylinder on the valve. A compressed air "spring" cylinder closes the valve. Fuel injection pistons are about 5" diameter.

The one I sailed on was the largest of its day, 57,500 hp @ 95 rpm, straight 12 two-stroke, four turbochargers, 35 rpm slow speed, reversible and bolted directly to the propeller shaft.

The crankcase lube and fuel are each centrifuged. The heavy fuel oil is heated to about 250°F so it is thin enough to inject. The engine starts, runs, reverses and starts the other way on the heavy oil. The only time it is necessary to switch to light MDO (marine diesel oil, dirty diesel fuel) is when the steam system will be shut down so no heat is available to heat the fuel.

 

[Cup of Joe]

Originally Posted By: Ken2

The one I sailed on was the largest of its day, 57,500 hp @ 95 rpm, straight 12 two-stroke, four turbochargers, 35 rpm slow speed, reversible and bolted directly to the propeller shaft.


I find this interesting, no transmission or reduction gear. Is 95 rpm enough to turn that single screw fast enough to achieve the speeds I've seen freighters and tankers traveling? Running gas turbines the power flowed through the reduction gear to the screws for obvious reasons.

 

[Steve S]

That engine uses diesel oil not HDEO.

 

[Ken2]

The speed needed for the propeller is dependent on the prop's diameter and pitch. If there is enough room under the ship's stern, a huge propeller turning at slow speed is the most efficient. The very deep draft ships have engines and props with a top speed in the 60 rpm range. The navy ships with gas turbines had to reduce the turbine speed to prop speed, plus they're shallower draft with less room under the stern for bigger props. Smaller diameter props need higher rpms. On the big engines the thrust bearing is in the engine foundation. This is what actually drives the ship! The thrust from the prop is transferred through the shaft to the thrust bearing and from there into the ship's hull.

The big engine used two types of lube oil. 30 wt crankcase oil that is pretty general, and the specialized 50 wt or 60 wt cylinder oil with very high TBN to counteract the high sulfur fuel. The generator engines will use a different lube oil, a 40 wt oil made for these trunk piston engines (standard piston & wrist pin style) which also needs somewhat high TBM, because they're using the same heavy fuel.

 

[tdi-rick]

Originally Posted By: MolaKule



Dig the electric motor in the LL corner. Someone said it was for ventilation. Anyone know for sure?


On another forum a while back IIRC it was stated that motor was used to turn the crank during servicing ??

 

[Ken2]

The motor geared into the shaft is the turning gear (or jacking gear). It is used to lock the moving parts in position when people are inside in case another ship's wake or something caused the prop to turn, and also to turn the crank & pistons for maintenance.

The engine also has several blowers to provide combustion air at slow speed before the turbochargers have enough speed to take over the duties, about 40 rpm on a 90 or 100 rpm engine.

By the way, the 57,500 hp Sulzer I sailed consumed about a ton of the 60 wt cylinder oil daily. This 70 TBN oil was continuously injected into ports in the liners to lube the pistons, liners, and rings. Miking the liners showed wear at about a 20 year lifespan, and this engine ran 24 hours a day about 25 days a month burning 3% sulfur black fuel oil. We were running transpacific--L.A., Oakland, Yokohama, Kobe, Pusan (Korea), Kaohsiung (Taiwan), Hong Kong, back to Japan, back to California in five weeks running between 21 and 26 knots.