Saturday, December 10, 2016

How Many Horsepower Do You Need?

View From the Porch,  linked to this report about a really big engine:
That's a lot more oomph than the typical 20-knot cruiser, and the reason for the extra push is the world's largest diesel engine. The 109,000-horsepower Wärtsilä-Sulzer RTA96-C, which first set sail in the Emma Mærsk in 2006, weighs in at a rotund 2,300 tons, and it's 44-feet tall and 90-feet long. In other words, the TRA96 is the height of a four-story building, and longer than a Christmas Eve line at Sam's Club. Within that massive exterior rests 14 cylinders that each consume 6.5-ounces of diesel fuel every cycle. And, if you like torque, there's enough twist to rip an M1 tank to shreds, though the massive mill churns at only 102 rpm.
Comments full of questions of how to fit that under the hood of a Honda Civic.

1 comment:

  1. Last ship I served in, USS MAHAN (DDG 72), had a plant consisting of four LM-2500 gas turbines driving two shafts: 120,000SHP for 30+ kts... total kick in the pants! But really crappy mileage. We might consume as much as 1,000 gallons in an hour to go no more than 30NM.

    ReplyDelete