Big engines

[rogerzilla]

This morning I was standing next to a V16 twin-turbocharged diesel.  It wasn't running, but it was all pre-heated and warm to the touch.  You should have seen the size of the exhaust and the silencer.  2.5MW generator output, which is about 3,500 hp.  And in the adjacent rooms there were another three of them.  Although there are huge air intake vents in the roof, it is apparently rather hard to open the door to the room (should you want to) when the engine is running, because of the partial vacuum 

I like big stuff.

[Jacomus]

Oh baby!!! What are the engines for?

I've seen the engine* for a type 42 Destroyer, which was pretty frikkin awesome.



* Practice engine for RN Engineers, not actually in a ship - it was the only time during that training camp that we were allowed to put our hands in our pockets (in fact we were ordered to!).

[Andrew Br]

What make of engine ?

By some stange coincidence today I was looking at Deltics. I didn't realise that one of the crankshafts rotated in the opposite direction to the other two.
My favourite big engines, based on watching trains in the USA, are EMD's 710- 2-strokes with cylinder capacities of 710 cubic inches (11.6 litres ?).

[Greenbank]

Royal Yacht Britannia. The engine room is a sight to behold.

[spesh]

Oh baby!!! What are the engines for?

I've seen the engine* for a type 42 Destroyer, which was pretty frikkin awesome.



* Practice engine for RN Engineers, not actually in a ship - it was the only time during that training camp that we were allowed to put our hands in our pockets (in fact we were ordered to!).

Generator plant, surely?  

Royal Navy vessels have been gas-turbine powered for propulsion since the 1970s.

EDIT: With the exception of mine-hunters, which use Deltic diesels sue to their low vibration levels.

[rower40]

(Digression)

Various large kettles were being unloaded off low-loaders near where I was working yesterday.  The loco fuelling point at Didcot Parkway (Foxhall Road car park) now has space for steam engines to be put onto rails, so they can be shunted into the (no-road-access) Didcot Railway Centre.

(Carry on discussing internal combustion if you like.)

[Jacomus]

Oh baby!!! What are the engines for?

I've seen the engine* for a type 42 Destroyer, which was pretty frikkin awesome.



* Practice engine for RN Engineers, not actually in a ship - it was the only time during that training camp that we were allowed to put our hands in our pockets (in fact we were ordered to!).

Generator plant, surely?  

Royal Navy vessels have been gas-turbine powered for propulsion since the 1970s.

EDIT: With the exception of mine-hunters, which use Deltic diesels sue to their low vibration levels.

Hmm, I feel a little bit lied to

I am pretty sure it was a whopping diesel engine.

[Panoramix]

I have lived 8 months above a V12 diesel of 1900hp and underneath 3 gas turbines, which were making helicopter noises. The gas turbines were for mine hunting and the diesel for transit.

Tripartite class minehunter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

OK I admit it, not as impressive as a destroyer.

[Jacomus]

I have lived 8 months above a V12 diesel of 1900hp and underneath 3 gas turbines, which were making helicopter noises. The gas turbines were for mine hunting and the diesel for transit.

Tripartite class minehunter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

OK I admit it, not as impressive as a destroyer.

Well, it wasn't actually inside a destroyer and thanks to Spesh shattering my boyhood awe (I was a 16yr old army cadet at the time) it seems I was just looking at a big generator

[Mr Larrington]

Wot Spesh said.  IIRC the Navy has been known to use Paxman Valentas (79 litre V12 turbo-diesel) to drive generators, these being the same motors originally fitted to BR's Class 43

[Bledlow]

Try the Wärtsilä 46 diesel.

The 12 cylinder version is 175 tons, 12 megawatts. There is also a 16 cylinder.

The RN's new carriers will have two of each of the smaller Wärtsilä 38 -  88 ton V12, 110 ton V16. 8.7 & 11.6 megawatts each.

Lovely.

[mrcharly-YHT]

My 5l, inline 6 is feeling inadequate now 

[Valiant]

This thread is worthless without photos!

[bobb]

When I was at uni, there were loads of big enginey type stuff going down in the labs. My favourite was a gas-turbine lump (the type of which escapes me) but we were told in no uncertain terms to stay clear once it hit max revs. Obviously, we ignored that and tried to get as close as possible. It drawed in air at such a rate, it felt like you were having your face ripped off! Rock on!

[David Martin]

This thread is worthless without photos!

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/s6YQnsdgHZU&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/s6YQnsdgHZU&rel=1</a>

[rogerzilla]

Oh baby!!! What are the engines for?

A DRUPS, which is a pretty funky thing in its own right.  Sort of a perpetual motion machine: 11kV comes in from the mains and drives an electric motor, which drives a generator via a gert big flywheel.  If the mains fails, the flywheel keeps the generator going for the few seconds until the diesel fires up and drives the generator instead.  No space needed for batteries, no acid leak risk (battery rooms have to be tiled), no periodic replacement of tired batteries, no lead.

[David Martin]

Oh baby!!! What are the engines for?

A DRUPS, which is a pretty funky thing in its own right.  Sort of a perpetual motion machine: 11kV comes in from the mains and drives an electric motor, which drives a generator via a gert big flywheel.  If the mains fails, the flywheel keeps the generator going for the few seconds until the diesel fires up and drives the generator instead.  No space needed for batteries, no acid leak risk (battery rooms have to be tiled), no periodic replacement of tired batteries, no lead.

My brother had one of those when he was at some secret RAF base in Norfolk. Installed underground. They reckoned that in the event of a grid failure they could keep going to within half a cycle of tolerance which seemed pretty good to me.

We are supposed to allow up to 15 mins to fail over to the maintained supply if the power goes at the Uni. This will last 8 hours on the generator.

[Frenchie]

If you like big engines, you'll like some of "ours" Rog'  

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/877vfTgYuPw&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/877vfTgYuPw&rel=1</a>

Over 73,000 lbf (static) thrust and an 112 in fan diameter. Of course the XWB will probably beat both figures on the A350.

[Andrew Br]

I didn't know that Frenchie. Thanks 
RR did something similar with a VC10 when they were developing the RB211.
I'm surprised that they didn't use two Trents on the 747. It, perhaps, wouldn't have been an option to use two RB211s on the VC10 though 

[Frenchie]

I didn't know that Frenchie. Thanks  
RR did something similar with a VC10 when they were developing the RB211.
I'm surprised that they didn't use two Trents on the 747. It, perhaps, wouldn't have been an option to use two RB211s on the VC10 though  

Interesting to compare the figures between say the RB211 and the Trent 900. Power, you said power?! (up to +30% static thrust)

[Andrew Br]

IIRC, one RB211>> than two RR Conways.

[JonBuoy]

If you like big engines, you'll like some of "ours" Rog'  


      YouTube
            - Rolls-Royce Trent 1000, Flying Test Bed
   

Over 73,000 lbf (static) thrust and an 112 in fan diameter. Of course the XWB will probably beat both figures on the A350.

Call that big ?

Take a look at some of the stats on the Siemens SGT5-8000H   eg Exhaust mass flow 820 kg/s !!

It is a bit big to strap under a wing though.

[bobb]

If you like big engines, you'll like some of "ours" Rog' 

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/877vfTgYuPw&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/877vfTgYuPw&rel=1</a>

Over 73,000 lbf (static) thrust and an 112 in fan diameter. Of course the XWB will probably beat both figures on the A350.

I was hoping for explosions, fire, death and destruction! All I got was some blokes pissing around in 'planes!

[Frenchie]

If you like big engines, you'll like some of "ours" Rog'  

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/877vfTgYuPw&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/877vfTgYuPw&rel=1</a>

Over 73,000 lbf (static) thrust and an 112 in fan diameter. Of course the XWB will probably beat both figures on the A350.

Call that big ?

Take a look at some of the stats on the Siemens SGT5-8000H   eg Exhaust mass flow 820 kg/s !!

It is a bit big to strap under a wing though.

Other challenges indeed.

[woollypigs]

I stood inside the piston of the engine a oil tanker with 3 others and there was room for more, talk about MASSIVE !!!