Bet That Was Loud

[Subdeacon Joe 23,152]

 

 

The RTA96-C (or the newer RTAflex96-C) is a two-stroke, turbocharged diesel engine designed to run at very low speeds. When each cylinder is 1820 liters, you don't really need all that much speed. In fact, the engine runs at a fairly lethargic 22- 102 RPM, though even at those low speeds you're getting 5,608,310 lb-ft of torque and up to 108,920 BHP. Holy crap. That's the sort of power that God's dad's boss's Ultra-Camaro makes.

 

 

 

 

 

[Blackwater 53393 4,873]

Take more'n a day or two to patch that one up!!!

[Pat Riot, SASS #13748 18,896]

What the heck do they do with it?

 

Godzilla get his license?

[Subdeacon Joe 23,152]

What the heck do they do with it?

 

Godzilla get his license?

Power plant for a container ship.

[Pat Riot, SASS #13748 18,896]

Man, that is impressive! That thing is 4 stories high.

[Charlie Harley, #14153 2,498]

I do some teaching at the US Merchant Marine Academy. The scale of maritime engines is truly mind boggling.

[Wolfgang, SASS #53480 291]

When I worked as a rigger in the shipyard in San Diego . . . . . one tanker that we built was powered by a 5 cylinder diesel. We assembled it in the ship as the ship was being built. The crankshaft weighed 40 tons.

[Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 476]

I want to see the lathe they used to turn the parts!!!!

[Charlie Harley, #14153 2,498]

I want to see the lathe they used to turn the parts!!!!

 

Many moons ago I got to tour the Watervliet Arsenal where they turned the 16" gun tubes for the Iowa-class ships. One of the New Jersey's guns has cracked and it was back for refurbishment. They had to find retirees in the local community who still knew how to operate the lathes.

[Reuben McCoy Rankin # 34239 46]

I want to hear it run!!!

[Sedalia Dave 10,678]

I want to see the lathe they used to turn the parts!!!!

Something like these

 

Finish grinding a journal

 

Very Large Crankshaft taking shape

 

Vertical Turret Lathe

 

Profile Bender

[Forty Rod SASS 3935 6,360]

Man, that is impressive! That thing is 4 stories high.

Try to shoe horn that into your Miata!

[Wolfgang, SASS #53480 291]

When I worked as a rigger in the shipyard in San Diego . . . . . one tanker that we built was powered by a 5 cylinder diesel. We assembled it in the ship as the ship was being built. The crankshaft weighed 40 tons.

 

Parts had been made in Japan and shipped over.

[Pat Riot, SASS #13748 18,896]

Try to shoe horn that into your Miata!

Nah, might fit in my truck though. I don't have the Miata any longer.

[Blackwater 53393 4,873]

Looking at the picture of the finish grinding, it appears that the crankshaft is made in pieces like a Harley crank!!

[Subdeacon Joe 23,152]

Something like these

 

Finish grinding a journal

 

Very Large Crankshaft taking shape

 

Vertical Turret Lathe

 

Profile Bender

 

 

Dang! Pretty darned impressive machines.

 

Thanks, SD.

[Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 476]

Thanjs for showing the machinery!

[Cusz M. Dutch SASS Life 55326 120]

puts new meaning to the term HD

[Badlands Bob #61228 1,662]

Do they still do this kind of manufacturing in the U.S. anymore? That is one big motor.

[Chalktaw A Toka, #27377L 1]

Here it is on start up. The pictures above are only 1/3 of the total engine. I would hate to pay the fuel bill. It must be measured in inches per 1000 gallons.

 

Toke

[Eyesa Horg 1,405]

Imagine the cost of an oil change, probably a tanker load of oil

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 6,504]

Had to read more about this. From what I read the biggest ships now are the container ships for the China to Europe trade going through the Suez canal, bigger than our aircraft carriers smaller then the former supertanker Seawise Giant. The current "biggest" design uses two engines like this, one for each propeller. The capacity of the biggest of those ships is about 19500 teu containers.

 

teu is 20 foot equivalent. a 40' comtainer is 2 teu and two 10' are one teu. ))) I thiink that is funny considering that everything is for a metric world. Did the USA invent container shipping?

[J.D. Daily 285]

These large low speed diesel engines are manufactured in or near the shipyards that build the container ships they power. The reciprocating mass limits the maximum RPM. The Sulzer RTA-96C series has a 0.96 meter bore & 2.5 meter stroke. The low speed allows fueling with the crap that comes off the bottom of the refinery distillation towers (tar). The time required for complete combustion of this heavy fuel also limits the RPM. The engines are true crosshead type (not the misnamed 2 stroke "Driptroit" high speed diesel engines. Crosshead design is same as the triplex steam engines used for Liberty ships. The crosshead design of these massive recip's eliminates the requirement for a sealed crankcase or external scavanging. Unlike the a double acting steam engine the bottom side of the piston compresses the combustion air on the power stroke.