did you already seen it ? "The Most Powerful Diesel Engine in the World!"

First, it's a helluva big toy. It pleases me greatly.

What of the German modular c> I've found it this day on the net, the big fuel motor of the world,

Impressive !

Impressive !

I'm still waiting for someone go put it into a motorcycle.

Wayne

Impressive !

Yep saw it back quite a while on one of the metalworking BBs. Some engine. Installing it must be FUN!!! ...lew...

Unbelievable.

Now THAT'S metalworking.

No no no.... You do not "install" this engine. You barge it to the dry dock, place it in the right spot with a BUNCH of cranes, then you build the boat AROUND it! More like installing the boat on the engine.

Jon

Jon Elson wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@wustl.edu:

So what you're saying is that the engine is like the heater core in a 78 Ford Pinto, the first thing put on the assembly line and the rest built around it.

Bill

Not done that way. The hull is erected and the the engine lifted into the hull. Then the deck is done. Hard to replace, anyhow. :-)

Nick

Amazing! I can't imagine the cranes that must be needed to lift the

14-Cyl version of that Wartsila engine, it must be close to 100 feet long and maybe 8 feet wide and 30 tall! Obviously, you have to build the structure that goes below the engine before the engine goes in, and I assume that the boat would get scrapped if the engine needed a complete replacement. For structural reasons, I can't imagine they have a single 100 foot long hatch over the engine, like a car's hood.

Jon

They'd have to lift it anyhow. So it doesn't matter that much how high. :-) There are swimming cranes that can lift an incredible load. Maybe it takes some of them, I don't know. Also, I don't think this one is installed as a whole.

Exactly. Because you want to have the engine in a closed compartment quickly, it is installed at quite a late moment. And yes, there is a huge hole in some of the decks. The superstructures are installed later. Mostly in building blocks and even with the ship already swimming. A drydock costs money.

They are sometimes replaced. But I guess that's an expensive task, especially with this monster! :-)

Nick

Maybe the sort of gantry crane at Harland & Wolff in Belfast, 840 tonnes each apparently. Best not to watch the crane accident video or "how to take out an upstart tower crane "

.

Maybe not, just checked the engine weight again and both cranes together can only lift 2/3 or the specified engine weight.

This will do the job:

Or buy a used one with 3000 tons capacity: :-))

Nick

Impressive !

Thanks for that! Kinda puts my generator's leaky crank case cover in perspective ;) I think my favorite part is the ladders going down into the crank case.

Bill

Haven't been in a shipyard lately, have you? They prefab whole sections of ships now, lift them into position and fasten them. All modular. The engine probably would never be removed once the deck above is in position, there's probably a bridge crane in the engine room to handle the engine parts if a teardown is ever needed. The hatch would probably handle the largest piece on end and that would probably be lifted by a shipyard crane. Cranes rated in thousands of tons aren't that uncommon at shipyards anymore, given the size of the ships being built these days and how they build them.

Stan

Don't they put them in in sections? They did that with the old steam engines (which did get quite big): basically erected them in place. For the Wartsila engine, the crankcase looks to be in sections, & the cylinders are separate. So the biggest item would be that 300-ton shaft. But 300 ton is an easy lift for a shipyard crane...