Of course, the truck isn't really tiny. But the container-ship engine it's moving from the factory is genuinely huge. This image comes via our seafaring friends at gCaptain, and they tell us:
The Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C turbocharged two-stroke diesel engine is the most powerful and most efficient prime-mover in the world today. The Aioi Works of Japan ‘s Diesel United, Ltd built the first engines and is where this photo was taken. The engine is available in 6 through 14 cylinder versions, all are inline engines. These engines were designed primarily for very large container ships. Ship owners like a single engine/single propeller design and the new generation of larger container ships needed a bigger engine to propel them. The cylinder bore is just under 38″ and the stroke is just over 98″. Each cylinder displaces 111,143 cubic inches (1820 liters) and produces 7780 horsepower. Total displacement comes out to 1,556,002 cubic inches (25,480 liters) for the fourteen cylinder version.
gCaptain has lots more photos of these giant engines here.
Image: Tom Lytle via gCaptain
Here's a look at just such an engine from inside a container ship: One big engine
Posted by: Justin Watt | 12 October 2010 at 08:29 PM