Any engine is a specially designed unit in which fuel is burned, and due to this, a driving force is created. Today there are many different types engines, and the most powerful of them are used in naval ships and rockets. Similar developments are present in other industries, including motorcycle and automotive industries. We present you a selection of the 10 most powerful engines in the world.
You probably thought that the most powerful motorcycle is famous Harley Davidson? But no! 2.3 liter engine, 140 Horse power and water-cooled is installed on the brand motorcycle. At the same time, the model is mass-produced, so that anyone who wishes has the opportunity to test it.
Concern Chrysler Group- so far the only one who can boast of the most powerful car engine. This is exactly what is installed in the car. The volume of its engine is 8.4 liters, and its power is 649 horsepower, which provides acceleration to 100 km / h in just 3 seconds.
Just imagine how 5,000 horses are pulling a huge airliner into the sky. Difficult? A aircraft engine does it twice! With a volume of 127 liters, the unit weighs 2740 kg. There are only 36 such engines in the world, and they are the largest in their class.
In order to take full advantage of wind energy and convert it into electricity, it was invented. And the largest one is installed in the Atlantic port of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire, in France. The diameter of the wind turbine is 154 meters, and its power is 6500 kW, which is equal to 8046 horsepower. At the same time, in order for the blades to start spinning, the wind speed should be only 3 m / s.
Not only our modern scientists and designers can do something “the very best”. In 1941, a steam locomotive was built with 26 meter motor, thanks to the traction force of which (more than 6,000 horsepower) the maximum speed was 100 km / h.
In 1955, the most powerful railway locomotive was created with several turbocharged engines. Their combined power was 8500 "horses", and this locomotive record has not yet been broken.
Dimensions of 2-stroke turbocharged diesel engine RT-flex96C impressive: its length is 13.5 meters, and its height is 26.5. Dimensions power is not inferior: it will equal 108,000 horsepower. The engine is designed for marine vessels and burns 6.3 tons of fuel oil in just one hour.
One of the advantages of modern turbo engines is the combination of low weight and colossal power. One of the representatives of this class is the engine, which is installed in aircraft carriers that develop cruising speed. The weight of the unit reaches 8 tons with a capacity of 330,000 "horses".
To install and run the engine, you will need a power plant. This unit converts wet steam into electrical energy, and its power is no longer thousands, but millions of horsepower - 2,346,788!
Want to go on a space trip to the moon? In that case, without rocket engine with a capacity of 190,000,000 horsepower you can not do without. It produces so much energy that it would be enough to light up the whole of New York for 75 minutes. The engine will be able to deliver into orbit not only you, but also more than 130,00 kilograms of cargo. The most meticulous experts have calculated that the fuel that the unit consumes is enough for 800 car trips around the globe. 
Shipping companies sometimes order powerful machines such as supertankers and container ships. They require ever stronger installations, among which is (and occupies the most important place) the motor. The most powerful engine in the world is currently manufactured in Finland by a company called Wartsila. This diesel unit whose power is up to 100,000 kW.
About company
Wartsila is one of the most large companies for the production of marine engines of record power. Since the 90s of the last century, she began the development of linear ones called Wartsila-Sulzer-RTA96-C. It is a two-stroke and the most powerful engine in the world.
Individual models of the line have a similar design. The difference is in the number of cylinders. The customer can choose the option of the unit with the presence of 6 to 14 cylinders.
Cylinders and their number
To understand the grandeur of the design, one can imagine that the diameter of the cylinder alone is 960 millimeters, and the piston stroke is 2.5 meters. As for the working volume of the part, it has 1820 liters. More than 100 container ships are equipped with such units, which have from 8 to 20 cylinders. Such vessels, capable of carrying cargo up to 10,000 tons, can easily reach speeds above 46 kilometers per hour.
This most powerful engine in the world, with 11 cylinders, was first built in 1997. The manufacturer was the Japanese Diesel United. And after 5 years in Finland they announced that it was possible to produce a unit with 14 cylinders. It is this motor that remains to this day a record.
The most powerful engine in the world
This model has 108,920 horsepower. The working volume of the generator reaches 25,480 liters.
At first glance, the low liter capacity may seem strange: for 1 liter it is approximately 4.3 "horses". If you take the most powerful engine in the world in a car, you will find that the designers have learned how to get much more than 100 horsepower in it. But in the case of the ship unit, such a low indicator was chosen for a reason. The engine here works slowly - at maximum power, the shaft speed is only 102 rpm (for comparison: at automotive diesels observed from 3000 to 5000 rpm). Thanks to this, a good gas exchange is achieved in a marine diesel engine. And if we add to this low speed piston, you get a very good efficiency.
In any mode, it varies from 118 to 126 grams per "horse" per hour. This is more than two times lower than that of passenger diesel engines.
Comparing with automotive units, it should be added that ships use heavy marine diesel fuel, which has a much lower energy content.
So, the weight of a 14-cylinder unit is 2300 tons, excluding various technical liquids. Only one crankshaft weighs approximately 300 tons. This one is the best in length. diesel engine reaches the mark of 26.7 meters, and in height - up to 13.2 meters.
Each cylinder has a huge valve. 3 more similar small parts that play the role of injectors in automotive units are used to inject fuel into the cylinder.
The valve is exhaust. from it are sent to the manifold, and then to the turbochargers. The latter drive air to the windows cut out at the bottom of the cylinder, which open when the piston is at bottom dead center.
The force from the piston to the crankshaft is transmitted using a crosshead device, thereby increasing the operation of the diesel engine.
The main materials from which ship engine parts are made are all the same cast iron and steel.
prospects
Meanwhile, the designers do not stop at their own impressive results. Apparently, for them, the answer to the question of which engine is better is obvious. The one to be created. There are already rumors about the development of an 18-cylinder diesel engine for ships.
In the meantime, we can summarize the most impressive performance 14-cylinder engine version:
- weight excluding fuels and lubricants is 2300 tons;
- unit length - 27 meters;
- height - 13.4 meters;
- the highest power achieved at 102 rpm is 108,920 horsepower;
- fuel consumption - more than 6283 liters per hour of work.
The feeling of driving a powerful and high-speed car is impossible to put into words. Clamp the pedal all the way and rush along the highway at a speed of more than 400 km / h - the dream of every motorist. Top Engineers automotive industry understand lovers of drive and every year they release new engines that amaze drivers around the world. Of course, such machines cost a lot of money, and some are still not available on the market and are made to order. They show not only a passion for speed, but also the solvency of the driver.
Origin of internal combustion engines
Most drivers enjoy discussing the power of their vehicles with friends, as well as reading related articles and ratings. At the same time, not everyone knows how and in what form diesel and gasoline engines previously.
Engine type internal combustion
The history of internal combustion engines goes back to the very end of the eighteenth century. So, in 1799, the Frenchman Philippe Lebon patented his invention - a motor that runs on lighting gas, also an open engineer. Since then, a lot of research (mostly unsuccessful) and a number of inventions have followed, thanks to which the engine has become the way we know it.
It takes some time to rev up, which does not allow you to mobilize all the horsepower instantly. During the set of revolutions, the torque is responsible - the third indicator, on which depends real power engine.
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Thus, the actual power of the engine depends not only on the amount of horsepower. Not less than an important factor is the number of revolutions that allow to realize the potential, as well as the torque, which determines the time spent on this. In addition, power also depends on the mass of the machine - the number of liters. With. per ton of weight is called "specific indicator".
Top ten cars with the most powerful engines in the world
The top ten most powerful engines in the world are opened by a unit installed on a car from 9ff since 2013. This company is engaged in tuning Porsche cars, turning them into vehicles for legal street racing. Model F97 A-Max is capable of speeds of 403 km / h, accelerating to hundreds in 2.4 seconds. The power of the engine installed in the car is 1400 horsepower - 333 per liter of volume, which is 4.2 liters, as well as 966 liters. With. per ton of weight. The motor installed in the machine is one of the most powerful in the company's range. Its torque is 1250 Nm - hence the acceleration rate. It took several years to develop it, and now it allows you to ride on the track with a breeze at breathtaking speed. 
In ninth place is a car from the same tuning studio. This sample appeared a year earlier than the A-Max - in 2012. First of all, the hypercar differs from its relative in dynamic characteristics. So, its maximum speed is 437 km / h, and acceleration to hundreds takes 3.1 seconds. The mass of the car is 110 kilograms less than the follower, which provides a specific power of 1045 horsepower per ton. It has the same number of "horses" under the hood - 1400. The peculiarity of the model is that, despite the lower dynamics, it has a greater speed potential, developing a speed of 33 km / h more. Torque with an indicator of 1160 Nm spends a little more time on acceleration, but lovers of “flying” along the highway do not consider this a disadvantage.
In eighth place is a hypercar from Nissan. The engine in its body allows the car to reach speeds of 400 km / h. The power of the unit is 1400 horsepower - like the previous cars in the ranking. At the same time, comparing with them, the specific power of the car has an indicator of 784 horsepower per ton. Katana has a relatively large weight - 1786 kilograms. One way or another, this does not prevent its 3.8-liter engine from reaching 100 km / h in just 2.5 seconds. The specific power of the machine allows it to bypass the products of 9ff. 
Hennessey Venom GT Spyder
A new car from Hennessey - a hypercar company - was released in 2016 and is a modification previous version, which has several world awards for its speed. Unlike its predecessor, the model has a roadster body, which affected the weight of the car, and, consequently, its dynamic characteristics. In addition, the roadster is equipped with new motor. It still has a volume of 7 liters, but the power has increased significantly - up to 1470 horsepower against the old 1244. The hypercar accelerates to a hundred in 2.5 seconds. Its relatively low weight (1245 kg) and excellent torque (1566 Nm) allows you to quickly develop one of the most high speeds in the world - 440 km / h. 
The eight-liter engine of this hypercar is one of the most voluminous in the ranking. In this case, the power is 1500 horsepower. The maximum speed of the Bugatti is 420 kilometers per hour, and it accelerates to hundreds in 2.5 seconds. The torque has an indicator of 1600 Nm. All these indicators allow the car to have one of the highest limit speeds, despite the fact that its weight is a record 2 tons in the ranking.
Another, second in the ranking tuned GT-R, which this time takes the fifth place among the most powerful cars in the world. The car taken as the basis received an almost threefold increase in horsepower - this figure reached 1500. 370 kilometers per hour, spending 2.4 seconds to accelerate to hundreds. The 4 liter engine has a torque of 1375 Nm. The car is equipped with an automatic transmission. According to the manufacturers, upon arrival for testing top speed the wheels of the car scrolled to the fourth gear. 
In fourth place is the car, which is another experiment from the tuning studio Mansory. They worked on Avendator in order to show the world in 2014 new version hypercar - Competition. Inside, the car is every bit as attractive as the outside: the 6.5-liter 12-cylinder engine delivers 1,600 horsepower and 1,200 Nm of torque, allowing it to hit 60 mph in 2.1 seconds. The maximum speed of a 1.6-ton car is 370 kilometers per hour. The car manages to surpass the previous version thanks to a completely updated engine design, which, moreover, has two superchargers and a turbocharger. 
Despite the fact that the model is now out of production, you can talk about it as a real car- manufacturers plan to revive the line in soon. Brabus, who mainly tune Mercedes cars, did a great job on the model, equipping it with an 8.4-liter V10 engine (the most voluminous in the ranking), which produces 1600 horsepower and has a torque of 2800 Nm. Acceleration to hundreds on such a car takes only 2 seconds, which is also the shortest time in the ranking. As for the maximum speed, this figure is 350 kilometers per hour and is the smallest in the top, yielding 20 km/h to three models at once.
World's largest Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C diesel engine
The most powerful, largest and most expensive Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C diesel engine is designed for large ships, in particular for the container ship Emma Maersk.
Emma Maersk is the largest operating ship in the world, estimated at $170,000,000
Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C is the most big engine internal combustion engine ever built by man. It is a 14-cylinder, 2-stroke, turbocharged diesel engine, which was specially developed for the container ship Emma Maersk, owned by the Danish company Maersk.
In September 2006, the manufacture and testing of the engine was successfully completed and it was installed on the container ship Emma Maersk. By 2009, only 9 ships of this series with similar engines were manufactured.
Engine crankshaft - compared to human size
Specifications of the Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C engine:
Engine weight: 2300 tons (crankshaft weighs 300 tons.)
Length: 27.1 meters
Height: 13.4 meters
Maximum power: 108,920 hp at 102 rpm
Fuel consumption at maximum economy: 13,000 liters per hour
Fuel efficiency: more than 50% of fuel energy is converted into mechanical energy
By comparison, most cars have a fuel efficiency of 25-30%.
Some comparisons to understand the power of the engine
The most powerful engine in the world can provide electricity to a small city.
At 102 rpm, it produces 80 million watts of electricity. If the average household light bulb consumes 60 watts of power, 80 million watts of power is sufficient for 1.3 million lamps. If the average house has 6 light bulbs on at the same time, the engine will produce enough electricity to light 220,000 homes. This is enough to provide electricity to a city with a population of 500,000.
Engine running cost
The Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96 engine consumes 13,000 liters of fuel per hour. If a barrel of oil is 158.76 liters, the world's largest engine consumes 81.1 barrels of oil per hour. If the price of oil is $84/barrel in the world oil markets, then the fuel cost of 1 hour of engine operation will be $6800 per hour.
About Emma Maersk ships
Emma Maersk and 7 Spear Ships are currently the largest container ships on the planet. Emma Maersk takes on board 15,000 standard 20-foot (20" x 8" x 8") containers. By weight, containers with their contents are approximately 210,000,000 kilograms.
Emma Maersk has a cruising speed of 25.5 knots, which is approximately 45.90 km/h. The crew of the ship is only 13 people, but the ship has cabins for another 17 people.
Environmental pollution
The big disadvantage of such large ships as Emma Maersk is a large number of residual oil they consume. The heavy fuels that the engine runs on contain a high percentage of sulfur and, when burned, form sulfur dioxide, which pollutes the environment.
On various ships you can find many options for such diesel engines, however special attention deserves a Wartsila-Sulzer engine, and more precisely the model RTA96-C.
We note right away that the specified unit today can rightly be considered the largest and most powerful engine in the world, also the installation has the largest and largest engine size compared to similar counterparts. So, first things first.
Read in this article
Diesel giant: characteristics
The Finnish manufacturer Wartsila occupies a leading position among companies that specialize in the development and production of marine diesel engines. The units have a high unit power.
The first Wartsila - Sulzer engine with the RTA96-C index received 11 cylinders and appeared back in the 90s. The internal combustion engine is a two-stroke marine diesel engine and was assembled at the facilities Japanese company Diesel United.
Then in 2002, the availability of a 14-cylinder version was announced. We add that today the company manufactures several variants of such internal combustion engines. The main difference is the number of cylinders, which can be from 6 to 14, while general design practically the same. It is noteworthy that the cylinder diameter in such an internal combustion engine is 960 mm, and the stroke is as much as 2.5 meters.
As for the working volume, the indicator is fixed at around 1820 liters. As a rule, this diesel engine with a different number of cylinders is placed on large ships with a capacity of about 8,000 or 10,000 tons, which transport containers (container ship). The specified marine diesel generator is the main power plant, allowing the ship to reach a speed of 25 knots, which is just over 45 km / h.
The total power of the RTA96-C is at around 108920 hp. with a working volume of 25480 liters. If we consider the power of such a diesel engine when converted to 1 liter of fuel, we get a little more than 4 hp. per liter of fuel. At first glance, this is quite a bit. Moreover, it is no secret to anyone that manufacturers automotive engines have long been removed from 1 liter of at least a hundred "horses".
However, it is important to understand that reduced power at this displacement is an intentional step. The fact is that the marine diesel engine is “low-speed” and very reliable; maximum power have a frequency of only 102 rpm, while automotive diesel internal combustion engines rotate with a frequency of about 3-4 thousand rpm.
Such a slow and quiet operation of the unit on the ship allows for improved filling and ventilation of huge cylinders, the piston speed is also low, but the motor is not bad at the same time. In practice, this means that the fuel consumption in this engine in all modes is 118-126 grams of diesel fuel per 1 hp. at one o'clock. This figure is actually one and a half or even two times lower compared to diesel engines in cars.
Compressors pump air through coolers to special "windows" that are made at the bottom of the cylinder. These windows open when the piston reaches BDC (bottom dead center) and allow air to pass through. A special (crosshead) mechanism is also used to transfer force from the piston to the crankshaft. This solution allows, as well as reduce the weight of the unit.
This approach is fully justified, taking into account the peculiarities of fuel ignition in a diesel engine, high loads on a diesel engine, the vibration load of the installation, and the need to ensure maximum durability. All the parts that make up the largest engine are made using proven and durable metals. Traditional solutions are cast iron and steel.
What is the result
Finally, we add that despite the great success in the production of heavy-duty marine diesel engines, Wartsila engineers do not intend to stop there.
The evidence is the information that work is underway to create even more powerful marine engines internal combustion. For example, statements about the development marine diesel with 18 cylinders.
This means that in the near future, against the background of diesel generators already available in the line, even more powerful internal combustion engine with impressive dimensions and characteristics. In other words, soon the next largest engine in the world will be put into operation.
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