Calling All Gearheads
 

check this out: http://www.bath.ac.uk/%7Eccsshb/12cyl/

Calling All Gearheads
 

"Marc" wrote in message
...

check this out: http://www.bath.ac.uk/%7Eccsshb/12cyl/

That is all well and good, but can it do a 1/4 mile under
10 on street tires?

Later,

Tom

Calling All Gearheads
 

On Sat, 09 Aug 2003 01:51:18 GMT, "Paul" wrote:

Maximum power: 108,920 hp at 102 rpm
Maximum torque: 5,608,312 lb/ft at 102rpm

Just boggles the mind.
==========================

Yep. Now here's a question for you:

How do they start it?

Calling All Gearheads
 

On Fri, 08 Aug 2003 22:42:10 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Sat, 09 Aug 2003 01:51:18 GMT, "Paul" wrote:

Maximum power: 108,920 hp at 102 rpm
Maximum torque: 5,608,312 lb/ft at 102rpm

Just boggles the mind.
==========================

Yep. Now here's a question for you:

How do they start it?

The biggest damned "Die Hard" you ever saw. :o)
noah

Courtesy of Lee Yeaton,
See the boats of rec.boats
www.TheBayGuide.com/rec.boats

Calling All Gearheads
 

" How do they start it?"

Compressed air admitted to the cylinders.

Rick

Calling All Gearheads
 

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
" How do they start it?"

Compressed air admitted to the cylinders.

Rick


One day I got to help start a big old Cleveland, 12-cylinder diesel in a
surplus US Army harbor tug. What a great experience!

The engine stood about nine feet high and
had to be about 15 feet or so from end to end.

We opened up compression release vlaves for all but one or two of the
cylinders, and then cranked her over. (I believe this engine actually
started
with an electric motor, although the compressed air is more common).

Hot dang! What a racket! As soon as the engine started firing on the
closed
cylinders, we ran around and shut the rest of the compression release
valves.
As this took maybe 15 seconds to accomplish, there was a big ol' stinky
cloud
of atomized fuel waftng around the engine room. Yee haw! For a guy who
doesn't
routinely deal with machinery on that scale, it was a lot of fun. For a
guy who
had to do it everyday for a living, (not that you'd start the engine
everyday-
far from it- it might run for weeks on end), the thrill would probably
wear off
quickly

A few years ago, I had the lovely experience of starting a Tundra Cat -
a six cylinder diesel bulldozer they used when building the DEW line.

You had to start it with a huge bar of steel pried against the engines
crank shaft. You decompressed five cylinders, opened the fuel
valves, then started cranking away. It would usually start after
four or five pulls on the cranking bar - that's what it was actually
called.

The engine was huge - the pistons were as big as my head. The
owner told me he was a construction worked (equipment operator)
and during the last fall, early spring, sometimes the engines would
freeze up - they would drop the oil pan which ran the length of
the engine and set it on fire.

Ah, those were the days.

Later,

Tom

Calling All Gearheads
 

"Rural Knight" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
" How do they start it?"

Compressed air admitted to the cylinders.

Rick


One day I got to help start a big old Cleveland, 12-cylinder diesel in a
surplus US Army harbor tug. What a great experience!

The engine stood about nine feet high and
had to be about 15 feet or so from end to end.

We opened up compression release vlaves for all but one or two of the
cylinders, and then cranked her over. (I believe this engine actually
started
with an electric motor, although the compressed air is more common).

Hot dang! What a racket! As soon as the engine started firing on the
closed
cylinders, we ran around and shut the rest of the compression release
valves.
As this took maybe 15 seconds to accomplish, there was a big ol' stinky
cloud
of atomized fuel waftng around the engine room. Yee haw! For a guy who
doesn't
routinely deal with machinery on that scale, it was a lot of fun. For a
guy who
had to do it everyday for a living, (not that you'd start the engine
everyday-
far from it- it might run for weeks on end), the thrill would probably
wear off
quickly

A few years ago, I had the lovely experience of starting a Tundra Cat -
a six cylinder diesel bulldozer they used when building the DEW line.

You had to start it with a huge bar of steel pried against the engines
crank shaft. You decompressed five cylinders, opened the fuel
valves, then started cranking away. It would usually start after
four or five pulls on the cranking bar - that's what it was actually
called.

The engine was huge - the pistons were as big as my head. The
owner told me he was a construction worked (equipment operator)
and during the last fall, early spring, sometimes the engines would
freeze up - they would drop the oil pan which ran the length of
the engine and set it on fire.

Ah, those were the days.

Later,

Tom


My ex-wife could kick start that, no problem...

Calling All Gearheads
 

"Rural Knight" wrote in message

...sometimes the engines would
freeze up - they would drop the oil pan which ran the length of
the engine and set it on fire.

Used to see this routinely in Turkey 30 years ago. On winter mornings,
truck drivers would drain some fuel in a bucket and set it burning under the
oil pan to warm things up before start.

JG

Calling All Gearheads
 

Back to compressed air starting of a building sized diesel. Are they
built with a separate set of valves to admit air to the right
cylinder at the right time? It must take some humungous air
compressor and tank to get one of those things moving. Do they start
on special fuel and then switch over?


There are large air start receivers that store air compressed to around
300 psi. The engine has an air start manifold that delivers this air to
an air start valve on each cylinder. An air start distributor supplys a
control air signal to the air start valve on the appropriate cylinder to
open the air start valve and allow air to enter the cylinder and push
the piston down.

There are multiple large air compressors to keep the air start receivers
pumped up at all times.

Those engines burn "heavy oil" or "black oil" except when manueuvering
into or out of port. The heavy oil must be heated to around 210 degrees
to provide the viscosity needed for injection and proper atomization but
will congeal if allowed to cool. When maneuvering diesel oil is used as
it cleans out the lines of heavy oil which would (nearly) solidify in
the lines and pumps.

There is a mixing tank which allows the gradual changeover between heavy
oil and diesel oil.

Rick

Calling All Gearheads
 

One day I got to help start a big old Cleveland, 12-cylinder diesel in a
surplus US Army harbor tug. What a great experience!

The engine stood about nine feet high and
had to be about 15 feet or so from end to end.

Chuck,

Stop by my boat one day and we can fire up the main. It is an Enterprise
6 cylinder with direct air start. Its about 7 feet tall and 15 feet long
as well.

The process is to fire up the 120 volt DC diesel generator, start the
starting air compressor, start the prelube pump, open the cylinder test
cocks, bar the engine over by hand with a long bar on the flywheel, roll
it over on air, close the cocks, put on the ear muffs, roll it on air
with the rack engaged and then smile a lot.

The "compression relief" valves are actually cylinder test cocks which
are opened to roll the engine over before starting (to insure the
cylinders are free of water or oil) and to attach a firing pressure
guage to record firing pressures from time to time. It is not normal
practice to start the engine with them open. It can be excting when one
is inadvertently left open as they shoot out spears of flame and make
interesting sounds.

Remember that lovely old wooden minesweeper you were on in Port Orchard?
The (previous now that it has been sold) owners also have a newbuild
vessel with a pair of those Clevelands with stainless steel crankcases,
bronze accessory cases and reduction gears. They have air start but via
an otherwise normal ring gear driven by an air turbine starter as is
more common on smaller engines.

Many years ago I sailed for a few years on a diesel-electic submarine
that used 4 of the 16 cylinder version of those engines. Don't miss them
much. Have some good tales of delivering that boat with the SS
Clevelands from Florida to Seattle and then operating it in Alaska.

Rick