Is this true? Diesel engines can run non-stop.

[RonR]

THKS Daryl,

Yrs ago, I worked for a company that tried to enter the 4WD Articulated market (too late). They'd built two prototypes and used them in some testing, but then the marketeers determined the market was flooded, so we kept them around for a while to pull stuff in other tests.

These had 350 Cummins, 13 speed roadrangers, etc. We always loved to toy with them, and they sounded SO COOL idling. These had about a six inch diameter exhaust pipe.

Ron

 

[5030]

Ron:

Ah yes. Cummins 855 cid NTC350 aftercooled. Had a few of them. Could repair anything but the injector timing with a crescent wrench, vise grips and a ball peen hammer.....and a few beers. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

A farmer down the road has a Michigan articulated quarry loader with an NTC 400 Cummins. It's a gas to drive. Takes both lanes of a 2 lane road. I know, I've used it for odd "jobs". My car will fit in the bucket. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[AL_Josh]

When Shrimpboats go out the generator which is a diesel engine runs nonstop for a week. then they shut them down only to check the oil then fire them right backup. Also if the do not anchor up the main engine runs nonstop too. Most shrimpboats stay out for a month at a time.

 

[CurlyDave]

This really depends on the engine and how it is set up.

About 25 years ago I did an extensive project with the trucking industry & got to know engine manufacturers (Cummins, Cat, Detriot Diesel), over-the-road tractor manufacutrers (Peterbilt, Kenworth, etc.) and quite a number of fleet managers.

At that time the most common over-the-road diesel was the Cummins 855 cubic inch (14 liter) in-line 6. If you were a fleet operator you would order the engine de-tuned (smaller injectors) to produce 180-200 HP, and it would last almost forever. Close to a million miles between rebuilds.

If you were an owner-operator, you would want more performance and would get it tuned to produce 300-400 HP and it would not last quite as long, but you could do hilly routes much better.

If you were the military you would buy the very same engine tuned to produce about 1000 HP and put it in an APC. It would last about 5000 miles.

Like everything else, the life of a diesel really depends on how hard you run it.

 

[RonR]

Curly,

If I have the engine terminology for these, wasn't one called "fuel squeezer"?

Our company had about 20 trucks that ran midwest to the east coast. We had our own fuel pit, so the rigs would fuel prior to departure on their weekly runs.

The non-driving dispatcher (in the mid 70's) ordered the trucks, and heard about the de-tuned engines. He ordered these as trucks were replaced.

The cagey drivers, when they fueled on Monday mornings, simply traded tickets between the tuned/de-tuned rigs. The dispatchers monitored fuel mileage of every rig/every trip. They never did figure out why the de-tuned rigs didn't ever get the stated savings they were promised! Of course, the drivers reviewed his reports, hoping to show him that it was a dumb idea to order the de-tuned engines as they really didn't save anything.............

Ron

 

[5030]

Ron:

Problem with a de-tuned diesel especially in an over the road tractor is the engine encounters a wide parameter of operating conditions unlike stationary application where the power unit is designed (through the transmission apparatus) at optimal torque and rpm range 95% of it's running life.

Fuel management systems have evolved (from the emissions standpoint) from the old style of unit pumps and injection to complete electronic fuel management mapped by microprocessors that even control variable compressor section turbochargers. Along with the electronics came less emissions at the cost of efficiency. New engines get considerably less mpg than previous era engines. With the advent of 2007 EPA standards, on road diesel engines will get approximately 20% less mileage than pre 2000 engines. With fuel prices today, that equates to around $12,000.00 per unit. That's a lot of jack and that cost will be passed directly on to the consumer (you) in the form of a fuel surcharge.

All the electronic wizardry comes at a price too. No longer can you overhaul a diesel engine in your back yard like the old 855's, 1693's or the 92's. Engines today demand technicians with not only mechanical knowledge but electronic knowledge as well. Every technician today has a laptop as part of his tool collection.

Just replacing an injector in a modern Caterpillar engine requires a CD as well as an Internet hookup to Caterpillar Diesel so that the injector can be mapped and accepted into the fuel management system. That all comes at a price.

 

[1948berg]

There is a coastal line in Norway, running from Bergen to Kirkenes (almost in Murmansk) and back, day in day out all year..
It is called "Hurtigruten" http://www.hurtigruten.com/en/default.aspx
One of the ships in this line, the MS Lofoten is 42 years old, two years ago the ship had travelled 5 334 872 km=3 334 295 miles!!
It ecuals 134 times around the planet at ecuator, or to the moon and back 8 times. The main engine has run 234 000 hrs, or 26,7 years non stop. It may mave been overhauled, probably, I dont know.

 

[sanmigmike]

Visited a large (?, not near super tanker or very large bulk carrier size) banana boat that ran between Ecuador and California more years ago than I care to remember. The main engine was shut down in port and they had at least one smaller engine for the housekeeping and refrigeration loads. One of the cylinders was apart and the engineer told us that they could work on it while the engine was running. Kind of made sense since it was single screw. As you might guess very large cylinders. I like the idea of working on one cylinder at a time with the engine running since being without power at sea isn't all that great. The engineer assured us that it would be very rare to actually lose the engine at sea, a shaft or other problem would be more likely than the entire engine failing. Another thing sticks in my mind was that some of the wrenches needed hoists to move them around!

Once we were on a cruise ship, one of the last ones that had steam turbine power. They had three turbines and it was routine for one turbine-boiler set to be worked on while the other two powered the ship. So we are in the South China sea and one of the good engines has a problem. After providing power for the "hotel" load, all the cruise ship stuff, the ship had enough other power to do about 3 kts. It was interesting since we could see the fish around the ship and it also rolled a bit at that speed. However I would think that to be without at least steerage way would not be at all a good situation. I seem to recall it took about 12 or so hours to get the engine that was being worked on back together and another twelve hours to light it off and bring it up to operating temps. The Captain assured us that in an emergency it could be brought up a lot faster with some risk to the engine. Anyway I guess that the turbines were smoother than diesels but tended to be better at higher cruise speeds that cruise ships need and also bunker fuel is getting less common. Now that I said that I have no idea what the really large ship diesels burn? I know it is not what I put in my Kubota but not sure how it compares to bunker fuel.

A link to an article on a current ship diesel, realllly big!!
http://www.bath.ac.uk/~ccsshb/12cyl/

 

[Taylortractornut]

Theres an old Minneapolis Moline that is on a farm where I used to buy surplus machine tools and bearings. It ran a pump for irrigation and dewattering a feild. It ran for 40 years with out stopping for over 4 or five days . The oil filter had a t in it youd open one valve and close another and it would allow you to change the oil filter once a month and add new oil. Never got all the oil out but it was running last year. THey had an artesian well come up near a house and the MM had been retired a few years before it was stationed at the pump. THe neighbors said it had only been stopped about 5 days one time to put in new piston liners and rod and main bearings.

 

[HOGAN]

Down in the islands they run big Rolls Royce diesels 24/7 for electric power. They house them in bunkers behind large sand dunes to keep the noise down. They change the oil and switch to a new filter bank on the run.

J.M.H.