The world's smallest diesel engine
Engine is the most important in armored equipment. A common tank diesel engine is as heavy as a big cabinet. When the power is 700- 1300 horsepower, the net weight is as high as 1000-2500 kg, and it needs the help of a crane to move it. Now, after the "extreme slimming", the new small groove engine is quite thin and small, only half the size of a desk.
A few days ago, MTU Friedrichshafen of Germany and Detroit Diesel Engine Company of the United States jointly developed the world's most compact and lightest armored diesel engine. This new type of engine, labeled "MTU890 Dense", has various specifications, ranging from 4-cylinder ordinary type to 12-cylinder V type. The designer made the trough power plant as compact as possible. This kind of engine can be packed in a 15× 17× 19 inch display carton. The design schemes of various engines are basically the same, and the power varies from 400- 1500 horsepower. Low-power engines are mainly used in infantry fighting vehicles and armored transport vehicles, medium-power engines are mainly assembled on light tanks and landing vehicles, and maximum-power engines are mainly used in heavy tanks and armored vehicles.
All MTU890 engines can be matched with armored equipment weighing 10-60 tons, and mechanical, hydraulic and electrical transmission devices can be used to drive wheeled or towed tracked vehicles. The engine block is very compact and looks very light and small. From the picture, it just looks like a part of the engine. The specific data of MTU890 ordinary four-cylinder engine are: length 125cm, height 79cm, width 45cm, working volume 4.44L, power 560mp, speed 4250 rpm and torque 922n/m. The specific data of V6 (6-cylinder V-type) engine are: length 76 cm, height 59 cm, width 70 cm.
Although both American and German companies produce engines for trucks and tractors, MTU890 engine is designed and produced for military applications almost from scratch, without drawing lessons from the technology and experience of commercial civil diesel engines. In the spring of 2004, MTU890 engine 4-cylinder ordinary type and V6 type were exhibited at Fort Lauderdale Army Base, Florida, USA. These engines are the main alternative power devices for the future combat systems light (20-ton) tank being developed by the US Army, and the Jaguar foreground infantry fighting vehicle being developed by the German Army (the first prototype will be available in February 2005) has been confirmed to be equipped with these engines (10 cylinder, with power of about 165433).
Designers of the defense industries of the two countries are excited about the successful development of this new engine. The new engine is small in size and can be put in a display box, which is much lighter and convenient for transportation. At the same time, it can greatly increase the armor protection of tanks and chariots and improve the battlefield survivability.
In order to achieve the best compact compression effect, designers have adopted various methods. Many parts that are usually assembled outside the engine, such as various pumps and filters, are squeezed into the engine oil pan. The diesel injection adopts collinear design, and the fuel platform design of all types of engines is exactly the same, which ensures that it can generate great pressure, up to 1800 atmospheric pressure, thus ensuring full combustion and achieving high efficiency. The working state of high pressure (4.5 atmospheres) turbocompressor can be geometrically transformed. The cooling system is assembled into two independent circuits (pipes). The first system is mainly used to cool the cylinder and initially cool the compressed air in the turbine, and the second system is used to finally cool the air. At the same time, monitor the temperature of engine and lubrication system, and reduce the size of cooling radiator accordingly. This arrangement can ensure the efficient operation of the engine at the working temperature below 130 degrees Celsius. The oil bottom box is also compressed to the maximum extent and separated from other internal components by a special pump.
Engineers from American and German companies said that the performance data of MTU890 series engines are 1/3 higher than those of similar engines (including the most advanced civil products), which has a very broad market prospect.