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| Connecting the RTA96-C, the largest engine in the world, to a spaceship? The mechanical monstrosity is available in 6 through 14 cylinder versions, all are inline engines. The engine alone weighs in at 2,300 tons and is capable of delivering 109,000 horsepower. By comparison, a single SpaceX Merlin engine weights 470kg (1036 lbs) with 189,964 pounds of thrust which is 8,635 horsepower. 1 HP is about 22 pounds of force. These engines were designed primarily for very large container ships but similar large diesel engines run large ships of all kinds. Ship owners like the combination of a single engine and single propeller for reasons of efficiency and cost of production vs operation of these mega-vessels. As ships continue to get larger with new generations of larger container ships being built each year shippers like Emma’s owner, A.P. Møller – Mærsk, will need a bigger engines to propel them. Photo credit: Aioi Works of Japan’s Diesel United |
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| Massive dirty space polluting diesel engine rocket |
Going retro-punk? If the oil industry had their way, would space ships run on massive mechanical-stroke gasoline engines of several cylinders with internal combustion methods of antiquity? But is this possible? Rocket engines already run on kerosine, not too far displaced from a gasoline or diesel formula.
Luckily the space industry is not governed entirely by gasoline and diesel fuel from big oil industries. Though, massive engines for the space industry such as the Raptor by SpaceX still run on carbon based fossil fuels such as methane with other engines using kerosine.
By the additive numbers, nine Merlin SpaceX engines are at 77,715 horsepower while a single RTA96-C delivers 109,000 horsepower. So why not stick a single RTA96-C on a large rocket? Perhaps the issues are MTBF rating, weight, and size.
