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| The Future of Low RPM Engines? |
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Mark Jones
| | Posted on Thursday, October 30, 2003 - 02:36 pm: | 
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Hello to you all, my name is Mark and I build wooden boats, primarily displacement hulls. I've often looked at the lister diesels now only offered in India and ask myself why we don't have any gas/diesel low RPM engines offered here in the USA. It seems to me that with the advances in technology, the qualities of the past could be merged with the tech of the present, giving us robust, reliable and very high torque engines for boats. Does anyone know if any manufacturer is considering the production of such a motor? My thanks in advance for any responses. |
Bill Schaller
| | Posted on Friday, October 31, 2003 - 07:43 pm: |
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I assume a big problem is with the epa. |
Mark Luxton
Visitor
| | Posted on Friday, October 15, 2010 - 04:39 pm: |
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http://oldstylelisters.com/wcaengines.html |
miro
Senior Member
Username: miro
Post Number: 496
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Friday, October 15, 2010 - 09:23 pm: |
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The challenge with low speed engines is that the application doesn't need much in the way of horsepower - 10-15 HP max at about 1800 rpm tops ( assuming reasonable propellers).
Under these conditions, certainly a 2 cycle engine could never meet EPA or Euro emission standards.
A 4 cycle stands a better chance, but the cylinder walls are still way cooler than a high speed higher HP engine - which means that some sort of external means would be needed to clean up the exhaust.
In most cases of small marine, lower RPM engines, they are cooled way too much which contributes to the challenge of emission control.
The only candidate that I see is a small Yanamar type 4 cycle diesel generally used as auxiliary power in sailboats. But here again, most folks (i.e. the market) don't like the smell of diesel exhaust.
The there is good news too.
With Lithium Ion battery technology today, an electric drive is entirely possible.
I supposed one could install a CD player that made the sound of an old marine engine putting along :-}
In a pinch you could take along a small gas powered generator to charge the batteries it you went out of Range. |
Leo Clever
Visitor
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 09, 2010 - 01:21 am: |
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Maybe i'm missing something but i notice many comments about epa being the hangup with these low RPM motors. Also mentioning the Lister engine which is capable of burning a clean fuel ie MVO. With that said, how could the EPA not allow that type of engine? Like I said, I might be missing something. |
speleausmining
Member
Username: speleausmining
Post Number: 10
Registered: 10-2010
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 09, 2010 - 11:29 am: |
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The only low RPM flywheel engines I am aware of that are still in production in North America are the Oilfield engines. They are nice engines and run varry well on a variety of fuels but are not redilly adapted to a marine application. Not that It couldent be done just that the engine is not directly set up for this. The Listers were manufactured into the 1960's at least and are not too hard to come by. There may be someone who is importing the Indian Listers. Certainly parts are fairly available from India. I too have often mourned the death of this technology. Years of cheap fuel, desire for high power, high speed, and light weight has effectively killed what was once common knowlege. Conservation of energy and transfer of power being the primary casualties. |
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