Engines Benefit From Automotive Technology

With intense competition today among builders of large engines the drive to improve technology and reduce engine cost has accelerated. Leading large engine builders have always developed their own techniques to do this. A huge investment has been made in the last 10 years by the automotive industry to further develop technology and large engine builders are now benefiting from these advances. Use is also being made of the longer experience of the automotive engine builders in developing electronics and in meeting emissions legislation. We look at how these techniques are being adapted for marine, locomotive and power generation engines and at the benefits they are bringing. Examples are described from analytical software development, common rail FIE, in cylinder measurements and reliability engineering to production engineering, engine health monitoring and alternative fuels. Further market demands and more stringent regulations are considered because they will force ever more development in an ever reducing time scale. Shorter engine test times are essential. Other ways are being developed to ensure competitive performance and reliability. Future developments in response to these demands are predicted and the effects these may have on large engine design are assessed.