Industrial Diesel Engines

Industrial diesel engines are any engines that are used for industrial purposes that run on diesel. Industrial diesel engines are used to power a major portion of industrial machinery, from motorbikes to bulldozers, generators, and even forklifts and trucks. They range in size from a few pounds to a few tons, with a various amount of power.

The use of diesel engines is mandated by several large organizations. All NATO machinery for example, runs on either diesel or aviation grade kerosene. At the current level of technology, fossil fuels, and especially diesel are the most economical and convenient means of supplying power to a variety of equipment and even backup generators.

All industrial diesel engines can be either air cooled or water cooled. The smallest engines for residential purposes will typically provide about 10kW and cost a few thousand USD. These smaller scale engines power much of the mobile machinery we see around us on a daily basis, such as trucks, farm equipment, small boats, stationary process machinery, earth movers, and so on.

The medium scale industrial diesel engines can provide levels between a few hundred kW and a few thousand kW and are sold for prices in usually the thousands of dollars. These types are used in larger machinery such as larger mining equipment, oil rigs, trains, large boats, military equipment, and much more.

The largest of industrial diesel engines provide 10,000 to 80,000 kW, sold in the millions of dollars, and are used for ultra heavy equipment, electric power generation, and the largest of ships. Large industrial engines can be up to 49 feet side and run on low grade diesels. In places such as China, where there is a high demand for de-centralized power sources, these types of engines are often utilized.

Industral engines are classified in terms of their speed, or RPM (Rotations Per Minute). High RPM engines are normally used for the lighter, more common applications, such as trucks and other types of land equipment.

Medium RPM engines are generally used for power generation. Low RPM ranges, and high torque engines are used for the biggest type of equipment, such as marine equipment and applications.

For the most part, industrial diesel engines can vary in terms of size and performance. Chances are, you've either seen or used industrial equipment at some point in time. Although they cost a lot of money, they are the way to go with bigger equipment for getting the job done right the first time.