Water-Cooled Diesel Engines

Up to 40 percent of the energy of the fuel used by a modern diesel engine is transferred to the crankshaft, the remaining energy is dispersed from the exhaust gases, the radiator, and the engine casing. Manufacturers data for these losses vary widely but guideline figures may be considered as:

If the radiator fan is not engine driven, an equivalent amount of additional power will be available from the generator output where it will be required to supply an electrically driven radiator fan.

For sets rated up to about 800 kW the radiator and its associated cooling fan are usually mounted, on the base frame, at the nondriving end of the engine, the fan being belt driven from the crankshaft. Within the engine room the set may then be positioned perpendicular to a perimeter wall which is provided with an opening matched in size to the radiator. This arrangement is convenient and ensures that the cooling air passes over the engine in an efficient manner. To the purist it has the slight disadvantage that the cooling air is extracted from the engine room and will be above the outside ambient temperature and hence the radiator is not used in the most efficient manner.

For larger sets the radiator...