Originally posted by Tony
Good call Slinger, we all know the power to weight of a gas turbine, leave it to the Japs to make something overly complicated that takes up more space...hahaha
Not quite.
Turbines are simple and light, but the highest compression ratio one can create is going to be in the high 20s I believe.
A turbocharged diesel can have a total compression ratio in the 30s or 40s.
Since thermal efficiency directly relates to compression ratio in any combustion engine the piston diesel engine is much more efficient, but at the cost of complexity and weight.
Since a container ship can handle some extra weight but needs efficiency to make money, a diesel engine makes sense.
Turbines make sense for fast cruisers and smaller, cheaper ships.
The turbo-diesel is here to stay as one of the most efficient engines man can make.