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Diesel EnginesGerman Engineer Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel | Engines and Turbines Ships 20th century |
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Despite its bulk, coal remained the fuel of choice until the beginning of the 20th century. In 1897, the same year that Parsons demonstrated the steam turbine before the British navy and royal family, German engineer Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel built an engine that ran on petroleum-based liquid fuel. Although early diesel engines could not match the speed of coal-fired steam engines, they were lighter and did not require boilers, water, and bulky coal to generate steam. Diesel engines could be operated by fewer crewmembers and did not require a team of firemen to shovel coal (Diesel Engines, German Engineer Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel, Engines and Turbines Ships 20th century). By the early 1900s diesel engines began to replace coal-fired engines. Diesel engines powered barges hauling crude oil up rivers from the Caspian Sea to northern Europe. The first sea-going vessel fitted with a diesel engine was Vulcanus, a small merchant vessel built for the Dutch East India Company in 1910. Despite their advantages over steam engines and turbines, diesel engines were slow to replace steam power in passenger liners, which highly valued speed. |
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Diesel Engines | German Engineer Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel | Engines and Turbines Ships 20th century |
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