On a Diesel engine running distillate fuel (the kind you run in cars, SUV's, trucks, trains, boats, and smaller ships), what are the theoretical and practical limits to maximum mean piston speed you can achieve in an engine?
On the low end, you have engines like the EMD 645 with a 9.0625" bore and 10" stroke and 900 RPM rated speed, giving a 7.62 m/s mean piston speed.
Then on other engines like the Cat C18, which is a 145mm bore by 183mm stroke, which gives 11 m/s at 1800 RPM and 13 m/s at 2200 RPM.
At the top end, I've allegedly seen the MTU 20V8000 with a 265mm bore by 315mm stroke reportedly running 1500 RPM, which is pretty surprising to me given that engines with stroke lengths greater than 10" typically only run 1200 RPM tops, although the 16V8000 is only rated for 1100-1200 RPM.
Now I'm thinking, if MTU can push 1500 RPM out of an engine with a 12.4" stroke, then surely it would be possible to make a Diesel engine with a 10" stroke that runs 1800 RPM.
Would it be possible to make a 12" stroke Diesel engine that runs 1800 RPM?
I also feel like there's a lot I am missing, so what exactly am I missing? Does the type of fuel system (old mechanical unit pumps vs. today's electronic unit pumps and common rail systems) play a role?
