Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

"For an engine, the bore and stroke are two of the most important factors, and our 150HB diesel engine is relatively large in this regard," Qin Yang began to explain.

Sharing a bed with Old Zhu definitely wasn't just for sleeping; it was also a time for deep conversations. So, for now, let's talk about engines.

Although the domestically produced 150HB diesel engine was a completely new design, it was essentially based on the earlier 150L diesel engine, with an increased cylinder center distance to address overheating issues. Its bore and stroke remained unchanged.

The bore is 150mm, and the stroke is 160mm, resulting in a displacement of up to 3.4 liters for the 150HB diesel engine.

Back then, without turbocharging technology, increasing power meant increasing displacement.

Looking at the German Leopard 2 tank engine, with a bore of 170mm, a stroke of 175mm, and a displacement of 47.7 liters, one can see that German technology isn't that impressive either. They still rely on increasing displacement to boost power and also increase the speed.

If our diesel engine could also be scaled up to 1,500 horsepower, it would definitely be superior to the German tank engine.

German tank engines are large, generate a lot of heat, and have outdated performance. Our diesel engine is the best!

However, that's not enough.

"We can see that Deutz engines use a small displacement, with a bore of 132mm and a stroke of 145mm. An eight-cylinder engine would only have a displacement of 15.9 liters. Even if it were expanded to twelve cylinders, the displacement would only be around 20 liters. The smaller the displacement, the smaller the engine's size."

What Qin Yang wanted to talk about was, of course, the 8V132 engine used in the Type 15 tank. This engine is the pinnacle of domestic tank engine design, with a smaller displacement, more powerful output, and the ability to operate at high altitudes!

"Are you saying that we should start from scratch and use this technology to develop a tank engine?"

Qin Yang shook his head: "No, for now, it would be great if we could increase the power of the 150HB diesel engine to 1,500 horsepower. I'm talking about the future. In the future, we will need even more advanced engines. I think small-displacement engines have greater advantages."

"With that kind of engine, the pressure in each cylinder would have to be extremely high. Can we do that?"

"Of course, we can," Qin Yang said. "Just because we can't do it now doesn't mean we can't do it in the future. Once the third-generation tank is successfully developed, we can start developing this advanced small-displacement engine. This type of engine is even more significant for our military. For example, if we want to develop a high-altitude tank in the future, this engine would definitely be more suitable than our current ones."

German technology is also constantly evolving. Later on, the bore of their MT-881 Ka500 tank engine was reduced to 140mm, and the stroke was also reduced to 136mm, reducing the displacement of the eight-cylinder engine to 16.7 liters. However, it still couldn't compare to the small-displacement tank engines of the East.

Small displacement is a trend.

Look at cars. In the past, they all had engines with a displacement of 3.0 liters or more. When they started, the exhaust pipes emitted a roar, which was very impressive, but they consumed a lot of fuel. What about now? Not to mention 3.0 liters, even 2.0 liters are rare. Turbocharged engines with a displacement of 1.5 liters or less have become the mainstream.

Why?

Of course, it's for fuel efficiency. The smaller the displacement, the more fuel-efficient it is, and the power isn't weak either. The parameters of many 1.5T engines have already exceeded those of many 3.0 naturally aspirated engines. Of course, some people are still chanting about naturally aspirated engines and AT transmissions, constantly reminiscing about that bygone era.

Tank engines also need to be fuel-efficient. This isn't because the military is afraid of spending money, but because fuel efficiency can reduce the number of refueling stops and the number of logistics supply convoys. On the battlefield, these indicators are also very important.

However, these are secondary. The key is to be able to operate at high altitudes!

Many people who like to travel in later generations want to go to high altitudes. The rule they have summarized is that high altitudes require large-displacement, naturally aspirated engines. Only these types of cars have power at high altitudes. In fact, this is a complete misunderstanding. Large-displacement, naturally aspirated engines can operate at high altitudes because they have a large reserve of power. In fact, turbocharged vehicles are more suitable for high altitudes because the biggest problem at high altitudes is low air pressure and insufficient oxygen content, which leads to incomplete engine combustion. Turbocharging can artificially force more air in, which can, of course, provide more power.

Just look at airplanes. In the era of propeller planes, how high a plane could fly depended on the performance of the supercharger. High altitudes even required two-stage superchargers. This limitation was only removed in the jet age. For jet engines, the impact of altitude limitations is very small because jet engines are essentially similar to superchargers.

High-altitude tanks require efficient superchargers and also need to reduce their own weight. After all, the lower the weight, the lower the requirements for the engine. This requires the engine's displacement to be small enough.

"We don't have any tanks in our country that can operate at high altitudes, but high altitudes do need tanks. President Qin, you really have foresight," Old Zhu said with emotion.

Not to mention tanks, there aren't many planes that can operate at high altitudes. Even if a plane can fly 10,000 or even 20,000 meters, there are requirements for starting the plane.

Ordinary people have to gasp for breath at high altitudes, let alone tanks. Ordinary tanks at high altitudes probably can't even crawl like snails and will overheat in a few minutes.

However, there is a need for tanks at high altitudes. There are troops at high altitudes, and conflicts may also occur at high altitudes. What kind of tanks are needed at high altitudes?

The engine's displacement cannot be too high, otherwise, the size will be too large and the weight will be too heavy. However, the engine's power output must be strong enough to meet the needs of the tank.

A small-displacement engine that can output ample power is too difficult!

"The technology is very difficult, especially the turbocharger. It's estimated that we'll need two-stage turbochargers, just like the planes in World War II," Qin Yang said. "However, I believe that we will be able to do it in the future. At that time, ordinary tanks will also be able to equip this advanced engine. Infantry fighting vehicles and the like will be even more likely to be equipped with it."

Speaking of this, Qin Yang already knew what he should do.

"Therefore, for the sake of this advanced engine, I think we need to talk to Deutz about cooperation and introduce their most advanced civilian engines."

China introduced Deutz engines in 1979 when Huachai introduced the production license agreement for the Deutz B/F413F series air-cooled diesel engine. Speaking of this Huachai is really tragic enough. After nine years of building the factory, it finally has a product.

However, then there was a Sangcao operation. Weiyang Diesel Engine Factory also began to introduce the production of Deutz diesel engines. For the Germans, this is absolutely incomprehensible. A production license is actually given to two factories to produce?

Later, China also introduced the production license agreement for the Deutz FL912/913 series air-cooled diesel engine. Deutz has taken root in China, and even the Type 63 armored vehicle has been refitted with this engine.

However, air-cooled engines are outdated. Deutz also has advanced liquid-cooled engines. Next, we have to introduce this engine because the Type 15 tank engine in later generations was developed on the basis of this engine.