The diesel engine is one of the most widely used global powerplants and can be found in almost every conceivable application. From small single-cylinder models to V20 designs, their horsepower can range from as low as 3.73 kW (5 hp) to as high as 46,625 kW (62,500 hp). Some important applications of the diesel engine include

• cars
• pickup trucks
• riding lawnmowers

Heavy-duty

• heavy-duty trucks
• buses
• locomotives
• industrial power-generating plants
• oilfield exploration equipment
• road-building equipment (e.g., backhoes, excavators, crawler tractors, graders, and bottom dumps)
• agricultural, logging, and mining equipment

Marine

• pleasure craft
• sailboat auxiliary engines
• workboats (e.g., tugs)
• oceangoing merchant ships and passenger liners.

In addition, a wide variety of military equipment, including tanks, armored personnel carriers, HUMVEEs and ships, is powered by diesel engines. The governed speed of diesel engines can range from as low as 85 rpm in large-displacement, slow-speed models, to as high as...