COMPARISONS OF BIOFUELS IN HIGH-SPEED TURBINE LOCOMOTIVES: EMISSIONS, ENERGY USE, AND COST
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
1999
Subject Area
operations - performance, infrastructure - vehicle, economics - appraisal/evaluation, organisation - performance
Keywords
Vehicle exhaust, Smog, Size, Pollutants, Performance evaluations, Maintenance and repair, Maintenance, Gas turbine locomotives, Fuel tanks, Exhaust gases, Exhaust emissions, Energy utilization, Energy consumption, Emissions, Dimensions, Diesel fuels, Costs, Biomass fuels, Biogas, Biofuels, Automobile exhaust
Abstract
The performances of a 2984-kW (4,000-hp) gas turbine-powered passenger locomotive fueled with different biofuels are compared with the performance of the same locomotive fueled with Diesel #2. The process of selecting a small number of biofuels from a detailed evaluation of 13 readily available biofuels is explored. A simulation of operation in an actual high-speed corridor is used to develop exhaust emission values in terms of tonnes (tons)/year for a complete service, and then in terms of g (lb)/trip of primary smog-producing pollutants. Energy use and cost per trip are developed from the same simulation. All of these values are compared with Diesel #2 values developed in previous research. Biofuel use in respect to turbine maintenance costs is discussed. Explored are the implications of carrying and delivering the biofuels on a locomotive in terms of (a) projected range with a given fuel tank size and (b) the minimum fuel tank size required to serve a typical corridor.
Recommended Citation
Pier, J. (1999). COMPARISONS OF BIOFUELS IN HIGH-SPEED TURBINE LOCOMOTIVES: EMISSIONS, ENERGY USE, AND COST. Transportation Research Record, Vol. 1691, p. 24-32.
