Ways to solve the problem of converting diesel locomotives to gaseous fuel

The Government of the Russian Federation has set the task of expanding the field of application of gaseous fuels in the national economy. In accordance with this task, an agreement of June 17, 2016 was developed on cooperation between PJSC Gazprom, JSC Russian Railways, JSC Sinara Group, JSC Transmashholding in the use of natural gas as a motor fuel, which provides for the production of shunting gas locomotives and mainline diesel locomotives and gas turbine locomotives. This work is a continuation of the work begun in the 1990s to create, fine-tune and test diesel locomotives using natural gas as a motor fuel. The conversion of diesel locomotives to gaseous fuel can be carried out in two ways: creation of diesel locomotives with gas piston engines and the modernization of diesel locomotives of the existing fleet by converting the diesel engines of these locomotives to use the gas-diesel cycle. A comparison of these options is given and solutions are proposed that allow using gas-diesel cycle on diesel locomotives. Mathematical models for calculating the performance indicators of a gas-diesel generator plant in operating modes and separately for the fuel supply process are presented, their features and some calculation results are presented. The experimentally determined reasons for the impossibility of operation of the power plant in the gas-diesel cycle of a shunting diesel locomotive based on TEM18 below the fourth position of the driver's controller are theoretically substantiated. The minimum required structural changes to the standard fuel equipment are determined, which are necessary to ensure stable operation of a diesel locomotive on gaseous fuel. A comparative assessment of the efficiency of converting diesel locomotives to gaseous fuel is carried out and the cost of fuel consumed per hour of operation is determined, depending on the degree of fuel replacement with gas when the locomotive is operating in average operating modes.

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