China's Powerful New Emission-Killing Trains
by Alex Pasternack, Beijing, China on 08.22.08
They won't look much different, but the first of 300 fuel-efficient locomotives are about to hit China. Using a lighter weight design, the China Mainline Evolution Series locomotive by GE achieves a peak output of 6,250-horsepower, which is 40% more power than the top-of-the-line Evolution locomotives currently being used in North America. At the same time, the 16-cylinder diesel-electric engine generates 84% fewer emissions and increases fuel efficiency by 3% to 5%. So impressive, it even makes the guys in Erie who manufacture it break into renditions of that song from Top Gun (see video below).
Though freight trains are generally a greener way of transportation than an equivalent number of trucks, the amount of emissions they produce and fuel they use makes them good candidates for clean upgrades. According to GE, during the course of one year a 207-ton locomotive uses enough power to run 160 Western households. The cleaner train should receive a warm welcome in China, where households are clamoring for increasingly more power -- and much less pollution.
Locomotive ad from GE. And then there's this more serious version
GE's been working on the green railroad for years. Its older Evolution units, of which 1500 are on the rails, were the first locomotives to meet the EPA's January 05 Tier II emissions standards. And along with a technology called the Trip Optimizer -- essentially an on-board computer that maximizes train efficiency -- the company is working on a much-hyped hybrid locomotive, which like the Prius stores energy created by breaking in batteries. The hybrid promises 15 percent less fuel consumption and a 50 percent reduction in emissions (though I'm not yet sure how that squares with what sound like better improvements offered by the new China Evolution, above).
Only two of the new trains are on their way by ship to Tianjin from Erie, Pennsylvania, but all 300 are expected to be delivered to China's Ministry of Railways by the end of 2010.
Last year, GE lashed out at an article in the Wall Street Journal that claimed it was pushing the US EPA to lower proposed emission standards on nitrogen oxides. GE says it agrees with the EPA that a 75% reduction in NOx is achievable and sustainable, but "that a 65% reduction is more technologically sustainable over the life of the locomotive." Though it may be hard for GE to get the reductions down further, they're off to a good start.
So too is China. Its railway system is far more extensive and reliable than that of the United States. And along with an investment of $160 billion rail upgrades between now and 2011, the railway ministry has begun to make its trains run cleaner as well. To a public increasingly disgruntled over pollution, that may become the 21st century equivalent of making the trains run on time.
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I'll have to confirm this later - but if I remember correctly GE ripped off an Indian motorcycle mechanic's patent on cylinder shaping to build these engines.
So yes these trains are efficient but GE is evil.
"So too is China. Its railway system is far more extensive and reliable than that of the United States."
You need to distinguish between freight and passenger rail. Passenger rail in the US is terrible - a government run monstrosity for the most part. The US Freight network is the largest in the world and is a profitable and efficient enterprise. Locomotives have a long economic life, so it will take a while before new technology hits the rails in America. In general, though, for freight, rail is the most efficient form of transportation in the US.
I to remember that small mechanic/inventor who was reshaping the bottom of the cylinder head in order to acheive high torque at very low revs which would allow you to pull off in higher gears. Along with this, efficiency improved which was acheived with a high compression ratio, in a normal petrol engine pinking occurs at high compressions but with the guys internal dome this was eliminated. High compression = good conversion efficiency = more power.
I beleive that Tata motors of India were interested. If anyone has any updated info on this chap please post a comment with links etc.
Regards
Trains have always been hybrid. Nothing new. They just optimized them.
"There will be a time when you wished you did a little bit of evil to do a greater good." -Princess Sebila, Kingdom of Heaven (movie)
Honestly, all big multinational corporations do a whole lot of evil. Its a fact of business. I think the crux of the argument is why are they do evil things. They do evil things not because they themselves are evil, they are amoral, they are motivated by profit, by money. Morals do not enter into the equation, therefore, they end up doing both good and evil. I think they tend to do evil more often than good, but I am not smart enough to know how the overall equation works out on a moral level.
On a more article related note. Why don't they design these freight locomotives to be more aerodynamic? I would think that over the life of the train a cone shaped tip would save enough to at least pay for the cost of the tip.
Modern trains have always been series diesel electric hybrid. Duh. They just made some improvements, which is nice because diesel fuel is nasty no matter what spin you put on it.