Energy

Article 11
Biofuels: so when do the “green” locos arrive?
Rail & Recherche n°40 - July/August/September 2006

SNCF operates on 15,000 km of non-electrified track. Improving the environmental performance of diesel traction by using biofuels is a key goal. Biofuels will supply 10% of the power for locomotives with recent engines as of 2007. In the OZONE project, SNCF Research is looking further ahead with the aim of developing “zero oil” technologies.

“Zero Oil” is the code name for the research on biofuels for railway diesel engines. Starting in 2006, the B30 fuel (70% diesel/30% biofuel) will be tested on a captive fleet of ten regional railcars and 3 or 4 freight locomotives. Why a captive fleet? Because the first problem is the fuel supply and logistics. “The system is new. The B30 used here or there by truck fleets does not meet SNCF’s requirements. We are looking for a long-term product with precise standards”, says Thierry Cami, at the Equipment Engineering Centre. Experimentation will begin in late 2006.
SNCF Research will be working with the Institut Français du Pétrole and 2 engine suppliers (ENERIA (Caterpillar) and SEMT PIELSTICK) in the OZONE (Orientation Zero Oil for New Energies) project. This large-scale, 42-month programme on B100, a 100% biomass fuel, will have 3 phases: laboratory research by the IFP to define the best test fuel; intensive use in test-bench trials; and operational trials with a BB 460 000 shunting locomotive (a high-power Caterpillar engine) and a BB 67 400 (Pielstick engine).