Study of Natural Gas Fueling of Locomotive Engines

In this paper recent development activity for natural gas combustion systems for locomotive engines are discussed. The pollutant emissions of locomotive engines using natural gas are compared with those using diesel fuel. Based on the analysis of combustion characteristics of gaseous engines, some measures for reducing emissions and improving engine performance at light engine loads are suggested. In addition, issues in developing a natural gas locomotive engine, such as gaseous fuel cost, conversion benefit, safety and gas storage facility, are reviewed.