IMPROVED FUEL ECONOMY THROUGH LUBRICANT TECHNOLOGY IN MEDIUM-SPEED RAILROAD DIESEL ENGINES

Reducing fuel consumption will substantially reduce railroad operating costs. Several means of reducing fuel consumption by reducing engine friction were evaluated in a full-scale 2240 kW (3000 hp) two-stroke locomotive engine operating under steady-state conditions. These included reduced lubricant viscosity and the use of friction-modifier crankcase lubricant additives. The steady-state data were combined using known duty cycles to give predicted savings in service. A 2.5 percent reduction in fuel consumption was predicted by increasing the coolant temperature by 13.9 deg C (25 deg F), for a typical railroad medium-duty cycle. Over this duty cycle, a multigrade SAE 20W-40 lubricant used 1 percent less fuel than an SAE 40. No fuel savings were measured for an SAE 40 lubricant formulated from high-instead of medium-viscosity-index base stocks. Neither lubricant soluble nor insoluble (dispersed solid) friction-modifier additives gave significant fuel savings.

• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Lubricating Engineers

  838 Busse Highway
  Park Ridge, IL  United States  60068
• Authors:
  • Logan, M R
• Publication Date: 1984-4

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 225-233
• Serial:
  • Lubrication Engineering
  • Volume: 40
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: American Society of Lubricating Engineers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Additives; Diesel electric locomotives; Diesel engines; Fuel consumption; Lubricating oils; Performance based specifications; Specifications
• Old TRIS Terms: Two cycle diesel engines
• Subject Areas: Energy; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00389849
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: British Railways
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 30 1984 12:00AM