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7. Combining Anti-idling Technologies for a Northern Climate

Combining Anti-idling Technologies for a Northern Climate

The analysis and conclusions contained in this case study are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily represent the point of view of the Government of Canada.

Organization
Savage Alberta Railway (purchased by Canadian National Railway in 2006)

Major Findings
ZTR SmartStart® and Kim HotStart® anti-idling systems reduce emissions and fuel usage by more than 600,000 litres per year.

Project Timeline
September to December 2006

Please note that some figures such as cost savings on fuel are based on data from the period that this project took place.

Introduction

Transport creates about a quarter of Canada's greenhouse gases (GHG) and all modes of freight transportation create about 44 % of that total. Rail creates only 3 % of total freight transportation emissions.

Because diesel locomotives were not designed to be turned on and off like a car engine, they are often left to idle to keep the engine warm. Installing anti-idling devices can help reduce fuel consumption and emissions. The anti-idling devices automatically shut off the main diesel internal combustion engine and then restart it when the water temperature and battery charge (among other parameters) fall below a specified threshold that would impede a quick start or restart. Block heaters also help to keep the engine warm to allow other anti-idling devices to work longer before restart.

Savage Alberta Railway Inc. (SAR) operated railway freight transportation services from and around the Grand Prairie, Alberta area with 17 locomotive engines and 345 miles (555 km) of track. Because of northern Alberta's harsh winter weather, SAR's locomotives were often left to idle. In 2006, with funding from Transport Canada's Freight Incentives Program, the company began a project with anti-idling technology to increase operational savings and reduce fuel usage, noise, and emissions. Canadian National Railway (CN) purchased SAR in December 2006, at the end of the project.

Project Goals and Objectives

The objective of the project was to show that a combination of anti-idling technologies would greatly reduce emissions.

Project Description

The ZTR SmartStart® units are designed to keep locomotives in a ready-to-use state without idling. This means that equipped locomotives produce less exhaust when the engine is restarted. The Kim HotStart® units are designed to preheat diesel engines to allow for easier starts; to provide immediate full power; to reduce engine wear; and to reduce emissions and fuel consumption. SAR installed both the ZTR SmartStart® and Kim HotStart® in ten locomotives.

Methodology

Savage Alberta Railway tracked distance, fuel consumption, tonnage hauled and idle time of the ten locomotive engines using the anti-idling devices. This data was compared to the baseline measurements of the engines before the installation. As winter weather in Northern Alberta has an impact on idling time, a record of weather conditions during the test period was also kept.

Results

Fuel Usage

Before installing the SmartStar®t and HotStart® units, SAR was getting an average of 111 ton-miles (one ton of freight shipped one mile) per litre of fuel. After the anti-idling units were installed, SAR was getting an average of 148 ton-miles per litre of fuel for the four months of data collection. Based on this average, SAR saved 623,000 litres (164,000 gallons) of fuel per year.

Emissions

Based on the estimated annual fuel savings, SAR reduced the GHG amounts described in the table below.

Emissions Measured	Annual Emission Reduction in Tons
CO2 - Carbon dioxide	1692
NOx - Nitrogen oxides that are produced during combustion	46.16
PM10 - Particulate Matter in the atmosphere with a diameter of less than ten or equal to 10 micrometers.	1.17
PM2.5 - Smaller particulate matter in the air (i.e., less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers in diameter).	1.01
SO2 - Sulphur dioxide	2.8
CO - Carbon monoxide	7.83
VOC -Volatile Organic Compounds that form photochemical oxidants that affect health, damage materials, and cause crop and forest losses. Many are also hazardous air pollutants.	2.67

Operational Savings

When the SmartStar®t and HotStart® units were delivered, it was discovered that they were not compatible with the SAR locomotives. This meant that the SAR mechanical team spent much time finding a solution and less on normally scheduled work. It also meant that the project had a shorter timeframe than originally planned, making it difficult to estimate operational savings. However, SAR reported that they did experience the following additional savings and benefits:

• reduced man-hours spent running to shut off locomotives;
• reduced wear on locomotives due to automatic shut-down from the anti-idling technology; and
• reduced preparation time to start the locomotive.

Noise

With fewer locomotives idling, noise was reduced from the SAR rail yards and all the other locations where locomotives are usually left running, which resulted in improved relations with SAR's neighbours.

Conclusion

Although SAR enjoyed reduced fuel consumption and produced fewer emissions, the company would spend more time evaluating the compatibility of future anti-idling units, as this issue was the project's greatest challenge. They would work with the two participating companies, ZTR and Kim, to make sure all components were compatible.

Additional Information

• Kim Hotstart Manufacturing Company
• ZTR SmartStart

Alternative Format

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Date modified:

2012-02-08

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