Another dual fuel shunter locomotive is on its way to hit the rail in Eastern Europe
Busy time for DiGas since another important event is taking place in Poland where the third shunter locomotive in Eastern Europe operated by our partners Orion Kolej was successfully retrofitted and is ready to hit the rail. More than a year ago DiGas and Orion Kolej signed a Memorandum of Understanding [MoU] to retrofit the most widely used diesel shunter locomotive on Polish soil – SM42, and make it run in dual-fuel mode.
The roots of Orion Kolej are deep-seated and connected with SM42 locomotive type since the idea about establishing the company was based specifically on doing the inspections for this locomotive type. Since then the experience, skills, and industry contacts allowed the company to gradually expand the scope of activity into the sale, repair, and lease of various diesel locomotives, freight wagons, as well as major repairs of different types of locomotives. This makes them a perfect partner for DiGas’s ambition to enter and capture the Eastern European market with its proprietary NYSMART dual fuel system. Therefore, this first pilot SM48 dual-fuel locomotive in Poland is an important step towards the mass modernization of the Polish polluting diesel locomotive fleet.
SM42 locomotive was modernized at Orion Kolej depot while it was undergoing the regular overhaul service. The NYSMART dual fuel system was installed on board of the locomotive. It was refueled with LNG by a fueling partner company Novatek Green Energy and performed required testing before making the first launch on the railroad. This will be followed by a period of fine-tuning and certification.
As the locomotive is converted to dual-fuel mode using NYSMART dual-fuel system, right now it uses LNG to displace the polluting diesel fuel while maintaining diesel-like performance. While operating in dual-fuel mode, DIGAS’s NYSMART system automatically maximizes the use of inexpensive and clean-burning gas, displacing the diesel while maintaining diesel-like engine safety and performance. This results in a reduction of fuel costs and harmful substances from the exhaust gasses, such as NOx, PM and SO2. This, in turn, will help the Orion Kolej to reduce their fuel costs by up to 30% as well as cut their NOx and PM emissions by 45% and 62% respectively. Providing local society with cleaner air for everyday use.
Although launched, a certification must be completed before the locomotive is put into service and delivers fuel cost and environmental benefits to the business and the public. Don’t miss it – stay tuned here and on DiGas’s social media.
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