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Aiming at reducing fuel consumption and eliminating black smoke in locomotives, the Railways has decided to equip all diesel locos with electronic fuel injection (EFI) system.
The first locomotive equipped with EFI was rolled out by the Diesel Loco Modernisation Works (DMW) at Patiala last week, a senior Railway Ministry official said.
The EFI system, developed indigenously by collaborative efforts of RDSO and IIT Kanpur, will be installed in all diesel locos in a phased manner, the official said.
Emission reduction
EFI, unlike the widely-used mechanical injection system, makes precise injection of fuel possible to match the demand of load, optimise fuel consumption and cuts down emissions.
Besides saving four per cent of high speed diesel, the EFI ensures “complete elimination” of black smoke from the engine, the official said.
“This not only saves the environment but also fuel, as black smoke is caused by incompletely burnt fuel,” he said.
Saving potential
Since the Railways consumes nearly 250 crore litres of fuel costing about Rs 10,000 crore yearly, the potential for saving is enormous.
The Railways has undertaken a series of green initiatives, including introduction of bio diesel, CNG and LNG to substitute high-speed diesel.
Two plants for production of bio-diesel with a capacity of 30 tonnes per day are being set up by the Railways.
Substitution
Successful trials have been undertaken with CNG substitution of diesel on Diesel Electrical Multiple Units (DEMUs).
The Railways also plans to substitute Liquefied Natural Gas as industrial fuel in its workshops and factories and explore possibilities for its use in DEMUs and diesel locomotives. An MoU was signed between Railways and Indian Oil Corporation to set up a joint working group for this purpose.
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