Biodiesel as an Alternate Fuel for Diesel Traction on Indian Railways

Indian Railways (IR) have a fleet of 5000 diesel locomotives and this population is growing at a rate of 200 locomotives per year. Diesel expenditure on IR is ~Rs. 20,000 Crore per year (US$ 4 bn/Y), which is ~10% of the turnover of the IR. This is the main motivation for both, reducing this expenditure as well as replacing diesel with domestically produced alternate fuels. With this objective, Engine Development Directorate (EDD) of Research Designs and Standards Orgaisation (RDSO) has carried out engine studies using different indigenously produced biodiesels on two locomotive engines on engine test benches. Details of these engine studies and scope for future research on use of biodiesel for rail road traction are discussed in this chapter.