Test runs between San Bernadino and Los Angeles in early 1999 will provide additional data on environmental and economic benefits, as well as prove LNG safety procedures. Current unregulated diesel locomotive emissions are estimated to contribute five percent of the national total emissions of NOx. We are confident that the system is capable of meeting stringent emissions standards in combustion-powered locomotives without resorting to electrification. SwRI engineers are currently working on the integration engineering phase of the prototype multi-cylinder engine. Program participants in the GasRail USA program have included the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, the California Air Resources Board, the Southern California Air Quality Management District, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Gas Research Institute, Union Pacific Railroad, Amoco, and General Motors' Electro-Motive Division.
New members are welcome to join the consortium.
Emissions from diesel engines contribute to ground-level ozone formation, which can cause respiratory problems. As a result, the Environmental Protection Agency will continue to tighten emissions standards for stationary and mobile diesel engines between 1999 and 2008. These pending emissions standards will require a greater than 50 percent reduction in NOx emissions from today's controlled levels. As this mixture is compressed in the cylinder, the air temperature rises until it spontaneously ignites the fuel droplets. Combustion is then initiated at many locations in the evenly distributed mixture.