From October 2006 to February 2007, the R.J. Corman Railroad Co. ran a test on G2 Diesel. The locomotive was operating under its normal workload running a blend of 50% G2 Diesel and 50% petroleum diesel. An important note on this test is that even running on this high concentration of G2 during the coldest part of the winter in northeast Ohio, there were no problems with fuel viscosity or gelling. The purpose of the test was to observe the effects of G2 on the engine and to look for any possible operational problems that may have occured during this period. The locomotive proved so reliable that it has been running on concentrations as high as 100% G2 to date (Sept 15, 2007).The locomotive pictured, #4119 has been used in three tests as of this report date.
The following pictures document the engine inspection in February 2007 after four months of operation on the G2 Diesel blend.
Inside the R.J Corman Railroad Co. service bay.
Fig. 1 The side of the EMD model 16-645BC diesel engine. The mechanic is removing the top cover to allow access to the injectors and rocker assemblies (Fig.3-4). The round access ports are where the technicians can view the intake/exhaust ports and piston sides (Fig. 5-6).
Fig. 3 Three sample injectors.
Left: A new injector, never used.
Middle: This injector was in service in a diesel engine of the same type as the test engine for 6 months. Note the early formation of carbon deposits in this short time.
Right: This injector from the test engine is four years old. After four years running on petroleum diesel, it was then run on 50% G2 Diesel and 50% petroleum diesel for four months.Note that the G2 blend has reopened the clogged injector ports and removed most of the years of carbon buildup.
Fig. 4 This is the view into the injector seat. The light colored area in the center is the top of the piston head with the threaded hole visible in the center.Note the complete lack of carbon.The threading is usually encrusted with carbon to the point that it must be re-tapped to remove the piston.
Fig. 5 This is a view of the piston head, through the intake/exhaust ports. Note that the majority of shiny carbon buildup has been cleaned from the pistonís surface. Besides allowing for a more efficient combustion and transfer of energy, the removal of the carbon from the piston allows for more efficient cooling and longer intervals between maintenance. The ports that are visible here are, under normal circumstances, partially clogged with carbon and routinely need sandblasting to open completely for efficient operation. Here you can see that G2 has cleaned these surfaces to the bare metal, increasing airflow to the ignition chamber.
