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SwRI upgrades Locomotive Technology Center to meet EPA certification guidelines

For immediate release

San Antonio – Sept. 22, 2016 – Two locomotive test tracks at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Locomotive Technology Center were recently upgraded, allowing engineers to conduct certification testing under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 4 emissions standards. The upgrade allows SwRI researchers to evaluate and generate certification test data for locomotive engines to meet Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 40 parts 1033 and 1065 standards.

“For 40 years, we’ve been at the forefront of helping global manufacturers develop technology to meet increasingly strict NOx (nitrogen oxides), particulate matter, and greenhouse gas regulations for passenger vehicles and on- and off-highway heavy duty engines,” said Marc Megel, a director in SwRI’s Engine, Emissions, and Vehicle Research Division. “Now that Tier 4 is here for the high-horsepower industry, we have the facilities to help customers meet those requirements.”

SwRI has the world’s largest independent facility for research and evaluation of engines up to 7,000 horsepower. The upgraded Locomotive Technology Center allows SwRI to help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) meet the new high-horsepower engine emissions standards.

SwRI established the Locomotive Technology Center in 1992 at a former locomotive maintenance facility in San Antonio. SwRI performs research, development, and evaluations of locomotive exhaust emissions, alternative fuels, and other engine technologies for OEMs, as well as work in support of the EPA and the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

SwRI also evaluates other heavy duty engines, such as those used in large pick-up trucks, 18-wheelers, buses, and numerous off-highway applications. In addition, SwRI’s high-horsepower engine dynamometer facility accommodates engines for mining equipment, marine vessels, locomotives, pipeline gas compressors, stationary and portable power generation facilities, offshore drilling rigs, and oil and gas recovery systems. Recent work has focused on the production, development, and certification of engines for the marine, rail, and power generation industries.

SwRI operates more than 200 engine dynamometer test cells. All cells accommodate engines that use a variety of fuels, including natural gas, diesel, biodiesel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), dimethyl ether (DME), and Fischer-Tropsch gas-to-liquid fuels. SwRI also has unique real-time gas blending capabilities for a wide range of natural gas compositions.

For more information, contact Barbara Bowen, (210) 522-5410, Communications Department, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238-5166.