thursday 14th february 2013 eduardo gonzález, head of maintenance department

Thursday 14th February 2013

Eduardo González,

Head of Maintenance Department

Public Bus Company of San Sebastián

DBUS FLEET RUNNING

ON BIODIESEL

Biofuels and Clean Vehicles

Municipal Bus Company of San Sebastián

• 182.500 inhabitants

• Founded in 1886 (125 years).

• From 1981: Municipal Company.

• 36 urban lines (9 nightlines “buhos”).

• 120 buses: 83 of 12m

26 articulated

3 of 10m

8 microbuses

• 485 employees (345 drivers).

• 29 million travellers in 2012

• 157 travels/inhab.year, one of the biggest ratios in Europe.

Bus Fleet running on Biodiesel • Eduardo González


Used Cooking Oil Biodiesel

No fuel supply diversification

No vehicle purchase / depots overcosts

No maintenance adjustment needed.

Social acceptance: 2nd Generation Biofuel

CLEAN FUEL!

Selection of 2nd generation Biodiesel



2009 ONWARDS

Rising evolution:

Average blends ahead CIVITAS plan

Towards a Ecological fleet


2008: November: Fuel mixing pumping station purchased Diesel / Biodiesel separated tanks and pipelines

Application of CIVITAS schedule


Obtaining certificates and allowances

• Quality and supply Guarantees of BIODIESEL supplier (EN14214)

• BUS manufacturer’s allowance for Biodiesel use in newest buses.

KEY STEPS



KEY STEPS

B16 Bus Fuel tanks cleaning

B20 Fuel Hoses Substitution



LOW TEMPERATURE EFFECT:

Fuel Filter Saturation

B100 Buses

B100 Station Filters

Actions: Fuel filters change Temporary change to B30 until temperature rises over 0ºC

KEY STEPS



Emissions Results

Annual reduction

> 3,9 Million Litres Diesel Substitution > 10000 Tons CO2 Savings

ABSOLUTE (Ton) RELATIVE

CO2 1570,75 21,3%

CO 20,09 20,9%

HC 5,44 21,3%

NOx 37,94 20,5%

PM 2,53 47,5%



PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED – RISKS AND MITIGATING ACTIVITIES

1. Increasing fuel consumption, up to 8,5% and increasing price of Biodiesel

RISK: Widespread deployment of the highest biodiesel blends uneconomic.

MITIGATING ACTIVITIES: Set lower average Biodiesel blends (under B30) Negotiate restrained price with local supplier.




2. Saturation of fuel filters

RISK: Serious damage in bus engines

MITIGATING ACTIVITIES: Bus Filter change

B100 and DIESEL suppliers quality control, different opinions from Bus Manufacturer and Biodiesel

Supplier.

Dbus Fuel Tanks water or contamination control

Mixing Station DIESEL filters maintenance.

SupplierIndependent

Analysis LIMIT

Total contamination (mg/kg)6,4 24,2 max 24

FAME content (% m/m)97,3 94,4 min 96,5

Oxidation stability (hours)9,1 5,1 min 6,0

Acidity number (mgKOH/g)0,3 0,52 max 0,5




3. Early error in Fuel Injection System:

RISK: Change of Fuel Injectors (best case)

Damage in High Pressure fuel pump (very expensive)

MITIGATING ACTIVITIES: Specific Maintenance program, injectors change.

Pending of conclusions from workshop between Bus Manufacturer and Biodiesel Supplier.



RECOMENDATIONS

Experience replication

Blending - pumping station – highly recommended for fast reaction if blend change needed.

Maintenance – A proper preventive maintenance of fuel tanks, filters and pumps. Previous cleaning of underground fuel tanks.

Fuel quality – In order to avoid potential engine problems, the quality of the fuels purchased should be ensured regularly in order to assure that high quality fuels are used.

Increase patterns – A step-by-step increasing pattern regarding the percentage of biofuel in the mix is recommended, especially in older vehicles in order to avoid premature saturation of fuel filters

Compatibility - Special biodiesel compatibility control with the injection pipes when using blends of more than 20% should be undertaken.

Climate restrictions – It is recommended that biodiesel blends are decreased when temperatures are below 0 °C.



RECOMENDATIONS

Staff involvement - Involving all staff levels in the pilot experiences is highly recommended in order to create an adequate framework for innovation.

Stakeholders involvement – Commitment to partnership from bus manufacturer and fuel-biofuel supplier. Steady communication channels with local stakeholders are essential for that purpose. (e.g: workshops)



FUTURE PLANS

Cooperative Study of the situation still need to be agreed by both the Biodiesel supplier and the bus manufacturer to get to a clear conclusion. It will need to address questions such as:

•A more specific standard for Biodiesel blends apart from EN14214, is needed to ensure that the newest vehicles can run with high blends of biodiesel?

•Will the problems also affect vehicles with less modern engines than Euro 4 over a longer timescale, or not?

CURRENT SCENARIO:

•Increasing taxes on Biofuels in 2013

•Total dependency on Fuel prices evolution or other initiatives such as CIVITAS

•EU recent initiatives forget about biodiesel.



Consortium Meeting • Donostia – San Sebastián • Eduardo González

Thank you!

Thursday 14th February 2013

Eduardo González,

Head of Maintenance Department

Public Bus Company of San Sebastián

thursday 14th february 2013 eduardo gonzález, head of maintenance department

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