New Lubricants Could Pave the Way for Cheaper, Greener Rail Services

Researchers at the Foundation for Industrial and Technical Research (SINTEF) and the Norweigan University of Science and Technology (NTNU ) have unveiled new lubricants that could potentially transform the landscape of rail services in Norway, promising a greener and more cost-effective future for the industry.

The research findings indicate that these innovations could save hundreds of millions of kroner in rail sector costs over the next decade.

WINTER Project

The study, named WINTER and funded by the Research Council of Norway since 2021, centered around the interaction between lubricants, train wheels, and the rails they operate on.

According to the researchers, this crucial aspect has been surprisingly overlooked in Norway despite its substantial implications for various factors within the rail network, including energy consumption, safety, maintenance costs, passenger comfort, noise levels, vibrations, and particle pollution.

A critical aspect highlighted by the researchers is the current use of largely unchanged lubricants and application systems in the Norwegian rail sector over several decades.

While modern lubricants are acknowledged for being more environmentally friendly, the researchers said a uniform approach to lubricants across all regions does not consider the varying wear and tear rates on wheels and rails in different parts of the country.

3 Major Improvements to the Rail Sector

The WINTER project aims to introduce three major improvements to the rail sector. First, the development of more environmentally friendly lubricants is crucial, considering the environmental impact of all lubricants ending up in the external environment.

Second, the project emphasizes the need for lubricant application systems that are precisely adapted to the specific lubricant and tailored to the region of use.

Lastly, the researchers propose separate and customized application systems for traditional rail networks, lighter rail-based metro systems, urban light railways, and trams.

The researchers conducted tests on the challenging Flåm line, the most demanding stretch in the Norwegian network, estimating that the innovations from the WINTER project could lead to annual savings in maintenance costs of over five million kroner on this line alone.

The researchers anticipate saving several hundred million kroner in a decade by extrapolating these results across the Norwegian rail network.

Extending Globally

Despite being rooted in the needs of the Norwegian rail network, the researchers claim that the implications of the WINTER project extend globally. The universal challenge of wear and tear on wheels and rails faced by rail operators worldwide means that the results of this research could influence rail practices on a global scale.

Over a decade of collaboration between SINTEF and NTNU has culminated in this project, involving partnerships with various stakeholders in the Norwegian rail sector.

The research delves into degradation mechanisms impacting train wheels and rails, utilizing tools such as thermal cameras and microphones along the Flåm line.

The chemical analyses performed on the surfaces of wheels and rails aim to understand how different lubricant additives affect performance, contributing to developing new lubricants and application methods.

"Society as a whole will be paying less for the maintenance of a key transport infrastructure. Train passengers, as well as households and businesses located close to rail lines, will experience less whistling and screeching from train wheels and rails," the researchers said.