Compressed Natural Gas

July 14th, 2008 Alex

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is an environmentallly friendly substitute for gasoline or diesel. It is made by compressing natural gas (mainly methane) and is stored and distributed in hard cylindrical or spherical containers to maintain the constant pressure of about 200/220 bar. Refuelling CNG requires special pressure regulator devices that convert the natural gas from storage pressure to metering pressure.

The drawbacks of compressed natural gas are that it requires a lot of fuel storage space since it requires a  specific storage system unlike gasoline. The same amount of gasoline (gallon of gas equivalent) in the form of compressed gas takes up more space so it is not as efficient in terms of storage space. This makes it a better substitute for buses and trucks as opposed to personal smaller vehicles. However, due to the cheaper price of CNG compared to gasoline and the environmental benefits, even rickshaws in New Delhi have been converted to CNG vehicles.

CNG usage is increasing worldwide as Argentina and Brazil are the countries with the largest amount of CNG vehicles. In New Delhi, The Delhi Transport Corportation operates the world’s largest fleet of CNG buses and all public transportation vehicles in Punjab, Pakistan are mandated by the government to use CNG. In the US, CNG is not as popular but there are CNG public transportation vehicles in various states and local cities and counties.

In order to implement a system like the CNG technology, it would require government intervention in creating a plan to implement it  since it requires abundant refueling stations in order for it to be useful.

China Natural Gas Inc, owns and operates a high pressure natural gas pipeline in China’s Shaanxi Province and is the sole authorized provider of natural gas to the residential customers of the Xi’An area. China Natural Gas is also a U.S. public company (CHNG) registered in Delaware. China Natural Gas sells compressed natural gas (CNG) to filling stations all around Xi’An and the stations are used by taxis and buses that operate on the CNG. There are currently about 5,000 buses and 20,000 taxis in Xi’An that currently use CNG. With the cost effectiveness and environmental benefits of CNG, the government hopes to have over 46,000 CNG vehicles by 2010.

China Natural Gas has also recently entered an agreement with the Xi’An Internal Port Administrative Committee to participate in the development of both Xi’An International Port District and Baliu Ecological Park.  The sites will have natural gas fillings stations in the surroundgin areas and China Natural Gas will be doing the installation and construction for the CNG delivery systems. The Xi’An International Port is one of the major construction projects listed in the 11th Five-Year Plan that will establish an inland and logistics center that will serve as a logistics and commerce hub linking the eastern and western parts of China. The 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010) is China’s plan to promote alternative energy resources. Baliu Ecological Park is combination of tourist attractions and residential/commercial areas developed based on sustainable ecological standards.

refs: Reuters and Wikipedia

Entry Filed under: Automobile,Environment,Green Tech