FAQ
1. What is CNG (Compressed Natural Gas)? and what is NGV (Natural Gas Vehicle)?
CNG means natural gas that has been compressed to be used as vehicle fuel. NGV are vehicles that runs with CNG fuel. GNC Natural Gas is the same that we consume in our homes and which is transported at high pressure tank storage (storage cylinder or cylinder as it is usually called) from where it feeds the engine.. The CNG is stored in cylinders at high pressure (3,600 PSI) and can be used as alternative fuel in all gasoline-powered vehicles with a carburetor system or injection system. The octane rating of gasoline tells you how much the fuel can be compressed before it spontaneously ignites. When gasoline ignites by compression rather than the spark plug, it causes knocking in the engine. Knocking can damage an engine. Lower-octane gasoline (like "regular" 87) can handle the least amount of compression before igniting.. In the case of CNG, its natural condition is antiknock octane of 120 to 130, without need for additives or organic toxic benzene and lead. CNG is the ideal alternative to replace heavy diesel engines for cargo and passenger transportation.Q: What is the difference between LNG and CNG? A: In its natural state, natural gas is normally a gaseous, lighter-than-air substance - not a liquid. It is stored by being compressed to 3600psi (CNG) or liquefied at -260° F (LNG).
2. Is it a new idea, the use of natural gas as automotive fuel?
No way. The first gas engine was built in 1860, many years before they built the first gasoline engine.3. What are the advantages of natural gas as automotive fuel?
a. The price of CNG is a fraction of the price of gasoline or diesel in terms of direct cost. But in reality the user saves a lot more because the engine extends its life and requires lower maintenance costs because it extends the length of oil change and spark plugs and the need for tune-ups of the engine.b. United States is a major gas producer and has one of the largest pipeline networks in the world. c. CNG is a clean fuel that can significantly improve environmental conditions, reducing the growing urban pollution.
4. How a CNG system Works in your vehicle?
Every CNG system has 3 sub-systems a) CNG storage: consist of one or more High pressure cylinder(s) that are able to support a pressure of over 3,600 PSI with a safety high pressure release valve. b) Pressure regulator: this subsystem reduces the gas pressure from 3,600 PSI to 15 PSI, and thru the injectors feeds the engine. c) Electronic subsystem: allows the CNG system to reproduce the gasoline performance.5. Is CNG safe in case of an accident?
Natural Gas is lighter tan air, so it dissipates in the air rapidly if it is released in case of an accident; in the same scenario, the gasoline pools creating a fire risk.6. How safe are the storage cylinders?
Natural gas fuel systems are "sealed," which prevents spills or evaporative losses. Even if a leak were to occur in a fuel system, the natural gas would dissipate up into the atmosphere. It’s unlike gasoline, which in the event of a leak or accident, pools on the ground, creating a fire hazard.7. What are the fire risks involved with CNG?
Natural gas has a high ignition temperature, about 1,200° Fahrenheit, compared with about 600° Fahrenheit for gasoline. It also has a narrow range of flammability, that is, in concentrations in air below about 5% and above about 15%, natural gas will not burn. The high ignition temperature and limited flammability range make accidental ignition or combustion of natural gas unlikely.8. Does CNG diminishes engine power?
No, CNG produces power per gallon similar to the use of gasoline or diesel, creating a great performance.9. IS CNG SAFE?
Absolutely! Compressed natural gas is stored onboard vehicles in tanks that meet stringent safety requirements.The fuel storage cylinders used in CNG vehicles are much stronger than gasoline fuel tanks. The design of natural gas cylinders is subjected to a number of federally required "severe abuse" tests, such as heat and pressure extremes, gunfire, collisions and fires. Natural gas is not toxic or corrosive and will not contaminate ground water. Source: NGV America
10. Is a CNG fuel cleaner than gasoline and diesel?
Yes, in the same way as in other applications, natural gas is part of the solution to environmental problems associated with motor vehicles. The environmental effects of automotive fuels are classified as: a. Effects of direct exposure to fuel Direct exposure to liquid fuels brings a risk to drivers, people working in distribution operations and those who are in the immediate vicinity of areas where they are used or stored. They are fire hazards and toxicity. All liquid fuels are toxic to a greater or lesser degree. It is known as a health risk to prolonged exposure of skin to liquid fuels, to swallow or inhale its fumes. By contrast, natural gas is not toxic, and can only present a health risk if present in high concentrations in an enclosed area that can cause suffocation by the depression of the level of oxygen.b. Local effects of air depending on geography, population density and climate models, the effects locales of emissions from automobiles can be extended to areas beyond the 100 km from its source. Local effects of greatest concern are the adverse health effects and damage to natural and man-made structures. The local effects tend to be most severe in urban areas where air quality is generally worse than in areas with small populations. There is now greater awareness of the particles emitted by the exhaust of diesel vehicles (diesel exhaust), which has won its classification as a toxic air contaminant, which is a scourge that threatens the public health to a greater degree smoking.
Emissions from motor vehicles that cause local effects are VOC volatile organic compounds), CO (carbon monoxide) and NOx (oxides Nitrogen), particulates and toxic, and significant actions that are legislated in the area of ozone ground level and particles. In general it can be said that natural gas offers advantages of much less pollution in the life cycle of fuels or in the cycle that begins in the extraction of oil and / or natural gas to its end use.
c. Soil and water contamination resulting from spills, losses, and the discharge of fuel The primary concern of accidental loss or leakage from the storage of gasoline and diesel is its effect on the water table. They are very significant losses of these fuels can contaminate large areas of soil and infiltrating deep to reach aquifers. In recent years the situation of pollution produced by modern gasoline advertised as organic, oxygen-containing molecules from additives (MTBE), have brought problems in case of losses that ultimately end in villages where it was impossible to process the water of the contaminated layers.
In the case of a natural gas leak from a pipeline or compression station, there is no risk of contaminating water or soil. Furthermore, because the natural gas is lighter than air, in case of loss, natural gas is mixed with air and quickly dissipates. Advantage inherent in the tightness of CNG and almost total absence of volatile organic compounds fuel vehicles to emit volatile organic compounds in their exhaust and vapor emissions at the time of filling the tank of the vehicle and during the march. These emissions contribute to a high percentage of air pollution in the atmosphere and react in the presence of sunlight to produce ozone at ground level and allowing the photochemical smog.
In contrast, compressed natural gas to be composed by 95% for methane, the advantage of very high quality inability reactive methane, implying that the exhaust from these vehicles can not be combined with nitrogen oxides to produce ozone ground level, which happens to not repeat the gasoline containing volatile organic compounds that are highly reactive.