Since I became part of the oil and gas industry, natural gas processing specifically, I have wondered about natural gas vehicles. I came into this knowing there are a few out there, but I want to know more. How expensive are they? Where can you refuel them? Is maintenance on them the same as a gasoline-fueled car? Are they a better environmental alternative to some of the electric vehicles that are readily available? Is a natural gas vehicle safe during a crash? That is one of the most important questions since my fellow Houstonians are CRAZY drivers, excluding me. With all of the progress in the science of horizontal drilling, shale gas or natural gas has become heavily produced here in the US.
Let’s start off by learning about the two forms of natural gas that can fuel cars. Natural Gas Vehicles or NGVs use compressed natural gas, CNG or liquefied natural gas, LNG, as their fuel source. Both are clean-burning, domestically produced, relatively low-priced and widely available. So what is the difference between the two NG fueling options?
Per the CNG Now! Website: http://www.cngnow.com/what-is-cng/Pages/default.aspx
- Compressed Natural Gas is made by compressing natural gas to less than 1% of it volume at standard atmospheric pressure.
- It consists mostly of methane and is odorless, colorless and tasteless.
- It emits up to 90% fewer emissions than gasoline
- It is the ‘narrow flammability’ range, so it disperses rapidly.
- It is lighter than air, so it will not pool if leaked as a liquid or a vapor
- It is drawn from domestically drilled natural gas wells or in conjunction with crude oil production.
- Indoor leaks can form a flammable mixture in the vicinity of an ignition source so indoor monitoring is needed.
According to the Consumer Energy Center: http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/transportation/afvs/lng.html
- LNG is produced with natural gas and is cooled to minus 259 degrees Fahrenheit through a process known as liquefaction.
- During the process, the natural gas, primarily methane, is cooled below its boiling point, so certain hydrocarbons, water, carbon dioxide, oxygen and some sulfur compounds are either reduced or removed.
- This liquefaction process reduces the volume and makes transportation much more cost-effective through sea vessels or cryogenic road tankers.
Okay, so we know what two types of natural gas can fuel vehicles. Now onto the part that matters, how do I get LNG or CNG? I found a cool website, Alternative Fuels Data Center www.afdc.energy.gov that will locate alternative fueling stations all over the United States. All you have to do is search by zip code. I found out that there are over 23,579 alternative fueling stations nationwide. However, it’s not just LNG and CNG, its biodiesel, electric, ethanol, hydrogen and propane. Once I filtered the site, I discovered that there are 73 LNG and 845 CNG fueling stations nationwide. 79 CNG and 14 LNG in Texas, with 19 CNG and 3 LNG here in the Houston area.
So Compressed Natural Gas is easier to get to than Liquified Natural Gas in Houston. But, you know you can get it. The next step is vehicles. Can I purchase a vehicle that is already able to use CNG or LNG? If not, can I get my vehicle outfitted to run on these natural resources? And how much will that cost me?
If you have a natural gas stream that needs to be processed, Croft Production Systems can help. No matter the volume of your gas stream, we have a unit that can dehydrate, cool, condition, sweeten, remove heavies or recover liquids.
References:
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/locator/stations/
http://www.cngnow.com/what-is-cng/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2011/11/louisiana_looks_at_developing.html
