A report on

COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS (CNG)

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Keywords: Natural gas, Liquid Natural gas, Compressed Natural gas,
Natural gas Vehicles, Producing
Compressed Natural gas
1. Abstract
Natural gas is widely accepted as the fuel of future. The common way
of producing Compressed Natural Gas(CNG) is by compressing the Gas
from the distribution pipeline, usually “low” pressure at <1bar (0.1MPa)
or “medium” pressure (1-7bar), using a large multi-stage compressor
into a “cascade” storage system.
This system is maintained at a pressure higher than that in the vehicle’s
on-board storage so that gas flows to the vehicle under differential
pressure. Typically, the cascade storage will operate at 250bar
(25Mpa),while the vehicle’s maximum on board storage pressure is
200bar (20Mpa). The gas then dispensed to on board
storage of the Natural gas Vehicles through a process called Fast-fill.
This process normally fills less fuel than rated capacity.

2. Introduction
Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a fossil fuel substitute for gasoline
(petrol), Diesel fuel, or propane/LPG. Although its combustion does
produce greenhouse gases, it is a more environmentally clean
alternative to those fuels, and it is much safer than other fuels in the
event of a spill (natural gas is lighter than air, and disperses quickly
when released). CNG may also be mixed with biogas, produced from
landfills or wastewater, which doesn't increase the concentration of
carbon in the atmosphere.
CNG is made by compressing natural gas (which is mainly composed of
methane [CH4]), to less than 1% of the volume it occupies at standard
atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at
a pressure of 200–248 bar (2900–3600 psi), usually in cylindrical or
spherical shapes.
CNG is used in traditional gasoline internal combustion engine cars that
have been converted into bi-fuel vehicles (gasoline/CNG). Natural gas
vehicles are increasingly used in Iran, the Asia-Pacific region (especially
Pakistan[1] and the Indian capital of Delhi, and other large cities like
Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, etc. ), Latin America, Europe,
and North America due to rising gasoline prices.[2] In response to high
fuel prices and environmental concerns, CNG is starting to be used also
in tuk-tuks and pickup trucks, transit and school buses, and trains. Most
of the interest is driven by various new laws pertaining to clean air
and/or energy independence. Forward thinking fleet management
using traditional motor fuels are investigating these new fuels to
determine if and when to expand their activities. The major alternative
fuels under consideration are propane (LPG), methanol, ethanol and
natural gas. Natural gas is being touted by many organizations and
government officials as the vehicle fuel of the future. Safe natural gas
fuel clearly has some substantial benefits relative to gasoline and
diesel. These include: lower fuel costs, 120+ octane, lower maintenance
costs, and, most certainly, cleaner exhaust emissions.

Producing CNG from LNG has many advantages comparing to

traditional way of CNG production. These include much lower required
work to compress the gas, higher on board capacity of the NGV
cylinder, larger driving range of the NGV and cleaner CNG.
 To be able to study the effect of producing CNG form LNG (CNG-LNG)
or CNG from NG pipeline (CNG-NG),a numerical method has been
developed based on first law of thermodynamics, conservation of mass
and thermodynamic properties of methane to simulate fast filling
process of NGV cylinder. Based on the method a computer program has
been built to study effect of ambient temperature on the process. The
model has been applied to single and commonly cascade group of three
reservoir tanks to model alternative and common way of CNG
production. The results indicated that there is a temperature rise in
order 40 K or more during charging process. This would cause under-
filled the NGV cylinder and reduce driving range of the NGV. The results
also indicated that ambient temperature has big effect on filling
process and final NGV cylinder conditions. For CNG-NG case, as
ambient temperature rise, the fill ratio and amount of charged gas drop
which cause low driving range as a result, filling the NGV during night
probably more efficient than during the day especially during summer
for the traditional way. Comparing results for CNG from LNG and CNG
from pipeline indicated that CNG from LNG system is more efficient in
case of amount of charged gas and driving range of the NGV. The
results have been also shown that the work required to produce CNG
from LNG is 1/25 of that to produce from pipe line gas.
3. Properties of Natural Gas
Natural gas as provided by Local Distribution Companies (LDC’s) or gas
utilities has a distinctive odour. Generally, Ethyl Mercaptan is added to
give a sulphur smell that allows detection at an early warning level,
since pure methane, the major constituent of natural gas is odourless,
colourless and tasteless. Any fuel has specific Upper and Lower
Flammability Limits. In the case of natural gas, the lower limit is 5% by
volume and the upper limit is 15% fuel to air. The Mercaptan
concentration is designed to be detectable at 20% of the lower
flammability limit or at a 1% level, fuel-to-air ratio, well short of the
point of possible combustion.
It should be noted that Liquefied Natural Gas will not include the
odorant and either on-board methane detectors will be added or a
separate operation to reintroduce Mercaptan into the gas stream will
be used.
Other properties that make this fuel safer are:

 Natural gas is lighter than air. The specific gravity of natural gas is
0.6 compared to air at 1.0 SG. It will rise into the atmosphere if
there is a leak and dissipate quickly.
 By comparison, the flammability range for gasoline is 1% to 8%,
but remember that leaks from gasoline can accumulate and still
be dangerous hours later, while natural gas will have
dissipated.
 To ignite natural gas, the ignition source must be at least 1,200°
F. The ignition temperature of gasoline is 540° - 800° F, or about
half of what is required for natural gas.
Below is a table of some of the important fuel characteristics:
Table 1.1 (Courtesy General Motors)

4. CNG – The Fuel of the Future

CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) is a gaseous fuel consisting of a mixture
of hydrocarbons, mainly methane.Natural Gas is compressed to a
pressure of 200 to 250 bars, to form CNG - Compressed Natural
Gas.Colourless, odourless, non-carcinogenic and non-toxic, CNG has a
limited flammability range and is lighter than air. It is not a liquid fuel,
and is not the same as LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas), which consists of
propane and butane in liquid form. Superior to petrol, it operates at
nearly no cost of conventional fuel in Iran and hence CNG is increasingly
becoming popular with automobile owners. Commonly referred to as
the green fuel because of its lead free characteristic, it reduces harmful
emissions and is non-corrosive, thereby enhancing longevity of the life
of spark plugs. Another practical advantage observed in countries
where CNG is already in vogue is the extension of life of lubricating oils
as the fuel does not contaminate and dilute the crank-case oil.
CNG has much higher octane number and lower cetane number,
which makes CNG, a good alternative for spark ignition engines but
unsuitable fuel for compression ignition engines. A higher octane
number makes it superior fuel than petrol, as the octane number of
CNG is high, no anti knock additives are required. Due to absence of any
lead or benzene content in CNG, the lead fouling of spark plugs and
lead or benzene pollution is eliminated. Being a gaseous fuel, CNG
mixes with the air easily and evenly.
CNG is less likely to auto-ignite on hot surface than gasoline or
diesel and requires high compression energy
for auto-ignition. In case of a fuel spill, gasoline and diesel which are
heavier that air, will collect and burn at ground level. Natural gas being
lighter than air, in the case of a leak, will burn above ground level and
disperse into the atmosphere.
Natural gas has a high ignition temperature, about 540 deg.
Centigrade, compared with range of 230-280 deg. Centigrade in case of
petrol. It also has a narrow range of flammability i.e. natural gas will not
burn with concentrations of below 5% and above 15% of air. The high
ignition temperature and limited flammability range of natural gas
make accidental ignition or combustion unlikely.
5. Production and distribution of CNG
CNG is stored on-board the vehicle in cylinders, which are
manufactured in a variety of volumes and dimensions to allow for
installation on different vehicle types. Steel cylinders are commonly
used because their manufacturing costs are low and their safety
characteristics are well understood. The weight of these cylinders can
be a problem if vehicle payload is critical - several cylinders would be
required to store sufficient fuel for a large truck. For this reason lighter
“composite” cylinders are being increasingly used.

These have a metal liner (steel or aluminium) with an outer

wrapping of fibre reinforced material, or carbon fibre. Steel cylinders
must be removed, inspected and revalidated every three years. CNG
cylinders are commonly fitted in the boot of a passenger car, in the load
space of a light goods vehicle (LGV), within the chassis structure of a
large truck, and on the roof or under the floor of a bus. The cylinders
are connected to
a refuelling point, which may be under the bonnet or on the vehicle
body. A standard connector is used to allow a vehicle to refuel at any
CNG station. Two sizes of connector are commonly used, a smaller
version for cars and LGVs and a larger, high flow version to allow trucks
and buses to refuel in the minimum time.
CNG at storage pressure is piped from the cylinder to a point close to
the engine, where a regulator reduces the pressure to a level suitable
for the control system which feeds gas to the intake manifold. This
control device may be a mechanical pressure governor (analogous to
the carburettor on an older vehicle) or, more commonly, an electronic
control system designed for use with a engine management
“computer” to control vehicle emissions.
The general arrangement of equipment on an NGV is shown in Figure 1.

 Gas Vehicle Equipment

The on-board storage capacity of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) is a critical
issue to the wide spread marketing of these alternate fuelled vehicles.
CNG is dispensed to an NGV through a process known as the fast fill
process, since it is completed in less than five minutes. Under filling of
NGV cylinders, during fast fill (<5 min.) charging operations, can occur
at fuelling stations, at ambient temperatures greater than 30°C or 40°C
The resulting reduced driving range of the vehicle is a serious obstacle
which the gas industry is striving to overcome, without resorting to
unnecessarily high fuelling station pressures, or by applying extensive
overpressurization of the cylinder during the fuelling operation.
Undercharged storage cylinders are a result of the elevated
temperature which occurs in the NGV storage cylinder, due to
compression and other processes which have not, to the author's
knowledge, been analyzed and documented to date.
Pipeline natural gas contains some water. Water is typically
not a problem with the domestic and industrial use of natural gas.
However, when compressed to the very high pressures of CNG the
water can condense and cause problems within the refuelling station
and vehicle fuelling system. Gas dryers must be included in design of
refuelling facilities to address the problems caused by water. Pipeline
natural gas also contains other impurities, such as, oil, particulates,
hydrogen sulfide, and oxygen.
Heat introduced by compression of gas (both by the compressor
and inside the CNG fuel tank) is unavoidable. On hot days, it is virtually
impossible (without adding refrigeration), to fast-fill the on-board CNG
tanks to their rated capacity. Most fast-fill CNG stations in operations
today can only fill vehicles to 70% to 80% of the tank's rated capacity.
This impact is further compounded by and the fact that very few CNG
dispensers can compensate for the gas temperature within the
cylinder. In the author's opinion, this phenomenon has not yet been
acknowledged adequately by the CNG industry. It has resulted in the
misrepresentation of the actual range of CNG vehicles when fast-filled.
High pressure CNG cascade storage systems can cause artificially high
vehicle tank pressure readings at the CNG dispenser during fast-filling.
CNG Stations
The fire department recognizes and approves the use of three types of
CNG stations in New York City: stationary stations, mobile stations and
mobile cascades. These stations are used to dispense CNG at regulated
pressures into DOT approved cylinders or containers. Generally, the
CNG is dispensed into portable cylinders to be used in motor vehicles
and/or tanks mounted on motor vehicles. CNG may also be used for
other purposes when fire department approval has been secured.
Stationary CNG Stations
Stationary CNG stations are commonly installed in utility companies or
other locations deemed suitable by the fire commissioner, including
automotive service stations, bus depots, and fleet garages. The
stationary CNG station consists of an assembly of components, which
include a compressor, a dispenser, valves and piping, and a storage
system. The compressor is used to draw the gas from a distribution
pipeline and compress it into the storage system. Then the CNG is
dispensed from the storage system into cylinders mounted on motor
vehicles. Fire department regulations require stationary CNG stations to
be located
outdoors at grade level. However, under certain conditions, the fire
department may permit the installation
of stationary CNG stations on rooftops or inside buildings.
Mobile CNG Stations
A mobile CNG station consists of an assembly of components, which
include a compressor and a dispenser, mounted on a motor vehicle.
Mobile stations are designed to draw CNG from a CNG supply source
and dispense it into vehicle mounted cylinders. Several fire department
regulations must be obeyed when operating mobile CNG stations.
These regulations include the following:
4
 Mobile stations must be operated outdoors.
 The mobile station's wheels must be chocked to prevent rolling
when connected to the bulk storage tanks.
 The mobile station must be equipped with a mobile telephone to
be used to contact the fire department in case of an emergency.
The certificate of fitness holder must make sure that the
telephone's battery is always charged and that the phone is kept
outside of the vehicle during compressing and filling operations.
  The vehicle being filled must be electrically grounded to the
mobile CNG station to prevent the ignition of the CNG due to
static buildup.
 The engines and ignitions of the mobile CNG station and the
vehicle being filled must be off during filling operations.
 Decals, with minimum one-half inch letters reading MANUAL
CYLINDER SHUT-OFF
VALVE, must be placed on the appropriate access doors.
 At least one dry chemical fire extinguisher must be installed on
each mobile CNG station.
In some cases, the fire commissioner may require additional safety
features to be installed on the mobile station.
Mobile CNG Cascades
A mobile CNG cascade consists of several cylinders mounted on a trailer
or motor vehicle. CNG is stored inside the cylinders under pressure and
the cylinders are connected with steel piping. The certificate of fitness
holder transfers the CNG from the mobile cascade into vehicle
mounted cylinders. Mobile cascades are commonly used as a
temporary CNG supply when there is a problem with a stationary CNG
station.
Several regulations which must be obeyed when operating mobile
cascades include the following:
 High, medium, and low pressure CNG container banks and their
shut-off valves must be color coded for easy identification. The
colour coding system is as follows:
Pressure Colour
High Black
Medium Green
Low Orange
 The pressures corresponding to the black, green and orange
container banks must be clearly identified on the cascade unit.
  Decals, reading COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS in 6 inch high red
letters, must be placed on each side and the rear of the unit.
 The emergency shut-off valve must be identified by placing
decals, with minimum one-half 5 inch letters reading MANUAL
CYLINDER SHUT-OFF VALVE, next to the emergency shut-off valve.
The shut-off valve must be protected against physical damage and
excessive vibration.
 At least one dry chemical fire extinguisher must be installed on
each mobile cascade.
 When the mobile cascade is used as a temporary replacement for
a stationary CNG station, the mobile cascade must be positioned
in an approved dispensing area. The certificate of fitness holder
must notify the fire department when the mobile cascade is used
to replace the standard dispensing unit. This will allow the fire
department to modify its fire fighting strategies should an
emergency arise.
In some cases the fire commissioner may require additional safety
features to be installed.

6. Advantage:
 Due to the absence of any lead or benzene content in CNG, the
lead fouling of spark plugs is eliminated.
 CNG-powered vehicles have lower maintenance costs when
compared with other hydrocarbon fuel-powered vehicles.
 CNG fuel systems are sealed, which prevents any spill or
evaporation losses.
 Increased life of lubricating oils, as CNG does not contaminate and
dilute the crankcase oil.
 Being a gaseous fuel, CNG mixes easily and evenly in air.
CNG is less likely to ignite on hot surfaces, since it has a high auto-
ignition temperature (540 °C) and a narrow range (5%-15%) of
flammability.

 Less pollution and more efficiency: CNG emits significantly less

pollutants such as carbon dioxide (CO2), unburned hydrocarbons
(UHC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur
oxides (SOx) and particulate matter (PM), compared to petrol. For
example, an engine running on petrol for 100 km emits 22,000
grams of CO2, while covering the same distance on CNG emits
only 16,275 grams of CO2.[10] CNG is essentially methane, i.e.,
CH4 with a calorific value of 900 kJ/mol. This burns with oxygen to
produce 1 mole of CO2 and 2 moles of H2O. By comparison,
petrol can be regarded as essentially benzene or similar, C6H6
with a calorific value of about 3,300 kJ/mol and this burns to
produce 6 moles of CO2 and 3 moles of H2O. From this it can be
seen that per mole of CO2 produced, CNG releases over 1.6 times
as much energy as that released from petrol (or for the same
amount of energy, CNG produces nearly 40% less CO2).
The corresponding figures are 78 and 25.8 grams respectively, for
nitrogen oxides. Carbon monoxide emissions are reduced even further.
Due to lower carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions, switching
to CNG can help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.[9] The ability of
CNG to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the entire fuel lifecycle
will depend on the source of the natural gas and the fuel it is replacing.
The lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions for CNG compressed from
California's pipeline natural gas is given a value of 67.70 grams of CO2-
equivalent per mega joule (gCO2e/MJ) by the California Air Resources
Board (CARB), approximately 28% lower than the average gasoline fuel
in that market (95.86 gCO2e/MJ). CNG produced from landfill biogas
was found by CARB to have the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of any
fuel analysed, with a value of 11.26 gCO2e/MJ (over 88% lower than
conventional gasoline) in the low-carbon fuel standard that went into
effect on January 12, 2010.
7. Drawback:
a.Gas storage in a car.
Compressed natural gas vehicles require a greater amount of space for
fuel storage than conventional gasoline powered vehicles. Since it is a
compressed gas, rather than a liquid like gasoline, CNG takes up more

vv space for each gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE). Therefore, the

tanks used to store the CNG usually take up additional space in the
trunk of a car or bed of a pickup truck which runs on CNG. This problem
is solved in factory-built CNG vehicles that install the tanks under the
body of the Volkswagen Touran Ecofuel, Volkswagen Caddy Eco fuel,
Chevy Taxi - which sold in countries such as Peru). Another option is
installation on roof (typical on buses), requiring, however, solution of
structural strength issues. CNG-powered vehicles are considered to be
safer than gasoline-powered vehicles. The cost of this conversion is a
barrier for CNG use as fuel and explains why public transportation
vehicles are early adopters, as they can amortize more quickly the
money invested in the new (and usually cheaper) fuel. In spite of these
circumstances the number of vehicles in the world that use CNG has
grown steadily at a 30 precent annual.

8. Present condition
The cost of this conversion is a barrier for CNG use as fuel and explains
why public transportation vehicles are early adopters, as they can
amortize more quickly the money invested in the new (and usually
cheaper) fuel. In spite of these circumstances the number of vehicles in
the world that use CNG has grown steadily at a 30 percent annual.

Graphical comparision of CNG vehicles

with no. of station for different countries.
2000000
1500000
1000000
500000
0
Brazil

Colombia
Iran

Thailand

USA
Pakistan
Argentina

Italy
India

China

Ukraina
Bangladesh

C N G vehicle Station
vv

9. Challenges
 •Availability of Natural Gas at affordable price
•Business under regulatory regime
•Support of local government
•Retention of trained manpower
•Shrinking land availability
•Long gestation period for commercializing stations from concept
due to delays in statutory clearances
•Permission to lay pipelines not forthcoming due to
commonwealth games
•Lack of infrastructure
Genuine CNG kit , spare parts , fitment by authorized
& endorsement of same on RC of vehicle.
•Cylinder testing facility in and around Delhi viz a viz
growth of CNG vehicles.
•Training of operators and DSM on safe operation of CNG facility
•Consumer awareness on safe Use of cng in vehicles
10. FEW POINTS TO REMEMBER
 Support of local government is essential
 Safety should be a high agenda item
 Long term advance planning for building CNG infrastructure is
necessary
 Genuine cylinder, kits & spare parts to be used for CNG vehicles to
avoid accidents
 Education / Training of operators , consumers is very important.