Natural Gas as Auto Fuel

Eco-fueler.com I think.. 3 wheeler porsche gets 70t miles pg. Refuels from your home NG pipeline

It is quite common in India to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) for automobiles. The cylinders are fitted in the autos to supply the fuel. in fact buses are run on CNG as it is mandatory in cities like Delhi to reduce pollution.

I am driving a compressed natural gas (CNG) car for the last 3 years or so. The cylinder pressure in around 200 bar. I get the refills from any of a number of CNG stations operating in the city. Yes, there is safety hazard from having so many CNG stations in populated area, in case you are wondering. But it is government's responsibility to ensure standards are always followed by station operators and vehicle owners. I follow the safety standards on my part (periodic cylinder inspections for thickness loss, if any).

Regarding your question of refilling directly from natural gas wells, one issue would be pressure. Other issues would be presence of trace amounts of corrosive compounds and dust, condensate, water, etc. I don't know how will these fare with the vehicle engine. There is no instance of filling direct from the well that I know of.

Straight from the Well? Do you mean uncompressed natural gas? If not, I've been seeing busses run on NG in my town for quite a few years now. Presumably it's used in many more California and American cities by now? Or am I misinterpreting starters original question?

I am studying the uses of biogas from waste fermentation (anaerobic digestion) and I know that in Norway (I think it was Norway) they are upgrading the biogas to fuel, using it for buses and trucks for waste collection, but they need to treat the biogas (Methane and CO2) to achieve the fuel.

I read this on a waste magazine, if you want I can send the article, you can write at:

m.monteleone@cranfield.ac.uk.

Bye

Hey marika can u help me getting some process details in separation of methane and CO2

Dear Marika,

I request your expert advice how to use coal gas with following composition for electrical generator or auto fuel

Coal gas composition

H2

CO

CO2

N2

CH4

O2

Mixed coal gas(%)

48.4

38.5

6

6.4

0.5

0.2

Regards

Kapoor

Email : jinshui@vsnl.net

Most well head gas finds have higher levels of H2S, moisture and higher hydrocarbons (propane, butane etc) which needs to be separated from methane (CH4) before its deemed fit for use (or make good for pipeline transmission).

Then u need to consider what pressure is the gas available at your well head. Natural gas vehicles store gas at 200bar in a seamless storage tank. Not that 200 bar is a must but it gives you meaningful storage. This gas is then fed to an on-board 3-stage pressure regulator to bring the pressure down to 1 bar or less before its fed to combustion.

When I was a boy up in the Applician Mountains we used to get the liquid gas "drippings" from the low point in the gas pipelines that criss cross the mountains in our area. It was just like gasoline, except that it would evaporate very rapidly. We would put a gallon or two in our motorcycles and ride for an hour before the tanks would be empty again. Can't tell you what it contained but it would run the old 45 harley good for a little while.

Natural gas from well heads is often compressed to bring it to higher pressure good for dispatch over long transmission lines. In between there are booster compression stations to boost the pressure as needed. Before gas compression is done, higher hydrocarbons (butane, propane) are removed but still some strains make it through. These strains of higher hydrocarons, say propane, turn to liquid when compressed above 200psi, methane (CH4) stays gas. I guess u have been collecting that liquid propane at the sagging lines.

Also, utility companies sometimes deliberately introduce propane in natural gas lines to create sort of syn gas. This they do in times of higher consumption when methane pressure is not good enough to meet demand.

The reason the liquid propane evaporates quickly is because it turns to gas as soon its pressure lowers below, say 120-140 psi. Your normal gasoline tank is not meant to store liquid propane and u literally have been playing with fire because of the leaking gas. I bet u dont smoke ???

If you have to ask, you aren't prepared nor equipped to take on such a project as a DIY one. It is not for individuals without prior experience and a knowledge of the pitfalls which more often that not can result in serious injuries or death.

Well!! u wud have to carry a huge compressor to load it into ur gas tank at 200+ kg/sqcm..in addition, the impurities of individual gas wells go into the tank and the resultant changes in the calorific value of the fuel and chemical composition of the fuel wud affect engines performance.