Table of Contents
Brief Introduction:
Fuel is the part of our daily life. As the civilization evolved diffrent type of fuel invented. CNG fuel is also part of this change.
The main aim of CNG was to find out the low cost alternative solution of diesel and petrol.
In this blog post, I have described all the important things related to CNG in a very simple way.
What is CNG?
Full name of CNG is Compressed Natural Gas. It is natural gas compressed under huge pressure. It become liquid under high pressure. It is odorless, colorless and non-corrosive.
The formation process of natural gas is very similar to crude oil. Biomass under the earth surface interact with intense heat and pressure for millions of years. Thia biomass converts into the natural gas.
It is alternative fuel of diesel and petrol due to some key advantages over conventional fossilfuel.
- CNG is environment friendly gas. It emits low carbon. The emission of CO (Carbon Mono-oxide) can be reduce from 90% to 97%. As we knows that carbon emission is very big problem for our planet, CNG helped in reduction of greenhouse gases.
- CNG is cheap fuel. A common man can afford it. Some states governments posing high taxes otherwise it very cheap fuel.
- It is highly efficient and easy to use.
Recent Developments
The demand of CNG before 2005 was low due to low crude oil price. Even most of the countries did not pay any attention on carbon emission. There is huge emission of carbon in the combustion of fossil fuel.
After 2005 various countries like America, Iran and China started to explore Compressed Natural Gas.
After 2010, CNG picked demand due to high crude oil prices and huge carbon emission.
At present CNG becomes mainstream fuel. Due to eco-friendly nature, it is expected to grow more in future.
Most of the CNG is made in North America. In this region, low cost CNG is made.
Important Characteristics of CNG
Now we know a litle about CNG. Lets discuss its characteristics.
- It is an odorless, colorless, and tasteless gas. A special chemical called methyl mercaptan is added to detect gas leaks.
- CNG is a highly combustible gas.
- Its key ingredients are Methane (CH4) with small amounts of ethane, butane, pentane, and propane.
- Calorific value is high because there is no toxicity in the gas.
- Water vapour and carbon dioxide the two byproducts of CNG.
- It is 60% lighter than air.
- It is found in rocks beneath the earth’s surface.
- It can be transported from one place to another place by using pipelines.
Chemical Composition of CNG
CNG is consist of methane (CH4) and other gases. Approx 90 % is methane. Other gases which contributes about 10 % of CNG are nitrogen, carbon dioxide, helium and hydrogen sulfide.
It can be kept both liquid and gaseous form. Normally, most vehicles use in gaseous form compressed to 3000 psi.
Uses of CNG
Various uses of CNG are:
- CNG is used in vehicles. It is low cost alternative solution of petrol and diesel.
- It is used in cooking.
- Clothes are dry by using CNG.
- CNG is used in power generation.
- Chemical processes industry.
- It is also used in manufacturing industry.
- We have read various applications of CNG. But, it is primarily used in vehicles as a eco-friendly fuel.
Production, Transportation and Handling
There are total 4 steps in this process.
Phase 1: Production
CNG is found under the earth’s rock. Drilling operations are performed to construct gas wells.
Natural gas is transported to the gas plant. various steps are performed in production process such as compression, cooling, dehydration, and most likely Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) separation.
Phase 2: Transportation
After production, this gas transported from one place to another.
Different types of small diameter and large diameters pipes are used to transport the compressed natural gas.
Insulated shell or coiled configuration are used in the gas pipeline.
Phase 3: Receiving
In this step, CNG is unload into the pipeline at the receiving terminal. Receiving terminal have a dock with high-pressure pipeline connections and an expander to recover lost energy from the high-pressure gas.
Phase 4: Storage
Compressed natural gases are stored in the tanks at the production and receiving terminal to maintain uninterrupted operation. These tanks are transported from one palace to another palace.
Advantages of Compressed Natural Gas
- It is cheap compared to diesel and petrol. The price of petrol and diesel are getting high.
- CNG release less pollutants.
- Low maintenance required.
- Less noise while operating the vehicle.
- Zero emission of black smoke.
Disadvantages of Compressed Natural Gas
- It requires more fuel space.
- Methane can harm environment in case of leakage.
- It have less power output. Not good for heavy duty vehicles.
Summary
CNG is a Natural Compressed Gas which is kept at high pressure. CNG normally used in vehicles due to low cost. It emits less carbon hence It is eco-friendly gas.