CNG Vehicle Popularity- Gateway to Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emission

by Basant K. Global Market Research Reports

Quite often natural gas is the energy source for commercial, residential and industrial processes; vehicles can operate on this very fuel, either by modifying an engine designed to run on gasoline or diesel or through the use of engines designed specifically for natural gas. Natural gas vehicles (NGVs) can be bi-fuel running on either natural gas or gasoline or natural gas or diesel. As majority of natural gas engines are spark-ignited, the usual bi-fuel pairing is gasoline and natural gas.

Natural gas engine technologies tend to be discrete in the method used to ignite the fuel in the air-fuel ratio, engine cylinders, the compression ratio and the resulting performance and emission capabilities. It is worth mentioning natural gas possess high octane rating that helps in the escalation of the power in spark-ignition engines. Having said that, natural gas occupies a bigger volume in the engine cylinder vis-à-vis liquid fuels, lessening the number of oxygen molecules—share of air in the cylinder—that abates power.

As natural gas is a gaseous fuel at the atmospheric pressure and has a significantly larger storage volume per unit of energy vis-à-vis refined petroleum liquids, it is stored aboard the vehicle as either a liquid or a compressed gas.

In order to become compressed natural gas (CNG), natural gas is pressurized in a storage tank at up to 3,600 pounds per square inch. European CNG light-duty front-wheel-drive passenger vehicles have tanks mounted under the back seat and luggage compartment, offering more storage space as compared to the Civic GX design.

With a myriad of cities embarking on natural gas vehicle program, it is indispensable that the elements of these programs are elucidated for maximum public and environmental health gains.

Environmental Perspectives of CNG Programs in India

Public health and environmental imperatives have led to the use of natural gas in the transportation sector. Even when Euro emissions standards were not in the frame and the sulfur content of diesel in India was as high as 5000-10,000 ppm, Indian cities of Mumbai and Delhi had kicked off implementing natural gas vehicle programs during the nineties.

Natural gas vehicle (NGV) programs of India have majorly targeted the most polluting segments on the Indian roads which comprises of:

Three-wheelers;
Diesel buses;
Taxis;
Small commercial vehicles.

This is discrete from large programs associated to the CNG vehicles market in Argentine where petrol driven light-duty cars were targeted for energy security reasons. Undeniably, natural gas is profoundly available in Bangladesh and Argentine, and it becomes easier for them to run their spark ignition petrol engines on natural gas with energy security measure in focus. However, Bangladesh has started to target diesel bus sector for environmental reasons.

The CNG program earmarked vehicles in India preferably as diesel-related pollutants are either rapidly increasing or are very high. There are growing public concerns with respect to health implications of diesel related fine PM.

In its 2015 order the National Green Tribunal warded off all diesel vehicles older than 10 years from plying on the roads of New Delhi. The Apex court in 2018 endorsed the NGT order and ordained such vehicles be impounded.

A Glance at Eminence of CNG Vehicles

Compressed Natural Gas, prevalent used as CNG, is an odorless, clear and non-corrosive gas which can be used as a cheaper and more efficient alternative to the traditional fuels used in vehicles.

In recent decades, CNG vehicles have become no less than a sine quo non for ensuring energy supply security and thwarting transport emissions and pollutants. CNG is primarily used in the transport industry with the low density of CNG allowing compression to take place at approximately 200 kg, ergo, propelling the storage space or on-board capacity of a CNG car. In addition, CNG vehicles have a myriad of benefits, attenuating as to why people prefer to convert their cars into CNG vehicles.

Propels durability of spark plugs given it does not contain benzene and lead. Currently, industrial plants use large quantities of the gas as heavy fuel.
Optimal Performance is observed as dedicated natural gas engines are far more superior in performance to gasoline engines as natural gas has an octane rating of around 130, while unleaded and super have octane levels of 97 and 95 respectively. Besides, CNG also run serenely vis-à-vis gasoline and diesel vehicles, thereby curbing cacophony of gasoline or diesel vehicles.
CNG offers cleaner fuel as it does not contain particulate matter, sulfur, toxic additives or traces of heavy metals.
Minimal chance of fire hazard as ignition temperature of CNG is 600 degree Celsius (higher than gasoline’s 320 degree Celsius and diesel’s 285 degree Celsius. In addition, in the event of a leak, CNG is lighter than air, alluding it will dissipate into the atmosphere; disparate to gasoline or diesel which pools on the ground.

CNG: Panacea for Fuel Adulteration?

Fuel adulteration has long plagued vehicle technology and emission control systems who vow to dilute emissions from petrol and diesel. Gaseous fuel is widely seen as a way to shy away from the evil clutches of adulteration. Nonetheless, several government agencies across the globe have vouched for natural gas vehicles.