CNG what does it stand for?

Tim McElwain

Answer  COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS,  it is not for replacing propane tanks, it is not buried in the ground, it is not LNG Liquefied Natural Gas. IT CAN NOT BE USED FOR RESIDENTIAL USE UNLESS I AM MISSING SOMETHING. IT IS FOR USE ON VEHICLES IN PLACE OF GASOLINE AND THE CYLINDERS ARE PERMANENT AND ARE AT AROUND 2,000 POUNDS PRESSURE OR SO!!!



I have had four e-mails and two phone calls wanting to know when these tanks will be made available for domestic heating use, to the best of my knowledge that is not what they are for. Does someone know something that I may have missed?????

bld999

cng

I was under the impression that is for transportation use, mostly where vehicles return to a home base each night. One guy who worked for a municipality said a humongous and expensive compressor was required to fill the vehicle tanks, and therefore they steered away from it for their fleet. 2000psi makes for some serious limitations.

SWEI

CNG

While there's no technical reason CNG would not work for home heating, it just doesn't make sense economically or logistically.  And of course, some new code(s) would probably be needed.

Plumperfect

Cng

Portable CngTanks would be great for those being held hostage by OPEC and big oil , they of course create all kinds of legal and more importantly technical problems but would open a whole new door for licensed professionals, on the same note with more than we can burn in this wonderful country how come we can't use this more widely for cars and trucks blows my mind

scott markle_2

Gas Hysteria

I'm skeptical,



The car is a central element in our consumer economy, Diesel is unmatched in energy density and transportability. 2000 psi is scary.



Yes let's burn more gas for heating and save the diesel for motors.



I don't think that just because there is more natural gas on the market than the infrastructure can absorb, that this economic trend will continue indefinitely. Incidentally I heard that a major shale gas drilling outfit from france is not permitted to drill in their own county. There is a gold rush fever of investment in frak gas and todays low prices are probably quite disconnected from sustainable production costs. If the industry is regulated responsibly shale gas is not going to be cheap... We should stop looking for cheap energy solutions and focus on doing with less.

Jamie Hall

The problem is...

that there are still a good many of us who are a good long ways away from anything that looks like a gas main, but live in parts of the world where it is kinda chilly sometimes.  At the moment our choices are either diesel (heating oil) or LPG -- liquefied petroleum gas.  Neither CNG nor LNG are particularly promising, in my view, for home or small business heating applications.  CNG because, as has been rather aptly noted, 2,000 psi is just a wee bit scary.  LNG because the storage temperatures are so low.  A good size LPG tank (say 1,000 gallons) is a pretty awesome beast if things go wrong, and it is pretty mild compared to either CNG or LNG.



Of course, those of us who are still dependent on oil are a minority; a very large majority of the population lives in metropolitan areas which are served (if not well) by gas pipelines.  Therefore we tend to get ignored...

kimberlyjackson

Natural gas,

Well, i had learned that GM and Chrysler have announced natural-gas powered versions of the full-size pickups made by both companies. The trucks will be released later this year. As what I know, although natural gas produce incomplete combustion, it's still safer to use than gasoline, etc. therefore, it's more environmental friendly. Resource for this article: GM and Chrysler launching natural gas trucks .

Jamie Hall

Oh Kimberley...

Natural gas does NOT produce incomplete combustion -- nor does LPG, gasoline, or diesel -- provided the equipment is properly adjusted.  All of those fuels, if the equipment is properly adjusted, burn to produce carbon dioxide and water; if the mixture is slightly rich (more fuel than actually needed) there will also be some carbon monoxide (quite lethal).  If it is significantly rich, then it is true that there will be some unburned fuel carryover in the exhaust; most applications with widely varying loads handle this with a combination of very exact control of the mixture via fuel injection and by catalytic conversion of the unburned fuel in the exhaust.



Older equipment, and equipment in poor condition, may run significantly rich, and may produce significant unburned fuel -- but that is not the fault of the fuel, but of older designs or, in many cases, poor maintenance.



You should also define "safety".  From the standpoint of fire and explosion hazard, diesel (including fuel oils of all kinds) is the safest of the liquid/gaseous hydrocarbon fuels.  Both gasoline and natural gas or LP gas either are or produce vapours with a lamentably wide explosive range, and must be handled with a good deal of care from that standpoint.  If by safety you actually mean overall environmental impact, natural gas probably does have the lowest impact -- but the margin isn't great when all factors are considered, and is quite variable depending on the source of the fuel, the refining used (if any), and the equipment using the fuel.