Presentation on

Development in use
of CNG Vehicles

Presented by
Kunal Chaturvedi

Date:
Dec 25 2022
Contents

01 02 03
Introduction Production of CNG & Suggested measures
Issues with CNG Vehicles

Introduction Production of CNG Suggested Changes in

Statistics Issues in CNG vehicles vehicle grade CNG
Working of CNG running Suggestion in CNG vehicles
vehicles designing
Benefits of using CNG
over fossil fuels
Part 1:

Introduction
 Introduction

CNG Vehicles are one of the NGV(natural gas vehicles )which is one
of the highly accepted alternatives of traditional fossil fuel running
cars.
Before the popularization of EVs and Hydrogen gas running vehicles
they are seen as Green alternative.
NG and LNG are considered alternative fuels under the Energy Policy
Act of 1992. The horsepower, acceleration, and cruise speed of
NGVs are comparable with those of equivalent, conventionally
fueled vehicles[1].
Also, compared with conventional diesel and gasoline vehicles,
NGVs offer other air quality benefits beyond greenhouse gas
emissions.
LNG (Liquified natural gas vehicles can be used for high power and
long distance because of their higher
energy density as they are available as liquid
 1,500K

25% 1 in 10
1,000K

CNG Vehicles emmits

25% less CO2 when
compared with normal One out of every ten car
fossil fuel vehicles.
500K sold in Indian Market is
Indian CNG Car market is CNG/LNG based.[2]
expected to grow with
CAGR of 7% by 2029[3] 0K
FY 2022 FY 2029
Working of NGV Vehciles
Just like gasoline powered vehicles, NPV vehicles also works on spark-ignited
internal combustion engines.
Natural gas is stored in a fuel tank, or cylinder, typically at the back of the
vehicle.
The CNG fuel system transfers high-pressure gas from the fuel tank through
the fuel lines, where a pressure regulator reduces the pressure to a level
compatible with the engine fuel injection system.
Finally, the fuel is introduced into the intake manifold or combustion
chamber, where it is mixed with air and then compressed and ignited by a
spark plug.
A NPV vehicle is generally Bi-fuel engine which in general works on both
normal fuels and CNG fuels.[1][4]
Key Components of Natural Gas Vehicles

Electronic control module (ECM): The ECM

controls the fuel mixture, ignition timing, and
emissions system
Fuel injection system: This system introduces fuel
into the engine's combustion chambers for
ignition.
High pressure regulator: Reduces and regulates the
pressure of the fuel exiting the tank.
Fuel line: A metal tube or flexible hose (or a
combination of these) transfers fuel from the tank
to the engine's fuel injection system.
Natural gas fuel filter: Traps contaminants and
other byproducts to prevent them from clogging
critical fuel system components, such as fuel
injectors.
Benifits of using NGV over fossil fuel vehicles
Green fuel : Less Carbon emmisions
Stored in High gauge cylinder making it
tough to leak
It's lighter than air so even if it leaks, it
will disperse into the atmosphere
High auto-ignition temperature(540 °C)
and narrow flammability range (5%-15%)
Increased life of lubricating oils, as CNG
does not contaminate and dilute the
crankcase oil.
The operational cost of vehicles running
on CNG, as compared to those running
on other fuels, is comparatively low.[5]
Part : 2

Production of
CNG & Issues
with CNG
Vehicles
CNG production
CNG comprises with 99% of CH4 compressed
at 1% of it's initial volume while LNG is a
liquified mixture of methane & ethane that
has cooled down to liquid.
CNG is extracted from coal bed methane
which is formed during process of
coalification.
The methane can be readily separated by
reducing water pressure with partial pumping
of water. The gas moves to the well and is
piped out to the surface. It is compressed and
sold to market. The extraction process
involves drilling hundreds of wells with
Methane can cause suffocation is present of
air in atmosphere.
Issues with Natural Gas Vehicle
The performance of the car is reduced significantly. On an average CNG users experience a crash of about
10% in performance. Acceleration is slower so you may have to rev the engine more to get going. Essentially
this is the reason why people believe CNG reduces engine life. The issue is, drivers expect petrol like
performance from CNG and rev more to get it. This eventually results in more wear and tear.
The storage space is eaten up badly. CNG tanks are easily the size of a large bag, so boot space is reduced or
removed entirely as the fuel storage tank takes up all the room.
Availability is not as widespread as regular gas stations. Within the city users probably have a list of stations
that fall in their route, but beyond that it is an uncertainty. This is the reason why cars aren’t made to run
exclusively on CNG.
On combustion it processes a pungent smell making it uncomfortable for passangers and drivers to go for
long drive with CNG vehicles.
Blocked injectors. Cars with CNG kits should always be started on petrol and run for a few kilometers before
being switched to the green fuel. This warms up the engine better and gets the motor well lubricated. Petrol
is expensive so drivers often chose not to use it. This causes the injectors to crust and get blocked. Not to
mention the fuel laying in the tank ages and unlike wine, does not get any better.
Fuel range. Although CNG is a cheaper fuel, the actual range on just CNG is lesser than petrol. Not to
mention, running on a close to empty tank reduces the pressure and increases the risk of the valves bursting.
So, even if the car does use CNG, it is always wise to keep a regular flow of petrol both in the tank and in the
engine usage.
Suggestive Improvements in vehicle
grade CNG and NGV designs
Change #1 Natural gases which are generally free from any smell, some
pungent smelling agents are added in order to detect the
leakage early if in case it happens. Though it is very important
from safety point of view, many people complaint about that how
this smell makes journey uncomfortable for long durations in
CNG vehicles. To overcome this problem we can use cyclic
ketones. We all know that ketones have a fruity smell ,but it is so
good as fuel too.Cyclic ketones, among bio-derived fuels, are of
significant interest to the combustion community for several
reasons. As they possess high resistance to autoignition
characteristics, they can potentially be attractive for fuel
blending applications to increase engine efficiency and also to
mitigate harmful emissions.[7]
It was observed that adding 40% of STW(Spent tea waste) can
enhance the hydrogen composition and calorific value of the
producer gas by 10.29–16.25% and 5.33–6.18 MJ/Nm3
respectively, besides an increase of 12–14.5% in cold gas
efficiency. If in future we are able to solve the space and energy
associated problem of CNG/NGV vehicles we can also use the
above method to improve the vehicles.[8]
 Change #2
For maximum CNG Vehicles the maximum concern
is regarding the space. Due to low energy density
CNG tanks requires a large space minimising the
boot space which is required. To overcome this
following suggestions can be tried and tested in
order to improve efficiency of these suggestions. I
was not able to find any strong evidences regarding
them.
1. Using LNG instead of CNG can be better option
as it is available in liquid format and hence have
high energy density when compared to CNG.
Also as it is in liquid form it requires very less
space when compared to CNG.
2. If we want to use CNG because of it's cheaper
price and easy avaibility, rather than one large
horizontal cylinder(as shown in figure) we can
use two small vertical cylinders, each at one
side of vehicle to maintain the weight balance
and enhances the boot space. Though in that
case high pressure will be required in cylinders
to keep the gas compressed.
 References
1.https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/natural_gas.html
2.https://www.autocarpro.in/news-national/cng-makes-inroads-in-indias-auto-sector-81617
3.https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/market-report/india-cng-and-lpg-vehicles-market/20201/
4.https://www.bosch-mobility-solutions.com/en/solutions/powertrain/gas/compressed-natural-
gas/#:~:text=The%20natural%2Dgas%20injection%20valve,pressure%20into%20the%20intake%20manifold.&t
ext=The%20fuel%2Drails%20provide%20the,the%20natural%2Dgas%20injection%20valves.
5.https://www.adanigas.com/cng/benefits-of-cng
6.https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/compressed-natural-
gas#:~:text=The%20methane%20can%20be%20readily,with%20extensive%20infrastructural%20support%20fac
ilities.
7.https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.jpca.9b00691#:~:text=Cyclic%20ketones%2C%20among%20bio%2
Dderived,also%20to%20mitigate%20harmful%20emissions.
8.https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.9b03052