OSU Cascades Tries On-Board Compressors for NGVs

An OSU Cascades research team is finding a cheaper way for natural gas vehicle fueling at home

While natural gas fuel stations are opening across the United States, the concern of consistently finding fuel is still a stumbling block for the average consumer wanting to buy a natural gas vehicle (NGV). One solution is home fueling, and a team led by Dr. Chris Hagen, Assistant Professor, Energy Systems Engineering at Oregon State University (OSU) Cascades, thinks it has the answer.

OSU secured U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding in 2012 to modify a passenger vehicle so its internal combustion could be used to compress natural gas for storage on the vehicle. The goal is to reduce the cost and time for home-refueling, and to improve the convenience and cost for the average consumer owning a natural gas vehicle.

With over $900,000 of DOE ARPA-E funding, Dr. Hagen is the principal investigator, with support from Colorado State University and engineering firm CZero, Inc. He’s also co-founded a company to develop the technology commercially.

Dr. Hagen said the team wanted to leverage the sophistication of the modern internal combustion engine when brainstorming for a natural gas solution. Using the engine to act as the compressor, they don’t have repeating parts in a compressor on the garage wall, reducing the overall cost of self-fueling.

L to R, Dr. Chris Hagen, Zachary Taie, Robert Elgin III, Josh Tibbitts in the OSU Energy Systems Laboratory next to their bi-modal compression/combustion engine

The design concept involves adapting one of the cylinders to compress gas when parked overnight. This could enable wider adoption of natural gas because vehicle owners have the freedom to fill up at home or elsewhere. Owners could fuel at a fueling station, at home, or even another’s home when traveling – provided the friends have a natural gas utility connection enabled for it. “One of the beauties of this technology,” says Hagen, “is that the compressor rides with you.”

The development engine was modified to allow for two separate “modes” of operation. In commute mode used for driving, the engine runs as normal, firing on all cylinders. In refueling mode, the one or two modified engine cylinders compress gas while the other cylinders operate normally to power the compression and cool the system.

Europe’s Natural Gas Vehicle Industry Stakeholders Meet this November in Amsterdam

European stakeholders across the supply chain are preparing for the 2nd Annual Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) Conference and Exhibition on November 25-26 in Amsterdam. This is Westport’s second year at the event and we’re excited to have another opportunity to encourage expanding Europe’s NGV market.

Along with promoting natural gas as a viable transportation fuel, this year’s NGV Conference and Expo will have a strong focus on informing fleet customers of the benefits that switching to natural gas can bring to their businesses.

Westport’s Director of Market Development, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Nadège Leclercq says, “We like the idea of fleet operators being better informed about the possibilities and advantages of using natural gas as a vehicle fuel, because today most of the transportation companies are not aware. At this event they will be able to learn from major European companies that are already using natural gas vehicles. We believe it will be very valuable to share this experience.”

Contributing to this goal is Gordon Exel, Westport’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Americas and EMEA, who’ll be speaking at the conference. Attendees will also hear expert insights and outlooks from organisations such as Volvo Trucks, Gazprom Export, Daimler AG and the European Commission among many other key market players.

The event’s aim is to provide solutions for Europe’s transportation industry and show fleet organisations how to effectively and seamlessly integrate natural gas fuel into their operations.

Fleet owners and operators will learn about important gas engine technology updates and current investments in expanding the fuelling infrastructure network from senior level attendees representing the leading fleets, gas producers, utilities, fuel distributors and infrastructure developers. Owners and operators will also have a chance to connect with other transportation and fleet companies who’ve already made the switch to natural gas-fuelled fleets.

The demand for NGVs and infrastructure is growing, and with Europe’s increasingly stricter emissions standards, the NGV conference is more pertinent than ever. NGVs can significantly contribute to Europe’s CO2 emission reduction objectives. In January 2013, the European Commission announced plans for a network of compressed and liquefied natural gas refuelling stations covering the whole European Union.

Don’t wait… Mark your calendar and visit the Natural Gas Vehicle Conference website to register for the event!

Work Ahead for All-CNG Reality in Gujarat

In the last week of July, the High Court in Gujarat, India ordered the state government to ensure that all public and private vehicles registered in the state switch to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) within a year.

This is surely a tall order anywhere and Gujarat is no exception. The highly industrialized region in western India has some CNG infrastructure already, but CNG costs more in Gujarat than in Delhi or Mumbai, though Gujarat’s largest city Ahmedabad has equal pollution issues – making an environmental case for CNG in the region. This price obstacle was the impetus for a petition before the High Court to bring the price of CNG under regulation, but the High Court hearing the petition has taken the issue a serious step further.

We have seen similar decrees for fuel-specific use in a jurisdiction, such as the 1998 Supreme Court Directive in Delhi to replace or convert all buses, three-wheelers and taxis to CNG, but the Gujarati are questioning the court’s authority to order state legislation, particularly for all vehicles. A senior government representative was quoted in the Hindustan Times saying the state will fight it. “The high court order is not practically possible to implement as it has wider implications. We will challenge it in the Supreme Court.”

Are the logistics of a rapid switch on such a grand scale even reasonable for Gujarat? TheTimes of India reports that the existing infrastructure is unable to support the 32 lakr (3.2 million) vehicles in the state, given only about 4 lakr (400,000) are CNG at present, and the cost of converting the entire public and private fleet within one year would be, frankly, astronomical.

Citizens and auto dealers are alarmed, according to many news outlets. Some districts of the state of Gujarat currently do not have much CNG infrastructure at all. And aside from fuel station scarcity, TheHindu presents the facts on commodity obstacles as well. The region has to import natural gas to meet its current demand so a rapid switch will certainly have repercussions.

In any case, whether the all-CNG directive will go ahead or be successfully challenged remains unclear, but if the goal was to get the people of Gujarat talking about natural gas transportation, then success is achieved. The world waits with interest to see how this plays out.