COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS

Gaseous fuels are easier to handle and burn than liquid and solid fuels. Why? It’s because gaseous fuels
has high calorific value, and unlike solid and liquid fuels, it does not produce ash when burned. So one
example of it is, Natural Gas.

Natural gas is a fossil fuel that developed deep beneath the earth's surface. It is obtained from wells dug
in the oil bearing regions, this process is called hydraulic fracturing or fracking . When natural gas occurs
along with petroleum in oil wells, it is called as ‘wet gas’ and contains gaseous hydrocarbons. Gaseous
hydrocarbons are gaseous organic compounds comprising hydrogen and carbon. Natural gas is a
hydrocarbon gas mixture that is mostly made up of methane. The wet gas is then suitably treated to
remove propane, propene, butane and butane, which is used as LPG.

There are 2 types of Natural Gas, Compressed Natural Gas and Liquified Natural Gas. Compressed
Natural Gas or CNG is when the natural gas is compressed, it is a clear, odorless and non-corrosive
form of natural gas that is created using high amounts of pressure and comprised primarily of
methane, CNG is commonly employed as an alternative fuel for vehicles. While Liquified Natural Gas or
LNG, is essentially natural gas in a liquid condition. By removing components that can freeze, such as
water and carbon dioxide, the gas is formed. LNG is great for transport and storage because it is 600
times smaller than its initial volume.

The natural gas can either be stored in a tank of a vehicle as compressed natural gas (CNG) at 3,000 or
3,600 psi (pound per square inch) or as liquified natural gas (LNG) at typically 20-150 psi (pound per
square inch). A suitably designed natural gas engine may have a higher output compared with a petrol
engine because the octane number of natural gas is higher than that of petrol.

Compressed natural gas vehicles require a greater amount of space for fuel storage than convention
gasoline power vehicles. Since it is a compressed gas, rather than a liquid like gasoline, CNG takes up
more space for each GGE (Gallon of Gas Equivalent). This makes it difficult to design smaller vehicles
that look and operate like the vehicles that people are accustomed to.

CNG is often confused with liquefied natural gas, cuz both of them are natural gases but to point them
out, always remember that, CNG is compressed while LNG is liquified. CNG has a lower cost of
production and storage compared to LNG as it does not require an expensive cooling process and
cryogenic tanks. CNG requires a much larger volume to store the same mass of natural gas and the use
of very high pressures (3000 to 4000 lbf/in², or 205 to 275 bar).
Properties

l. CNG is; the cheapest, cleanest and least environmentally impacting alternative fuel.

Best of all, natural gas is less expensive than gasoline, saving $1.50 to $2 per gallon equivalent,
according to NGVAmerica.

2. Vehicles powered by CNG produce less carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon (HC) emission.

Because compressing natural gas requires less energy than liquefying it, CNG production consumes
less petroleum and generates slightly fewer GHGs than LNG.

3. It is less expensive than petrol and diesel.

4. The ignition temperature of CNG is about 550°C. And it requires more air for ignition.

The volume of natural gas is reduced to less than 1% of its volume at regular atmospheric pressure as a
result of this high pressure.

CNG is regarded as a safe fuel that emits no pollutants after combustion. It is extremely light in weight
and does not create any inadvertent damage as a result of leakage.
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/natural-gas/

https://www.prysmiangroup.com/en/insight/innovation/is-natural-gas-a-clean-source-of-energy
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/natural-gas/

https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/natural-gas/

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781118985960.meh418

https://www.vedantu.com/question-answer/are-the-gaseous-fuels-better-than-the-solid-or-class-8-
chemistry-cbse-5f6586d43da50302bd591f53

https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Compressed_natural_gas

https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/natural-gas/#:~:text=This%20process%2C%20called%20hydraulic
%20fracturing,up%20wells%20to%20the%20surface.

https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/natural_gas_emissions.html#:~:text=CNG%20production%20uses
%20less%20petroleum,less%20energy%20than%20liquefying%20it.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/the-pros-and-cons-of-natural-gas-vehicles