POTENTIAL OF CNGAS A FUEL FOR VEHICLESProject report submitted
is partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of degree
of bachelor of management studies,MumbaiUniversity.Project
submitted by:Yogesh D SolankiT.Y.B.M.S (V Semester) UNDER THE
GUIDANCE OF: PROF. DR. KARTHYKEYANSYDENHAMCOLLEGEOfCOMMERCE AND
ECONOMICSCHURCHGATE, PH. NO.:22818477
INTRODUCTIONTransport plays a significant role in the overall
development of a nations economy. However, this sector also
accounts for a substantial and growing proportion of air pollution
in cities. In addition, the sector contributes significantly to
greenhouse gases emissions and is a major consumer of petroleum
fuels.According to recent WHO estimates up to one lakh people die
annually because of the adverse effect of the air pollution. As per
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) a nodal pollution monitoring
authority in the country, automobiles contribute the highest amount
of hydro carbon in the air as much as 81 % of the suspended
particulate Matter (SPM).Delhi, being one of the most polluted
cities in the world, has reached frightening proportions with over
3000 metric tons of air pollutants emitted in the capital every
day.Delhifigures in the list of six cities, which have acute air
pollution problems. The other such cities are Mumbai,
Kolkata,Nagpur, Ahmedabad andKanpur.Due to Projected increases in
Gasoline/diesel vehicles use, even the strictest feasible emissions
controls on petroleum fuel vehicles will not substantially reduce
total emissions. The use of petroleum for transportation results in
large quantities of pollutant emission from vehicles, refineries
and fuel stations. Light gasoline vehicles are a major source of
non-methane hydro carbons (NMHC) and NO the main prcusors in Ozone
and the single largest source of CO. Heavy duty diesel vehicles are
significant sources of NO. Particulate matter (PM) and SO. NO and
SO can cause acute and long term illness and premature death,
reduce agriculture productivity, damage materials, reduce
visibility and contaminate ground water and coastal areas.
Altogether, transportation continues to be a major source of toxic
air pollutants in urban areas. Air quality is not likely to improve
as long as petroleum is the primary transportation fuel. Methane
hydro carbons (NMHC) and NO the main precursors in Ozone and the
single largest source of CO. Heavy duty diesel vehicles are
significant sources of NO. Particulate matter (PM) and SO. NO and
SO can cause acute and long term illness and premature death,
reduce agriculture productivity, damage materials, reduce
visibility and contaminate ground water and coastal areas.
Altogether, transportation continues to be a major source of toxic
air pollutants in urban areas. Air quality is not likely to improve
as long as petroleum is the primary transportation fuel.Overview of
the transport sector inIndiaInIndia, the share of the transport
sector in GDP (gross domestic product) in 1997/98 was 7.3% (1993/94
prices). Road transport and the railways account for the majority
of this contribution. The transport sector is also the second
largest consumer of energy, next only to industry and commercial
energy consumption about 98% of which is in the form of HSD and
gasoline, grew at the rate of 3.1% per annum in the 1970s and at
5.6% per annum in the 1990sThe relationship between transport and
emissions inIndiais established via the use of fossil fuels. The
linkage between transport and the environment is particularly
visible in the urban transport sector due to the dominance of road
transport. In addition, the transport sector accounts for a large
and growing proportion of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.GROSS
CARBON EMISSIONS FROM ALTERNATIVETRANSPORT FUELS The method used in
this research has two main components. The first is an examination
of each energy industry in detail, using primary sources of data
from power stations, oil refineries and anhydrous ethanol
production from molasses. The processes involved in each case are
examined, taking into account energy use in any necessary auxiliary
activities to evaluate the total carbon emissions. The second
component is a detailed examination of one specific form of public
transport. This is a three-wheeled 8-seater used in the city
ofLucknowinNorth India. It is chosen because it is available with a
petrol or compressed natural gas (CNG) spark-ignition engine (and
hence could alternatively be ethanol-fuelled) and in a
battery-electric version. Both parts of this data-gathering have
been specific to the situation inIndia. In energy conversion the
refinery crude composition and processes, basic resources of
biomass and the mix of primary energy for electricity generation
are different in each country. The types of vehicle used also vary
considerably from region to region. It is observed that while CNG
and electric-powered vehicles may have low and zero tailpipe
emissions respectively, gross pollution from such vehicles and
their associated resource systems maybe significant. In the case of
electrically-propelled vehicles the gross carbon emission is
comparable with that for similar petrol-engine vehicles since about
80 % of electricity production inIndiais fossil-fuel-based. In
comparison, CNG shows a reduction of about a third. Alcohol-fuelled
vehicles, by comparison, can show neutral (i.e., zero net) carbon
emission. The importance of gross pollution assessments in rational
choice of a fuel cannot be overemphasised.A life-cycle or so called
well-to-wheel analysis of a fuel draws attention to the fact that
CO2 is produced not only in the combustion of a fuel at the point
of use but also during extraction, refining and transportation of
the fuel. This indirect CO2 production is generally associated with
energy inputs in these processes but may also be related to the
inherent nature of the processes involved (Figure1).Figure 1. Net
energy and gross CO2 emissionsG = gross energy produced by
combustion of fuelF = total feedback energy in fuel production
processes 1, 2 and 3 = F1 + F2 + F3N = net energy available from
the fuel = G F1. CO2emissionsThe sum total of such direct and
indirect CO2 emissions may be termed gross CO2 emissions. It should
be pointed out here that, apart from CO2, emission of other
polluting agents from a fuel such as SOx, NOx, particulates,
aldehydes and lead might also be considered. The present study is
limited to CO2 emission because of its serious implications for
global warming. For a transport fuel, the term life-cycle refers to
althea events that begin from the source and end at the wheel. In
particular it includes stages of feedstock extraction, fuel
processing and refining, fuel transport, fuel storage and
distribution, and finally combustion in the engine of a transport
vehicle to power its wheels. As a practical example, gross CO2
emission has been evaluated for an important alternative transport
fuel, bioethanol produced in Indian conditions, and this has-been
compared with that for oil, compressed natural gas (CNG) and
electricity. A new figure of merit for grading a fuel was proposed
by the authors in earlier papers [Prakash et al., 1998; 2000] --
linking net energy and gross pollution from fuel, where bioethanol
was taken as an example. Now this work has been extended and the
current paper assesses the gross pollution from various transport
fuels on a per kilometre basis, when actually used in similar
passenger vehicles for public transport under Indian conditions.2.
Significance of bioethanol as petroleum substitute inIndiaIndiais
one of the largest sugar-cane producers in the world and its sugar
industry is the second largest among the Indian process industries,
next only to cotton textiles [Gehlawat, 1990]. The estimated annual
sugar-cane production inIndia[MoF, 1997] is 274 million tonnes (Mt)
of which about 51 % are processed in sugar mills, 39 %is used in
smallgurandkhandsari(raw and crude sugar) units and 10 % is used as
seed material [Ravindranathand Hall, 1995]. The main by-products of
the sugar industry are bagasse and molasses. Molasses accounts for
about 5 % of the mass of the cane crushed and a yield of 285 litres
(l) of ethanol/t of molasses can be achieved [Gehlawat, 1990].
Considering only the molasses available from sugar mills, this
source can potentially produce two million m3 of ethanol a year.
The annual consumption of petrol in road transport inIndia[TERI,
1997] is about 4.7 million m3. The calorific value of ethanol is
21.1 MJ/l compared with 31.8 MJ/l of petrol [Yacoub et al., 1998],
resulting in a potential of petrol substitution by ethanol in road
transport of about28 % (on equivalent energy basis) under Indian
conditions From practical considerations, however, it would be
easier to introduce gasohol (petrol containing 10 % anhydrous
ethanol by volume) as a transport fuel, since the introduction of
this blend would require no engine modifications and vehicle
volumetric fuel consumption essentially remains unchanged [SEIS,
1980]. With the introduction of gasohol, the annual petrol saving
potential in road transport would be approximately 0.5 million m3
at the current level of petrol consumption inIndia. Such a
substitution should directly reduce petroleum imports and replace
octane-boosting lead alkyls in petrol, as have been done
successfully in many countries [Hall and House, 1995].Blending of
ethanol with petrol provides additional benefits. The changes in
refinery operations that are required to produce fuel of the same
octane number without lead reduce the quantity of fuel that can be
produced from a barrel of crude oil. This is because reforming
lower octane-rating hydrocarbon components to increase the
percentage of more complex octane-boosting molecules alters the
chemical constitution of the petrol. This reforming process
consumes additional energy in the refining process energy directly
lost from every barrel processed. The addition of ethanol to
petrolTable 1. Process energy requirementsProcessEnergy
consumptionMJ/IEnergy recoveredMJ/I
Fermentation0.95
Distillation11.88
Dehydration4.84
Effluent treatment3.3011.27
Auxiliary equipment0.21
Total21.1811.27
effectively gives the required octane boost and the reforming
requirement is correspondingly reduced. This means that every
barrel of petrol blended with alcohol produced decreases crude oil
demand, not only by the quantity of petrol directly replaced by
ethanol but also by the crude oil saved through the value of
ethanol as an octane enhancer [SEIS, 1980Unleadedpetrol is now
available in India but its use can create its own problems. Fuels
containing high proportions of aromatics and olefins produce
relatively higher concentrations of hydrocarbon compounds that have
a potential to participate in reactions leading to the production
of the harmful photochemical smog. In addition, some aromatic
compounds are known to be carcinogenic and nerve toxins. For these
reasons, the current trend favours the lowering of aromatics
content in petrol [Al-Farayedhiet al., 2000].3. Gross carbon
emission from anhydrous ethanol inIndia.In the case where
bioethanol is to be used in India as a petrol blend in road
transport without engine modifications, the use of anhydrous
ethanol is essential [SEIS,1980]. Hence it is important to carry
out energy and environmental analysis of anhydrous ethanol
production from molasses as practised inIndia. With this objective,
energy inputs in ethanol production were obtained from a
representative industrial alcohol plant located in the state of
Uttar Pradesh (UP),India. The plant, which has a production
capacity of 100 m cube/day, is operated on a three-shift basis (24
h/day). The production process consists of three stages:
fermentation, conventional distillation and dehydration, followed
by effluent treatment that is now mandatory for all distilleries.
Energy consumption in each of these stages is in the form of
process steam and power derived from backpressure steam turbines.
These turbines use steam generated at 4.5 MPa (gauge) from
bagasse-fired boilers.Bagasse is obtained through backward
integration of the distillery with a sugar mill having a
cane-crushing capacity of 8000 t/day. The mill-wet bagasse contains
about 50 % moisture and has a calorific value [Gehlawat, 1990] of
9.5 MJ/kg. Data recorded from the boiler and the back-pressure
turbine used gave the following results:- 1 kg of steam generation
requires 0.45 kg of bagasse, i.e., 4.3 MJ of primary energy. 1 kWh
of power generation requires 7 kg of steam,i.e., 30 MJ of primary
energy. About 1400 m3 of spent wash produced per day from100 m3/day
of distillate is treated biologically via anaerobic digestion,
generating biogas. Approximately 35m3 of biogas is generated per m3
of spent wash. This biogas, containing about 60 % methane and
having an approximate calorific value 23 MJ/m3, is fed directly
into the boilers to save bagasse.The energy consumption recorded
during various stages of ethanol manufacture is summarized in Table
1 and more detail may be found in a previous paper by the
authors[Prakash et al., 1990].4. Carbon emissions and uptakeThere
are significant carbon emissions in the form of CO2 during the
production process of ethanol. A large amount of CO2 is released
during fermentation, as well as in the burning of biogas and
bagasse in the boilers used. CO2would also be released in
transporting ethanol from the distillery to the point of use and,
of course, in its eventualCombustion. In all of the above processes
(except traditional transportation), however, the raw material used
(molasses) and energy inputs (bagasse and biogas) are derived from
biomass (sugar-cane) from the nearby fields. Therefore, one can
safely assume that much of the carbon released is eventually
absorbed through photosynthesis insular-cane. Hence, in this case,
gross carbon emissions minus carbon uptake may be considered to be
nil or, almost, very small.5. Gross carbon emissions from oil and
CNGAn accurate assessment of gross carbon emissions froma fuel
requires a detailed energy analysis of its production process.
However, indicative values of carbon release rates (as CO2) for
fossil fuel processing and combustion are available [Goldenberg et
al., 1988] and are given below:Gross carbon emissions from natural
- 13.5 kg per GJ released in combustion gasGross carbon emissions
from - 19.9 kg per GJ released in combustionpetrol Specific energy
content of - 46 MJ/kgnatural gas [Baruah, 1993]Specific energy
content of petrol - 42.9 MJ/kg[Yacoub et al., 1998]Hence, gross
carbon emissions from natural gas= (0.0135 kg/MJ) (46 MJ/kg)= 0.62
kg C/kg of fueland gross carbon emissions from oil= (0.0199 kg/MJ)
(42.9 MJ/kg)= 0.85 kg C/kg of fuelFigure 2. Typical Vikram
vehicles: 410P petrol-engined (left) and EV electric-powered
(right)To obtain the feedback energy requirement for CNG, energy
data for compression were obtained from the Gas Authority of India
Ltd as follows. In a typical CNG plant, natural gas is compressed
from about 40 bar to 250 bar through reciprocating compressors in a
two-stage process. The total electricity consumption in the process
(compressor motors, oil pumps, cooling water pumps, valves, etc.)
was estimated to be in the range 0.6-0.7 kWhe/kg of natural gas.
The initial compression of natural gas to 40 bar from the lowest
pressure of about 3 bar consumes an additional 0.2 kWhe/kg of
natural gas. Hence, the aggregate electricity consumption in
compression averages about 0.85 kWhe!kg of natural gas. Carbon
emissions (as C02) in conventional (coal-based) electricity
generation [Brown, 1992] are approximately 0.25 kg C/kWhe. About 80
% of the utility power generation inIndia[MoF, 200 I] is thermal
(mainly coalbased) and the remaining 20 % comes from carbon-free
(hydro and nuclear) resources. Therefore, I kWhe power generation
inIndiais associated with approximately 0.2 kg C emission.Hence,
gross carbon emission from I kg CNG = 0.62 + 0.85 x 0.2 = 0.79 kg
C6. Gross carbon emission from electric vehicles To estimate gross
carbon emissions from electric vehicles, practical data was
obtained from Scooters India Limited (SIL) atLucknow(Uttar
Pradesh),India. SIL is involved in the manufacture, running and
maintenance of its fleet of 8-seater three-wheelers. These are
called Vikram temposand are used for public transport in the city
(Figure 2). Each vehicle uses 12 lead-acid traction batteries (6 V,
200 Ab) which run a DC series motor (72 V, 5.5 kW). The average
range of the vehicle on one charge is about 100 km and the data
recorded from the charging station shows electricity consumption in
the range 16-18 kWhe for fully charging a discharged battery bank.
Since I k Whe power generation in India is associated with
approximately 0.2 kg C emission (as in the above paragraph), gross
carbon emission from SIL's electric vehicles is estimated as:[(0.2
kg C/kWhe) x (17 kWhe)]/ [(l00 km) x (8 passengers)] = 4.3 g
C/passenger-km7. Comparative assessment of gross carbon emissions
from various transport fuels Apart from manufacturing electric
vehicles, SIL is also involved in the manufacture of petrol- and
CNG-driven 8-seater three-wheelers for public transport. These are
also known as Vikram tempos as they are similar to the electric
vehicles in design, but have an engine of 3.4 kW (200 cm3,
2-stroke) and steel chassis, unlike the fibre-reinforced plastics
used for electric vehicles. There is also a diesel vehicle but this
is smaller and not directly comparable so has been omitted from
this study. Fuel consumption in the petrol and CNG-driven tempos
was observed as follows.I kg CNG is required for 35 km average run
or I I petrol for an average run of 18 km. Considering gross carbon
emission from petrol and CNG per kg of fuel, gross carbon emission
from SIL' s tempos is evaluated as: 4.4 gC/passenger-km for
petrol-driven vehicles and2.8 gC/passenger-km for CNG-driven
vehicles.A comparison of the gross carbon emissions from various
transport fuels in Indian conditions is shown in Table 2.8.
ConclusionsIt is concluded that bioethanol, as produced inIndia,
can play a significant role in reducing life-cycle carbon
emissions. If used as a petrol blend, it can help reduce oilimports
as well as reduce aromatics pollution from unleaded petrol. Table
2. Gross carbon emissions from various transport fuels
Indicative values of gross carbon emissions from various
alternative transport fuels have been evaluated and are presented
in Table 2. The table shows that gross carbon emissions from
electric vehicles are significant and are comparable with those
from oil-fuelled vehicles, while CNG is the least polluting among
conventional fuels. This shows that although some fuels may be
"clean" locally, they can cause considerable pollution on a global
basis. The study further demonstrates that gross pollution from a
fuel would decrease if clean and renewable energy resources were
used in its production process, as in the case of bioethanol
manufacture inIndia.The study needs to be extended, of course, to
assess gross emissions of other pollutants from a fuel, e.g., SOx,
NOx, particulates, aldehydes and lead, to obtain a comprehensive
gradation of fuels, thereby helping in the rational choice of a
fuel.A comparison with similar life-cycle assessments for
automobile fuel/propulsion system technologies forNorth Americais
provided below which further corroborates the conclusions drawn
above.Comparison with similar life-cycle assessments for automobile
fuel/propulsion system technologiesComparing fuels and propulsion
systems requires a comprehensive, quantitative, life-cycle approach
to the analysis. It must be more encompassing than well-to-wheels
analysis. Well-to-wheels comprises two components, the
"well-to-tank" (all activities involved in producing the fuel) and
"tank-to-wheel" (the operation/driving of the vehicle). The
analyses must include the extraction of all raw materials, fuel
production, infrastructure requirements, component manufacture,
vehicle manufacture, use, and end-of-life phases (dismantling,
shredding, disposal/recycling) of the vehicle. Focusing on a
portion of the system can be misleading. The analysis must be
quantitative and include the array of environmental discharges, as
well as life-cycle cost information, since each fuel and propulsion
system has its comparativeadvantages. Comparing systems requires
knowing how much better each alternative is with respect to some
dimensions and how much worse it is with respect to others. Since
focusing on a single stage or attribute of a system can be
misleading, e.g., only tail pipe emissions, the lifecycle
implications of each fuel and propulsion technology need to be
explored.MacLean and Lave [2003] have provided a very detailed
review of a dozen studies on the life-cycle implications of a wide
range of fuels and propulsion systems that could power light-duty
vehicles in the US and Canada over the next two to three decades.
The studies vary in the fuel/propulsion options they consider, the
environmental burdens they report and the assumptions they employ,
making it difficult to compare results. All of thestudies, however,
include the "well-to-tank" and "tank-to-wheel" activities and the
majority of the studies include a measure of efficiency and
greenhouse gas emissions associated with these activities.
Comparison has been limited to these activities and measures.Table
Al provides a summary of the ranges of efficiency and greenhouse
gas emissions reported in the studies for the well-to-tank portion
for the various options. For the well-to-tank portion for the
production of electricity, renewable fuels and hydrogen, differing
fuel production pathways are most important. Owing to the range of
different production options for these fuels (as well as other
issues such as study assumptions), results are much more variable.
In addition, there is less experience with producing these fuels,
resulting in more uncertainty. It is important to distinguish
between total and fossil energy required for production when
comparing efficiencies among the fuels. Petroleum-based fuels have
the highest efficiency for the well-to-tank portion when total
energy is considered. However, if only fossil energy is considered,
biomass-based fuels such as ethanol become more attractive.The
tank-to-wheel portions are more difficult to compare. Each study
uses its selected vehicle (e.g., conventional sedans, light-weight
sedans, pick-up trucks) and many present assumptions regarding the
vehicle efficiencies. The studies, however, do not generally report
the range of assumptions or test conditions.
Table A1. Comparison of life-cycle inventory studies:
well-to-tankefficiencies and greenhouse gas emissionsNotes1.
Efficiency (%) is defined as: (energy in the fuel delivered to
consumers/energy inputs100, e.g., 100 MJ of energy input results in
80-87to produce and deliver the fuel) MJ of petrol delivered to the
consumer.2. Negative GHG emission values for ethanol result from
carbon sequestration duringfeedstock growth as well as if a credit
is given for selling excess electricity (producedthrough
cogeneration schemes) to the grid and therefore offsetting
CO2emissions fromconventional electricity generation.The
well-to-wheel results (the sum of the well-to-tank and
tank-to-wheel activities) of the studies are still more difficult
to compare. The baseline vehicle (with a few exceptions) is a
current petrol-fuelled ICE port fuel injection vehicle; it combines
an efficient well-to-tank portion with a relatively inefficient
tank-to-wheel portion. A direct injection diesel vehicle is
considerably more efficient and therefore results in lower
emissions of carbon dioxide even though the carbon content in the
diesel (and hence the well-to-tank portion of the C02 emissions) is
higher than that in petrol. Fuel-cell vehicles have a high
theoretical efficiency but generally a low-efficiency well-to-tank
portion, which offsets some of the vehicle efficiency
benefits.Table A2 shows the ranges of values reported in the
life-cycle studies for the well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions.
All of the fossil fuel options result in emissions of large amounts
of greenhouse gases. Ethanol and hydrogen have the potential to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly. This, however, is
highly dependent on the pathways for ethanol and hydrogen
production, especially the amount of fossil fuel inputs during
production. Some of the hydrogen options result in higher
greenhouse gas emissions than those of a petrol ICE vehicle.
Results for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are dependent on the
efficiency improvements over conventional vehicles that are
assumed.A numerical comparison of C02 emission data presented in
Table A2 with those reported in Table 2 should be made with
caution. The large differences in numerical values arise from the
differing manner in which C02emissions have been expressed. In
Table 2, emissions are expressed in grams of carbon (only) released
as CO2 per passenger-km travelled. In Table A2, emissions are in
grams of C02 equivalent per km travel of the vehicle examined. C02
equivalent refers to the amount of carbon dioxide by weight emitted
into the atmosphere that would produce the same radiative forcing
as a given weight of another greenhouse gas, e.g., methane or
oxides of nitrogen.Carbon dioxide equivalents are the product of
the weight of gas being considered and its global warming
potential.Table A2. Comparison of life-cycle inventory studies:
well-to-wheelgreenhouse gas emissions
Numerical differences not withstanding, broad conclusions drawn
by MacLean and Lave are very similar to what has been obtained
under Indian conditions in this article: all of the fossil-fuelled
vehicles (including electricity-driven) result in large GHG
emissions. The two options that have potential for the largest GHG
emission reductions are the ethanol and the hydrogen-fuelled
vehicles if the fuels are produced with little or no fossil fuel
inputs.COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS (CNG)What is CNG? Properties of
Natural Gas:CNG is the short form of Compressed Natural Gas. The
Natural Gas has less energy density as compared to Liquid Fuel and
hence it is compressed to over 200 Kg/cm (g) pressure to make it
CNG for use in the automobile sector. In its natural form it is
colourless, odourless, non-toxic and non-carcinogenic. However,
this natural gas is mixed with an odorant to add flavour similar to
the odour of LPG from a domestic cylinder so asto facilitate
detection of its leakage. The typical composition and physical
properties of CNG (i.e. Compressed Natural Gas) is as
follows:Typical Composition:Methane : 88%Ethane : 5%Propane : 1%CO2
: 5%Others : 1%____Total : 100%Physical Properties:Non-toxic
Natural gas being lead/sulphur free, its use substantially reduces
harmful engine emissions. When natural gas burns completely, it
gives out carbon dioxide andwater vapour - the very components we
give out while breathing!Lighter than air Natural gas being lighter
than air, will rise aboveground level and disperse in the
atmosphere, in the case of a leakage.Colourless Natural Gas is
available in the gaseous state, and is colourless.Odourless The gas
in its natural form is odourless, however, ethylmercaptan is later
added as odorant so as to detect its leakage.Compressed Natural Gas
(CNG) is used as a fuel in transport sector in many countries. It
is a safe, clean burning and environment friendly fuel. It has been
established that exhaust emissions like hydrocarbons and carbon
monoxide are significantly reduced as compared to other fuels.
Toxic emissions such as lead and sulphur are completely eliminated.
Existing petrol vehicles can use CNG by fitting a conversion kit.
The CNG converted vehicles have the flexibility of operating either
on petrol or on CNG.An experimental programme to use CNG as fuel in
transport sector in the country was initiated by GAIL in 1992,
whereby CNG was made available inDelhi, Mumbai andBaroda. The
supply of CNG in Mumbai andDelhiare managed by two joint ventures
viz. Mahanagar Gas Nigam Ltd. and Indraprastha Gas Limited
respectively and inSuratand Ankleshwar, by a private company. The
average cost of converting a petrol car to CNG is about Rs.35,000.
There are over 10,000 CNG converted Petrol vehicles in Mumbai and
over 3000 such vehicles inDelhi. 11 buses of DTC are running on CNG
inDelhi, with 2 existing diesel buses converted to CNG on trial
basis.CNG dispensing retail outlets on mother-daughter concept as
well as online dispensing units have been set up inDelhi. Under the
former system, Natural Gas is compressed and filled into truck
mounted cascades (basket of cylinders) in the mother compressor
station and transported to daughter units for dispensing to CNG
vehicle. The mother station initially set up inGhaziabadhas been
re-located and brought near toDelhiat Sarai Kale Khan, in May97. At
present there are seven daughter and four on-line dispensing retail
outlets inDelhi. Further expansion of the infrastructural network
to 80 CNG outlets is proposed by March 2000. The process of
acquiring land sites to set upthe required number of outlets is
going on.WHY CNG? Reasons for switching over to this alternate fuel
are mainly:1. Economic benefit: The cost of CNG is almost a third
of the cost of Petrol in terms of calorific value resulting in
substantial saving in fuel cost, and investment on the CNG kit is
paid back in a short period2. Environment friendly: The use of CNG
as a fuel reduces vehicular exhaust emissions significantly. Carbon
Monoxide emissions are reduced by 70 to 90% and Hydrocarbon
emissions by 40 to 60% as compared to vehicles that use the
conventional fuel - Petrol. Carbon Dioxide emissions, a cause for
global warming, are also reduced significantly by 10%3. 100% Income
Tax Depreciation: Corporate Organisations, firms, etc. can claim
100% depreciation on a CNG Conversion Kit as this is a pollution
controlling equipment. Organisations that buy CNG Conversion Kits
should consult their Income Tax Consultants and avail of the
depreciation benefits4. Flexibility and ease of use: The basic
engine characteristics of a vehicle are retained while converting
it to run on CNG. The vehicle therefore is capable of running
either on Petrol or CNG at the flick of a switch on its
dashboard.The Fuelling Process
There are very few CNG refuelling stations. Of the ones that
exist, there are three basic types. Fast fuelling stations which
take five to ten minutes for refuelling, ideal for retail roadside
pumps. Slow fuelling stations which take from five to eight hours
to fill, ideal for a fleet of vehicles which have a long idling
time. Combined Fast and Slow fuelling stations which can cater to
both the above categories.CNG is stored at compression stations
which are directly connected with the gas pipeline. Here the gas is
compressed to a required pressure and aids fuelling. CNG can also
be transported to other retail outlets by cylinder trucks. these
trucks carry a number of cylinders which provide CNG to fuel
stations which are not connected by pipelines. These fuelling
stations could be placed alongside petrol and diesel pumps too. the
whole process requires proper infrastructure and
transportation.Bi-fuel Possibility
Vehicles can also be operated in the dual mode like Petrol-CNG
and Diesel-CNG. Experiments of these kinds have been conducted on
vehicles by TELCO,Kirloskar Cummins Ltd., Ashok Leyland, IBP,
OIL,Delhitransport Corporation and Gujarat Road Transport
Corporation. The results were quite satisfactory.
The Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) has requested vehicle
manufacturers to nominate workshops and undertake conversions on
their vehicles. The actual performance could be monitored by the
Indian Institute for Petroleum (IIP), Kit suppliers fromItalyandNew
Zealandhave joined hands with oil marketing companies and vehicle
manufacturers to train and initiate conversion from petroleum
products to CNG.
Many countries around the world, includingIndia, have abundant
reserves of natural gas. Hopefully, it is only a matter of time
when things begin to take a turn for the better and CNG would be as
prevalent as petroleum products.|What does the kit comprise of ?1.
The CylinderThe cylinder is used to store CNG at a working pressure
of 200 bar. It is fitted with a shut-off valve and a safety burst
disc. The cylinders are type approved by the Chief Controller of
Explosives, Government of India.2. The Vapour Bag.Fitted onto the
cylinder, the Vapour Bag is used to enclose the cylinder valve and
the pipes connecting it and is vented out of the car3. The High
Pressure PipeThis High Pressure Pipe connects the refuelling valve
to the CNG Cylinder and Pressure Regulator4. The Refuelling
ValveThe Refuelling Valve is used to refuel the CNG cylinder5. The
Pressure RegulatorThe Pressure Regulator has a Solenoid Valve to
shut-off gas supply to the engine. The CNG stored at a high
pressure in the cylinder is reduced to just below atmospheric
pressure by this unit. This negative pressure is also a safety
feature that will not allow gas to pass through when the engine is
not running.6. The Gas-Air MixerThe Gas-Air Mixer is a unique
component, specially designed to suit each engine model. It
precisely meters gas fed into the engine.7. The Petrol-Solenoid
ValveThe Petrol-Solenoid Valve is used to cut off petrol supply to
the engine when it is run on CNG8. The Selector SwitchThe Selector
Switch is fitted at the dashboard, enabling the driver to choose
either the CNG mode or the petrol mode of operation. The
electronics built into this unit also ensures safety by switching
off the gas solenoid whenever the engine is switched off. It also
serves as a fuel indicator for the quantity of CNG available in the
cylinderPOLLUTION REDUCTION IN CNG FUELLED VEHICLESThe use of CNG
in vehicles has lead to considerable reduction in air pollution as
is evident from the following data:A. Auto rickshaw Three
wheelers:
B.Passenger Cars:C.Diesel Buses:
Pilot project of GAIL : Objective: A pilot project was initiated
by GAIL (India) Ltd. in collaboration with Indian Institute of
Petroleum, Dehradun to establish the feasibility of using CNG as an
alternative to liquid fuels such as Diesel & Petrol used by
buses & automobiles in 3 cities namely Delhi, Mumbai &
Baroda.Infrastructure of GAIL under pilot project: 1 Mother station
was initially put up atGhaziabadwhich has since been shifted to
Seakale Khan. This mother station was feeding to 5 daughter
stations inDelhi. 3 Nos. online stations were added making total 9
Nos. of Cogitations during the pilot phase of the project. The
station design and safety norms followed were as perNew
Zealandstandards.CNG CONSIDERED AS ALTERNATIVE FUEL :CNG is totally
safe. It is non-toxic, non-corrosive and non-carcinogenic (totally
free from cancer inducing agent). CNG being predominately methane
(CH4) is 0.6 times lighter then air while petrol is 3-4 times
heavier. Being lighter then air, it disperses fast unlike petrol or
LPG, which tends to remain around the place of leakage. CNG does
not catch fire easily, as it requires a much higher concentration
of 5.15% in the air to ignite against the 1.8 % required for
petrol. CNG also requires a higher ignition temperature of 540OC as
compared to with petrol, which requires 232-282OC, which prevent
CNG from catching fire as quickly as petrol. CNG cylinders are very
robust materials, which minimizes the chances of leakage. CNG
promises a breath of fresh air and is environmental friendly. CNG
is lead-free and substantially reduce the harmful engine emission
to keep the surroundings and air clean.CNG INTRODUCED AS
ALTERNATIVE FUEL :A special report of Environmental Pollution and
Control Authority (EPCA) Committee headed by Sh. Bhurey Lal
comprises of Secy. Transport, Delhi Government, A member from
Center for Science and Technology and a member each from Ministry
of Environment and Ministry of Petroleum suggested use of CNG in
all commercial vehicles in NCR in addition to ban on registration
of diesel cars in Delhi. However, the Delhi Government was in
favour of propane gas as alternative fuel and set up a propane gas
station for DTC buses but the Center did not approve the propane
conversion kit. Even the option was not favoured by Sh. Bhurey Lal
Committee. Thus the Honble Supreme Court accepted CNG as
alternative fuel for Gasoline and diesel vehicles.DEADLINE OF
31.3.2001 FIXED FOR POLLUTING VEHICLES :The Honble Supreme Court
vide its orders on 28.7.1998 fixed the dead line of 31.3.2001 for
gasoline/diesel run commercial vehicles in view of the June 1998
affidavit of Secretary Transport Delhi Government assuring that the
City Bus fleet could be converted to CNG mode by 31.3.2001.CNG
TECHONOLOGY ---TESTED & EXPERIENCEDCNG has been successfully
used as auto fuel in several countries. As of now, there are more
than 12 lakh CNG driven vehicles in the
world.Argentina,Canada,Italy,New ZealandandUSAare among the
countries where CNG is being used as auto fuel for some
years/.Pakistanis also successfully running a staggering 1, 60,000
vehicles on CNG. Almost entire transport system is running on CNG
inPakistan. This conversion process has been on the past five to
six years. Most vehicles inJapanrun on LPG, but , now they are also
opting for CNG. EvenBangladeshis also in its way to convert its
transport fleet to CNG mode. InIndia, Mumbai has been the first to
use the CNG mainly for taxies.VEHICULAR AIR POLLUTION INDHAKA: The
air pollution in few big cities of Bangladesh is a very serious
concern. As per a World Bank Study, as many as 15000 deaths (5000
in Dhaka), a million cases of sickness requiring medical treatment
and 850 million cases of minor illness can be avoided annually if
air pollution levels in the countrys four principal cities are
reduced to match standards in force in developed countries. The
same report further estimates the economic cost of these avoidable
deaths and sickness to be US $ 200 to 800 million every year. Dhaka
has heterogeneous traffic flows. Three wheelers, out of which
ninety percent are two stroke engines baby taxis and two wheelers,
are dominant in the vehicle fleet in terms of both number and
mileage. The number of two stroke engine three wheelers has tripled
from 1990-96. Air pollution levels in Dhaka are considerably higher
than the Bangladesh standards or the World Health Organization
(WHO) guidelines for residential areas. Most experts here blame
three-wheelers with two-stroke engines and the heavy-duty diesel
vehicles for the high pollution levels. They see leaded gasoline as
the principal source of lead in the atmosphere. As many countries
have phased out leaded gasoline, Bangladesh is also working on the
problem. Due to pressure from green lobby to reduce air pollution
in Dhaka, the government decided that three-wheelers would be made
to run on non-polluting compressed natural gas (CNG). Initially,
all such decisions remained on paper. The reason might be that
there was support for converting three-wheelers to CNG instead of
banning them so as to prevent the sudden unemployment of at least
250,000 people. Here it is worth mentioning that motor vehicles per
thousand people in Dhaka city is still low in comparison to other
capital cities of developing countries but the likely higher
economic growth in the future with even faster increase in
population will definitely result in fast growth in vehicles fleet
in Dhaka. Besides the composition and size of vehicle fleet, poor
maintenance, excessive commercial use, fuel adulteration, use of
lubricants of sub standard quality and poor management of traffic
will further result in severe congestion and vehicular pollution in
Dhaka.Keeping in view the above problems, Dhaka Urban Transport
project was launched by the Government of Bangladesh and the Dhaka
City Corporation. The International Development Association (IDA),
the World Banks concessionary arm approved the credit of US $ 177
million for the project. The Government also wanted to develop an
Air Quality Management System to reduce Dhakas severe air
pollution. The World Bank provided Bangladesh a $ 4.7 million
Learning and Innovative Loan in 2000 for a Bangladesh Air Quality
Management Project (AQMP) under which Dhaka would pilot new ways of
controlling urban air pollution.Next step in the direction of
reducing air pollution in Dhaka is to popularize the use of CNG
vehicles, as in many other cities of the world.ECONOMICS OF CNG
VEHICLE PROGRAM INDHAKA:Worldwide, improving air quality in urban
settings has been a long-standing planning objective and road
transport using diesel vehicles has been identified as major
contributor to such air pollution. To help address this problem,
increasingly stringent vehicle emission standards came in to force
worldwide. It also stimulated research into alternative fuels and
technologies that promise cleaner and lower emissions. Various
fuels that are alternatives to diesel and petrol have been proposed
for use in vehicles. Alternative fuel vehicles use such fuels as
compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG),
methanol, ethanol, bio-diesel fuel and propane. Among these fuels,
Natural Gas, either in the form of CNG or LNG, is more in the news.
Reasons behind the popularity of these fuels are economic as well
as environmental. Many countries like Argentina, Canada, Italy, New
Zealand and United States of America have substantial NGV programs.
Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico,
Pakistan and Thailand are in various phases of developing such
programs.As early as in 1985-86, Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation
started a project to use CNG in vehicles instead of Gasoline. The
World Bank donated Tk 225.1 million to initiate the project. The
primary objective of this project was to reduce vehicular emissions
as combustion of CNG produces less pollutant than the
gasoline.After a decade in 1996, there were only 86 vehicles
converted under the project, while in that year the volume of
traffic in Dhaka only was composed of 84411 cars, 9135 buses, 15600
trucks, 66360 three wheelers and 121156 two wheelers. In year 2002,
there were only five CNG filling stations inDhaka, out of which 4
has been established by Rupantarit Prakritika Gas Company Limited
(RPGCL) and one was in joint venture between a Chinese company and
RPGCL. The gas supply to these filling stations was quite erratic,
particularly during morning hours when gas pressure decrease due to
domestic use. The need was felt to create an efficient transmission
and distribution network to improve and secure a reliable supply of
gas. Further, as conversion of vehicles to CNG has now become
imperative to save the city from the menace of air pollution that
has turned the capital into almost a 'gas chamber', need was felt
to set up number of CNG filling stations to cater the growing
demand when large numbers of vehicles get converted to
CNG.Realizing the urgency the Bangladesh Government has taken up
the CNG conversion process issue within its 100-day action plan for
implementation. To expedite the process, the government has already
given permission to 13 private companies to set up CNG conversion
units.The economic benefits arising from the CNG vehicle program
inDhakaare expected to accrue to consumers of various categories
such as vehicle owners, users of transport, workers and the economy
in general. Additionally, benefits on account of improved
environment and thus health status of the population inDhakaand
macro economic contribution of the CNG program for further
development of the energy and particularly, gas sector are equally
important.Economic Benefits to Vehicle Owners & Users:The
amount of consumer surplus (economic benefits) arising from CNG
Program will directly benefit the vehicle owners. Operating cost of
CNG vehicles is lower than that of vehicles run on alternate fuel
i.e. petrol or diesel. Thus vehicle owners will benefits from
reduced operation costs in terms of resource cost savings. For
instance, if hundred percent of the bus fleet of the Dhaka is
converted to CNG, the present value of likely stream of economic
benefits in terms of resource cost savings in the coming twenty
years period, at twelve percent rate of discount, will be about
16000 million Taka. Similarly, the conversion of whole vehicle
fleet of Dhaka to CNG will fetch the present value of likely stream
of economic benefits in terms of resource cost savings over a
twenty year period, at twelve percent rate of discount, to the tune
of 32000 million taka.However, the experience shows that vehicle
owners will not transfer a portion of consumer surplus to
end-users. Therefore, intervention by Government / administration
is required to ensure that end users of transport also get a share
in consumer surplus arising from transport component in the
proposed project.Benefits to Operators of Filling Stations:Another
potential beneficiary of the CNG program will be the CNG filling
station operators because the demand for CNG as fuel is going to
increase and they will earn from the increased sale of CNG.
Initially, the profit might not have been significant because of
low gas pressure leading to sub optimal sale proceeds at the end of
the day. However, their income will significantly increase due to
the program that will ensure the regular supply of gas with optimum
pressureNetwork Benefits:Total consumption of gas by vehicle fleet
ofDhakawill be less than the supply of gas provided by an optimum
size of the transmission and distribution network. Therefore,
consumers of other categories such as households, commercial or
industrial consumers will consume the additional supply of gas,
over and above the consumption by transport in the city.
Discussions (by author a year back) with RPGCL, the distributor of
gas in Dhaka, revealed that presently, the supply of gas is less
than demand, particularly during peak hours. It results in lower
than optimum supply pressure in the existing gas distribution
network and thus existing consumers did not get the proper supply
of gas. As suggested by officials of RPGCL, the investment in up
gradation and augmentation of gas transmission and distribution
network will help in improving the supply of gas to existing
consumers by maintaining optimum supply pressure in the network.The
possible consumers of the additional supply of gas by the upgraded
network may be grouped under to heads depending upon the physical
location of the newly added transmission and distribution network
and its area of coverage. First group will be households and
commercial consumers in the Dhaka city and other possible consumers
may be industries in the outer periphery of Dhaka. In case of first
group of consumers, i.e. household and commercial, economic
benefits on account of improved network for supply of gas will be
in terms of resource cost savings because the cost of natural gas
is lower than that of other alternate fuels. In other words,
consumers will be able to get same amount of energy, which they
used to get from alternate fuels, by spending less. Such benefits
will occur to existing as well as new consumers.In case of use of
gas in industry, the economic benefits will be in terms of net
incremental output (net value added) to the economy. The quantum of
such benefits depends upon the type of industries likely to consume
the additional supply of gas. Discussions with officials of RPGCL
indicated that a few gas based power plants have been proposed
inDhakaregion, which may be the likely consumers of the additional
gas supply. This possibility becomes even more likely in the light
of the fact that the gas based power plants inBangladeshare not
getting the requisite supply of gas for power generation. However,
possibility of supplying gas to industries in outerDhakaregion
simultaneously with the supply to CNG filling stations may not be
feasible because of the incompatible spatial patterns of industrial
development and spread of city. Therefore, the network benefits are
more likely to occur to household and commercial consumers.Health
Benefits due to Reduced Pollution:Proportionate share of Dhaka in
reported cases of death and sickness was taken on the basis of
proportionate share of Dhaka in the total population of major
cities of the country and thus, economic benefits associated with
reduced health problems due to use of CNG was estimated for the
city. The benefits in terms of savings in cost of health impact due
to air pollution was estimated under three heads, viz. loss of
human capital deaths due to air pollution, loss of work person days
on account of sickness due to air pollution and expenditure on
treatment.The estimated cost of health problem due to air pollution
inDhakacomes to about Tk 25000 million per year. In other words, Tk
25000 million as health benefits can occur to the economy, if an
air pollution level inDhakais reduced to match standards in force
in developed countries.MacroEconomic Benefits -Foreign Exchange
Savings:It is generally argued that market for gas in Bangladesh is
limited This argument seems misplaced when demand scenario for gas
in Bangladesh is analyzed in the context of possibilities of
replacement of other imported fuels such as petrol and diesel by
gas. Judging from the size of the oil bills in the BOP, the fact of
the matter appears to be thatBangladeshhad been an energy deficient
country.Projections[by Power System Master Plan (PSMP) put the
likely growth in energy demand inBangladeshat 10% per annum.
Assuming the same rate of growth in demand for petrol and diesel,
calculations reveal that demand for these energy products is going
to be more than four times after 15 years.Projected* Demand for
Petrol and Diesel inBangladesh000 MTYearPetrolDiesel
1995-96174.001303.00
2000280.002098.00
2005451.003378.00
2010726.005438.00
20151169.008755.00
Projections are based on power demand forecasts made by the
Power System Master Plan (PSMP), which predict that power demand is
going to grow at 10% per annum in the country.Keeping in view the
current import bill of the country for these fuels, limited
available reserves of petroleum and exploration activities there,
the domestic production is not going to meet this increasing
demand. To meet the increasing demand for petrol and diesel there
are two options available with the government- either increase the
imports or replace the use of these fuels by domestically produced
natural gas.The first option has no economic logic. For example, in
1995-96, 1007 thousand MT of diesel was imported which was valued
at 183 Million US$. Assuming that the ratio between imported fuels
and domestic production will remain the same, as at present, and
demand growth will be as predicted by PSMP, the likely quantum of
import of diesel alone will be about 6700 thousand MT in
2015.Projected Imports of Diesel inBangladesh000MT YearDiesel
1995-961007
20001621
20052610
20104206
20156775
Thus, considering the existing level of imports of these
products and precarious position of foreign exchange reserves,
Bangladesh cannot afford to depend on imports of energy fuels to
meet the increasing demand.The other viable option is to replace
the petrol and diesel by natural gas as a fuel in industry and
transport.For example, let us consider the case of replacing use of
imported diesel by domestically produced natural gas in the
industry and transport sector, and resulting foreign exchange
savings. Since the replacement of diesel with gas is a gradual
process and takes few years to fully materialize, the savings in
foreign exchange will be smaller in the initial years. But after
4-5 years such savings will pick up. Thus the import substitution
may save the country foreign exchange to the tune of about US$ 90
Million in 2005, which may increase to about US$ 330 Million in
2010.Other Prospects:Presently, the industry contributes only about
18% of GDP in Bangladesh. But the analysis of historical changes in
structure and composition of GDP in industrialized and newly
industrialized countries indicate that the relative share of
industry, transport and services sector in the GDP increases with
the increase in per capita GDP and industrialization. With such
structural changes in the economy of Bangladesh, the per capita
consumption of energy will also increase and, in this context, the
role of gas sector as a strategic sector to pick up the economic
growth is very crucial. As the demand for energy increases in the
economy the gas sector will develop further and cater to the demand
either by increasing supply in its present pattern of usage and or
through import substitution. The CNG vehicle program in Dhaka will
play the role of catalyst to speed up the process of development in
the gas sector. Here, it is timely to comment that the need is to
link energy sector growth strategy with trade, business, industry
and agriculture growth strategy in the mid to long term. Besides,
further development of gas sector will help Bangladesh to export
gas to earn foreign exchange. Although the decision to export gas
is a political one, but possibilities of export are intrinsically
related with the development of domestic market for gas. Activities
related with development of domestic gas market such as CNG program
in Dhaka give impetus to gas exploration and infrastructure
development activities, and thus set the stage for export of gas.
Ultimately, it will help in picking up the industrialization and
economic growth through forward and backward linkages and thus
further expansion of the domestic and international market for
gas.GETTING INTO THE CNG MODEHOW TO GET PETROLEUM VEHICLES INTO CNG
MODE:Petrol/diesel vehicles can be made into CNG mode by:
1) Replacement of petroleum vehicles into new CNG vehicles Retro
fitment with new CNG engines
2) Conversion of petrol/diesel vehicles to CNG mode CONVERSION
TECHNOLOGY APPROVAL OF :Conversion technology was developed by the
Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun (U.P). The technology was
reported to be quicker and extremely cost effective. Delhi
Government approved this scheme of conversion of petroleum vehicles
into CNG mode on 20.10.1999. The Honble Supreme Court on 16.2.2001
ordered that only those CNG buses to ply on Delhi Roads which are
certified by the Retro fitting companies authorized by any of the
following testing authorities:Automobile Research Association
ofIndia, Pune (Maharashtra).Vehicle Research & Development
Establishment, Ahmednagar (VRDE).Indian Institute of Petroleum,
Dehradun (U.P).On the basis of approved conversion technology, the
conversion of diesel bus to CNG mode is first major technology
achievement ofIndiain the World.Transporters/Operators have been
cautioned to get it install the CNG kits at a workshop authorized
by its suppliers or Manufacturer.PROBLEMS FOR CNG COMPLIANT BUS
BODIES:
Government envisaged the body fabrication problems. No single
fabricator was able to supply the bus bodies as required in view of
the limited time. Hence the body fabrications work was allotted to
distant body fabricators at Mumbai, Jamshed Pur and Ahmedabad in
addition to in and aroundDelhi. Couple of months was wasted in
getting the Railway to ferry the CNG chassis to distant body
fabricators. Later on the chassis were transported through pullers,
which costed an increase of Rs. 1 lakh per bus body fabrication
because Indraprastha Gas Limited shown its inability to provide
mobile cascade enroute for filling CNG chassis.CNG - TECHNOLOGY:The
authorized manufacturers built up about 2200 new CNG buses, which
started plying on Delhi Roads by using an obsolete ignition system,
which resulted a incident of fire causing injuries to five persons
on 5.8.2001.These buses have a distributor based ignition system,
which can be dangerous if the CNG cylinders are leaking. The
distributor produces sparks, which ignites the CNG gas inside the
ignition chamber. In addition, distributors also produce sparks
outside the chamber. This makes them vulnerable to the highly
inflammable CNG. It is a first generation system, which has been
discarded in many countries. It is not known that why our
manufacturers inIndiaare using the dangerous technology.Chinahas
been the latest to ban this obsolete technology. These new CNG
buses with distributor based ignition system are moving bombs on
our roads. They need immediate replacement.No doubt CNG is a safe
fuel, but if it is exposed to sparks, it bounds to catch fire. The
safest option is third generation distributor less ignition kits.
It produces sparks inside the ignition chamber and not outside. It
is entirely controlled by computer driven system. It is learnt that
this technology is being adopted by our conversion companies.SAFETY
NORMS FOR CNG-RUN-SYSTEM :Safety norms for CNG run vehicles have
not been notified till now. It is learnt that the draft safety
norms drawn by Bureau of Indian Standards are under process of
approval and are likely to be finalized and approved by the end of
this year i.e. 2001. There are no comprehensive legally enforceable
rules to govern the safety of CNG vehicles plying on Delhi roads
and interim draft prepared by the Pune based Automobile Research
Association of India is only document which lays down the safety
standards. Safety norms should be specified in the Central Motor
Vehicles Rules. In the absence of Law, many violators can go
scot-free.CNG run vehicles norms are in the nascent stage globally
as well. The norms evolved by the International Organization of
Standards (ISO)- the Apex body under the United States Umbrella are
also in the final draft stage.Safety and maintenance go hand by
hand, when one talk about CNG withDelhis entire commercial vehicles
fleet being converted to the CNG mode, safety concerns need to be
addressed on priority. Norma applicable to diesel buses are being
adopted for CNG buses.REQUIREMENT FOR THE COMPONENTS OF CNG RUN
SYSTEM:The requirements for the components of CNG run system have
been drawn considering the draft norms of BIS, which are briefly
discussed as under:DESIGN:Design requirements for CNG run systems
are:i. Withstand changes in environmental temperature and other
echo conditions safety during operational life.ii. Be located with
full regard for anticipated damage. Such damage may be caused by
input from the vehicle or by extraneous input such as heat, road
debris, automotive chemical splash (brakes liquid, oil, and petrol,
cooling liquid, by rust and so forth.iii. Be fitted so that they
are not the outer most, highest or lowest parts of the vehicle.iv.
Be fitted so as not effect ground clearance, approach angle, ramp
angle and departure angle.v. Be located so that they will not
suffer corrosion by accumulation of water and cargo
chemicals.RECEPTACLE:i. It shall be provided with a cap to prevent
the entry of dust and foreign metal.ii. The fuel type, expiry date
of the gas cylinder and the service pressure for the vehicles
written in permanent ink should be displayed near the
receptacle.GAS CYLINDER:General requirements :i. Gas cylinder shall
be provided with the cylinder valve and pressure relief devices.ii.
To prevent heat damage, they should either use a heat shield or be
located with respect to the exhaust system, so that their side
temperature shall not exceed the value specified by the vehicle and
the cylinder manufacturer.iii. All gas cylinders shall be protected
from ultra violet radiation.iv. The gas cylinder shall be securely
attached to the vehicle to prevent it from slipping, rotating and
dislodging.BODY:CNG cylinders are made from seam less tubes of
alloy steel skin to oxygen cylinderThis ensures there are no joints
and the walls of the cylinders is made of very robust material.
This also prevents leakage.SIZE AND DENSITY OF CYLINDER :The
density of material (alloy steel) is around 7.86 gms per cubic
centimeter. Original cylinder weighs between 52 to 64 kg. Depending
on the capacity of cylinder. With 50 litres. Capacity has a 316 mm
dia and is 850 mm length, while those with 65 liters capacity have
a 316 mm dia and 1060 mm long.TESTING:CNG cylinders are tested to
resist pressure up to 350 bar as against the working pressure of
200 bar. The cylinders are put through severe abused tests before
being approved by the Statutory authoritiesIDENTIFICATION:CNG
storage cylinders fitted in the vehicle should bear the name of the
manufacturer, BIS specifications, IS- 7285, Date of manufacture and
testification, capacity, batch number, serial number etc.SPURIOUS
CYLINDERS:Spurious cylinders are not approved specified cylinders.
They do not conform I.S. 7285. They bears welding mark on their
body. They are made of separate sheets. They are neither
manufactured by the authorized manufacturer nor
testified.CERTIFICATION OF CYLINDERS:All CNG cylinders are
certified by theNagpurbased Chief Controller of explosives under IS
7285 BIS before installation.APPROVED CYLINDER MANUFACTURERS:There
are three approved manufacturers for CNG cylinders as per
specification.i. M/s Everest Kanto Cylinder Ltd., Tarapur.ii. M/S
Bharat Pumps & pressures India Ltd., Naini (Allahabad).iii. M/S
Maruti Koatsu Cylinders Ltd.. Halal (Gujrat)In addition to above,
CNG cylinders of the following foreign Companies conforming to
NZS-5454 1989 read with IS-7285 have been also approved by the
Chief Controller of Explosives,Nagpur.i. M/S Fiber Industries,
S.p.A. Italyii. M/S Argentile, S.A., Argentina.iii. M/S Worthington
Cylinders, G nb H, Australia.iv. M/S UEF Chester field Cylinders,
EnglandCOST OF CYLINDERS :The approximate cost of 65 ltrs. genuine
cylinders varies from Rs. 10000-Rs. 15000, whereas, it is Rs.
5000/- or so for spurious cylinders.SAFETY VALVE (Pressure relief
device):It shall be protected from dirt and water ingress and far
from sources of ignition and heat in the vehicle when the rubber
component in the safety valve is substandard or not fitted
properly, leaks are bound to occur. Metal to metal interfaces can
not be made leak proof unless there is a rubber component (Gasket)
in between. Further gasket and valves used in CNG vehicles should
be of standard quality and bear ISI/BIS specifications.PRESSURE
REGULATOR:Components located down stream pressure regulator shall
be protected from pressurization due to regulation failure.PIPE
WORK:Pipe work shall be laid if possible on the chassis in such a
way that no damage from intrinsic vibration occurs (resonance with
engine vibration) and there are no friction points.LEAKAGE
CONTROL:The vehicles CNG fueling system shall be tested for
leakage. The cylinder and parts of the gas system shall be in such
a system so that any leaking or venting gas from the fueling system
does not enter the driver and the passenger compartment, boot or
other spaces, which are not sufficiently ventilated. Any gas shall
be directed safely to the atmosphere.MINIMISING RISK OF GAS
IGNITION:i. The ignition sources shall be minimized to prevent fire
in a vehicle.ii. Electric/Electronic components in gas light
housing shall be suitable.iii. The location of electric cables and
mountings shall be design to protect against ignition of potential
leaking gas.NOZZLES:There are two types of nozzles: -i. New Zea
Land standard (NZS)- The smaller ones (which comes fitted with the
kit).ii. Natural gas vehicles-I (NGV-I) The big ones (known as NGV
nozzles, in popular parlance).NZS Nozzles fitted with auto
rickshaws and cars were considered the cause of long filling time
due to their smaller size of in-let as compared to International
Standards of NGV I fitted nozzles as per IGL observations before
the Supreme Court on 12.4.2001. Hence the court ordered that the
CNG-vehicles be fitted with NGVI nozzles at the initial stage,
because replacement of NZS nozzles with NGV-I nozzle is neither
scientific nor economical. In addition, NZS nozzles are in
appropriate mainly because of frequent o-ring (rubber valves)
failures getting cracked or losened. Sometimes, it is as high as
two to three valves every minute. It happens this way the attendant
insert the spout into the inlet nozzle of the vehicle. After a
while there is cracking sound followed by the hissing of gas leak.
The man quickly takes the nozzle out in his hand and replaces the
rubber valve which happens due to pressure and heat.The main cause
of long filling time of CNG vehicle is low pressure supply which
needs improvement and not only the cause of NZS
nozzle.MAINTENANCE/WORKSHOP:i. Maintenance of CNG system is very
important for effective and efficiency of the vehicles.ii.
Cylinders, if genuine, are near fool proof, but despite that if the
safety valve is not closed properly, accident can occur. It is,
thus, desirable to keep a watch on the safety valve.iii. To add
injury to insult, the Explosives Act prohibits replacing empty gas
cylinder in the buses with retro-fitting one.iv. CNG cylinders are
got to be tested and certified for use after every five years.v.
Maintenance of the CNG kit is vital. If they are not maintained
properly, they might trigger mishap any time.vi. CNG kit and
cylinder be got tested from approved work shops having details for
cylinders, make number and retesting data etc.vii. A system be
devised so that vehicles going to filling stations would be checked
for a safety norms. No doubt this may require extra two to five
minutes but this is required till the operators are conversant and
aware of the CNG routine maintenance.viii. Approved work shops be
developed in the entire city for attending CNG run
vehicles.EMISSION NORMS:The current CNG regulations only require
that converted buses should meet the emission standards meant for
diesel/petrol vehicles of their year of manufacture as per
notification dated9thFeb. 2001of the Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways. These standards need revision because tighter emission
standards for gaseous pollutants for converted as well as
retrofitted buses can be laid down.COMPANIES AUTHORISED FOR CNG
MODE VEHICLES:The companies which are authorized by the Delhi
Government for manufacturing new CNG vehicles, retro figment and
conversion to CNG mode for various types of vehicles along with
their cost for various jobs are given in table: I (Annexure). The
cost of various jobs included in the table I of the companies may
needs correction on current market trends with reference to
companys notification.INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT FOR CNG RUN
SYSTEM:Indraprastha Gas Limited which is a joint venture company of
Gas Authority of India (GAIL) Ltd., Bharat Petroleum Corporation
Ltd., and the Govt. of Delhi is the only company responsible for
supply of CNG for Delhi Transport System.Infrastructure development
for supply of CNG in the city ofDelhihas a vital role for efficient
CNG transport system. Under distribution net work IGL set up Mother
stations, on line stations, Daughter booster stations, daughter
stations for proper dispensing of CNG through outDelhi. The purpose
of these stations are briefly discussed hereunder: -Mother
Station:A station, which is attached to the gas pipe line and which
delivers CNG at a pressure of 250 Bar to Cascades.On line Station:
A station which is on line and has a smaller compressor to deliver
CNG to vehicles at 250 bar.Daughter booster station:A daughter
station with its own compressor (Booster).Daughter station:A
station which receives a cascades (CNG tank) from a Mother
StationThe biggest compressors which are installed in mother
stations have a flow rate of 1100 kg per hour. For on line
stations, a smaller compressor is used which can fill 250 kg per
hour. Both these compress the gas up to 250 bar pressure and can
serve two dispensers at one time i.e. they can help to fill up four
vehicles at one time (one dispenser is used to fill two vehicles).
Therefore, lack of adequate number of compressors in a dispensing
station can result in the dispensers becoming non-functional. There
is an other type of compressor called booster, which is used only
in daughter station to increase the pressure of the gas, when
pressure in a Cascade drops to about 180 bar from the required
filling pressure of 200 bar while dispensing gas. In the absence of
booster, it is not possible to dispense gas once the pressure level
falls to 180 bar and then this Cascade has to be changed.A study
done by IGL in Daughter Station without booster in Delhi connecting
three wheelers showed the following effect of low pressure with
reference to filling of the cylindersPressure observedCNG filled in
kgFilling time in seconds
200 bar3.5 (full)90
180 bar3.1567
165 bar2.8948
150 bar2.6329
At the pressure of 150 bar it is not feasible to fill the
cylinder any more and the Cascade is to be changed and replaced
with a new one. In other words, once the pressure drops in a
Cascade of a Daughter Station, very little gas gets filled up in
the vehicles cylinders. It means that the efficiency of the
dispensing CNG at daughter station would depend on the number of
cascade available of adequate pressure. As learnt there are only
120-125 Cascades for 47 Daughter Stations inDelhi@ approximate 3
Cascades for each Daughter Station. Out of these 3 Cascades only
one Cascade is in use, other is getting filled up at Mother Station
and the third is in the transit. There are 74 dispensing stations
for supply of CNG inDelhi, the location of which is given in table
2 (Annexure).Perusal of table 2 reveals that the distribution of
dispensing stations is not spread out uniformly in the NCT of
Delhi. It is proposed to set up 50 more dispensing stations at the
existing petrol pumps where the land is available. By Sept. 2001
there is a proposal to increase the dispensing stations from 74 to
87 and to convert 9 existing Daughter Stations into Mother
Stations. Implementation of the scheme in pipe line would give a
great relief to the CNG vehicle operation. There are ten CNG
dispensing stations which are running on generators in the lack of
electric power. A polluting fuel is being used to supply non
polluting fuel clearly shows the lack of planning. Now IGL is
planning to purchase gas engine generated mechanically
compressors.Along with infrastructure development, the Ministry of
Petroleum and Natural Gas, Govt. of India has to increase the
allocation of natural gas for meeting the demand of CNG transport
of Delhi, so that, there is no deficiency of CNG for smooth and
efficient running of transport system of Delhi.HOW ULSD IS
ENVIRONMENTALLY ACCEPTABLE:Diesel supply inDelhihas 0.05% sulphur
content. Although, it meets Euro II standards, but it is not
defined as environmentally acceptable fuel.ULSD (Ultra-Low-
Sulphur- Diesel) with 0.003-0.001 % of sulphur content, when used
with exhaust fitments like Catalytic-Regeneration-Trap (CRT) Gadget
similar to a catalytic converter, which cost much more, is an
environmentally acceptable fuel. A major problem in use of the ULSD
is that the adulteration can not be ruled out in this fuel which
makes the ULSD environmentally unacceptable. As of now ULSD is not
available in the country, then, either we have to import or upgrade
the existing refineries.Indiabeing a developing country is neither
in a position to develop the advance technology for upgrading its
refineries to be able to produce ULSD nor the capacity to import
from the other countries.IS THERE ANY CLEAN FUEL:According to Sh.
Bhurey Lal Committees report, submitted to the Honble Supreme Court
in July 2001, Electricity is the only clean fuel, whereas, CNG, LPG
and Propane gas fuels are categorized as environmentally acceptable
fuels.Conventional hydro carbon fuels are inherently polluting. Be
it CNG, LPG, Diesel or Petrol. These can not be regarded as clean
fuel, as they produce exhaust emissions. Among these hydrocarbon
fuels, (CNG, LPG and Propane) are much less polluting then long
chain hydrocarbon fuel (Diesel and Petrol). Short chain hydrocarbon
fuels have a lesser percentage of carbon as compared to long chain
counterparts.CNG has one carbon atom while LPG has up to three
carbon atoms. Diesel and petrol have as many as 17-18 carbon atoms,
which makes them more polluting then these gaseous fuels.There are
some confusion that CNG emits even finer particles then diesel,
which have greater propensity to enter the lungs which are
dangerous. It is added that particles come from all kinds of
combustion sources. It is the toxicity of particulate emissions
that help to prioritize the control of emissions. Particulate
emissions from diesel vehicles are tiny and are quoted with
extremely toxic chemicals called polycyclic, aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAH). Some of which are known to be the most caricinogenous.
Compared with diesel vehicles, CNG vehicles emit negligible amount
of particles. Moreover, even this little particle that are emitted
by CNG vehicles are not as toxic as particles emitted by diesel
vehicles as CNG is composed of mainly methane gas (CH4).ULSD is
also environmentally acceptable fuel with 0.003-0.001 % of sulphur
content, which is not available in the country and its production
is also not feasible.In view of the above, CNG is considered more
cleaner then other gaseous fuel and is also environmentally
acceptable.BENEFIT OF SINGLE FUEL:Some sections of the
transporters/operators are of the view that multi fuel/bi-fuel
vehicles be allowed which is not considered desirable.Some
dedicated (single fuel) vehicles can be optimized to take advantage
of the unique attribute of the particular fuel resulting in fewer
emissions, more power and less cost, a quick transition to single
fuel vehicle would be highly superior to prolong reliance on
inherently interior multi fuel vehicles.CONCLUSIONS:Delhiis one of
the most polluted City in the world, where over 3000 metric tonne
air pollutants are emitted every day. The strictest feasible
emissions control can not substantially reduce the alarming
situations till the petroleum is used as a transport fuel.There is
no clean fuel except electricity. CNG, LPG and Propane are gaseous
fuels and environmentally acceptable.CNG is totally safe. It is
non-toxic, non-corrosive and non-carcinogenic (totally free from
cancer inducing agents). It is cheap and easily available due to
availability of HBJ gas pipeline. Petroleum vehicles can be easily
and effectively converted to CNG mode vehicles. India is the first
country in the world, which has succeeded for conversion of diesel
engine to CNG mode.CNG and LPG are the legal transport fuel
gases.CNG technology with distributor based ignition system is a
first generation system, which is an obsolete technology and
dangerous. CNG advance technology is third generation distributor
less ignition system, which is computer-controlled system. There is
an urgent need to notify safety norms for CNG run vehicles
otherwise the violators will go scot-free. Emission standards for
CNG run vehicles be finalized and notified at the earliest. For
healthy competition, there is a need to register and approve more
manufacturers/companies for providing CNG run vehicles and their
components. Infrastructure development for adequate and efficient
supply of CNG needs priority. Allocation for CNG be raised for
NCR.ULSD (Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel) is also an environmentally
acceptable fuel if the sulphur content is in between 0.003-0.001 %
and when used with fitment. Its production on commercial basis is
uneconomical.LIST OF MANUFACTURING COMPANIES AUTHORISED BY THE
GOVERNMENTCompanyVehicle typeCNG ModeCost
Ashok LeylandBusRetrofit (I)Pre Euro Bus: Rs.5,98,320 (inclusive
of sales tax) Euro 1 Bus: Rs.6,88,338/ (Inclusive of sales tax)
Retrofitment labour charges: Rs.45-50,000
BusCNG ChasisRs.10,37,415 +sales tax of 1,24,439.80 (@ 12%) =
Rs.11,61,904.80 (Inclusive of sales tax)
TelcoBusRetrofit (Company has not yet started retorfitment work,
this proposal is in pipelineRs.7,25,000 + Applicable tax
inDelhi
BusCNG ChasisRs.10,29,000 + 1,23,480 (@ 12%) = 11,53,000
(according to Tata Sales and Services,New Delhi)
HindustanMotorsRTV (mini bus)New CNG vehicleRs.4,70,000 (on road
HM RTV)
Bajaj Auto LtdAutoNewRs.89,000 According to a Bajaj Auto Dealer
the CNG autos are only available through replacement of old petrol
autos at STA office at Burari, Petrol autos are not sold in Delhi
right now)
Nugas Technology Ltd.BusConversionRs.4,86,000(inclusive of sales
tax)
Rates Fuel & Automobile TechnologiesBusConversionRs.3,49,000
(inclusive of all tax)
VIP- Build ConBusConversionRs.3,30,000 Type approval
Trans-EnergyTaxi/Petrol carsConversionRs.35,440 (inclusive of
sales tax)
Additional 10,000 for MPFI engine cars
Shrimankar gas serviceAutoConversionRs.22,700 (inclusive of
sales tax)
DEVELOPMENT OF CNG INFRASTRUCTURE INDELHI(INDIA)
SECTOR-WISE EMISSIONS* INDELHI(Metric Tonnes per Day)With the
increasing number of pollutants inDelhis air and with the
background of increasing trend in the use of CNG in the other parts
of the world, Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the
Honble Supreme Court of India in 1985 seeking intervention in this
matter. The Honble Supreme Court had directed the Government of
India to take initiative in promoting the use of CNG, an
established clean fuel in the world as transport fuel inDelhito
control the increasing levels of ambient air pollution.Formation of
IGL:Supreme Court gave directive to GAIL in July1998to expand
theCNG infrastructure and to increase the number of CNG
stationsfrom 9 to 80 byMarch 31, 2000inDelhi. It also directed
Delhi Govt.to convert entire city bus fleet, autos & taxies
from liquid fuel toCNG/Clean Fuel.Subsequently in Dec.1998
Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) was incorporatedas a joint venture
company of GAIL, BPCL & Govt. ofNCT ofDelhito regard to the CNG
expansion program inDelhi.Issues of land allotment: Govt. of NCT of
Delhi holding 5% equity in IGL helped IGL in getting the allotment
of lands, permissions for laying pipelines and in getting
electricity connections.Uncertainty on vehicles conversion: While
IGL was formed to install 80 CNG stations there was an apprehension
whether the DTC buses would be available for CNG usage. Besides all
the autorikshaws, taxis and private buses were also to be converted
for CNG use. Tremendous efforts were required to convince DTC, Bus
Operators and Delhi Administration for the conversion of vehicles
to CNG in such a short time. Today there are more than 87,000
vehicles in theNCT ofDelhi, which are running on CNG.Type of CNG
Stations:Four types of CNG stations have been developed inDelhi.
These are as follows:Mother Station: Mother stations are connected
to the pipeline and have high compression capacity. These stations
supply CNG to both vehicles and daughter stations (through mobile
cascades). Typically they have the facility of filling all types of
vehicles buses/autos/cars. The Mother station requires heavy
investment towards compressor, dispensers, cascades,
pipelines,tubing etc.TYPICAL CNG MOTHER STATION
Online Station: CNG vehicle storage cylinders need to be filled
at pressure of 200 bars. On line Stations are equipped with a
compressor of relatively small capacity, which compresses low
pressure pipeline gas to the pressure of 250 bar for dispensing CNG
to the vehicle cylinder. The investment in an online station is
midway between daughter station and mother station.Daughter
Station:The Daughter Stations dispense CNG using mobile cascades.
These mobile cascades at daughter stations are replaced when
pressure falls and pressure depleted mobile cascade is refilled at
the Mother Station. The investment in a daughter station is least
among all types of CNG stationsThere is reduction in storage
pressure at daughter stations with eachsuccessive filling. Once the
storage pressure drops, the refueling timeincreases, while the
quantity of CNG dispensed to vehicle also
decreases.Daughter-Booster Station: Installing a booster compressor
can eliminate drawbacks of daughter stations. The mobile cascade
can be connected to the dispensing system through a booster.
Daughter booster (compressor) is designed to take variable suction
pressure and discharge at constant pressure of 200 bars to the
vehicle being filled with CNG. The investment in daughter booster
station is slightly higher than that ofdaughter station.TYPICAL
DAUGHTER BOOSTER STATION
Mega CNG Stations:Mega CNG stations have been conceptualized to
cater to a large fleet ofvehicles, particularly the buses. The
objective is to provide comfortable filling experience to the
consumers when they come to the station forefeeling. Mega CNG
stations are constructed on much larger plot of land than that of
conventional CNG stations, as a result of which more number of
Compressors and Dispensers can be installed and more number of
vehicles can be simultaneously refuelled at such stations. A Mega
CNG station has been commissioned at Rohini, Sector 23 onJuly 13,
2003and a similar station has been put into operation at Patparganj
on June 30, 2003.At present, there are three Mega CNG stations
inDelhi. The CNG Mega station at Patpargang has been constructed at
a cost of around Rs.13.5 crores (USD 3 MM) to simultaneously refuel
five buses and eight other vehicles (cars, autos, mini buses etc.).
Built on a plot of size 75m X 40 m, it has the capacity to
comfortably refuel CNG to 800 buses and over 1500 other vehicles
daily.Performance:The growth in the CNG infrastructure and the
performance of IGL since its inception in December, 1998 is
presented in the following bar charts:Growth in CNG vehicles:
Growth in CNG Sales
YEARS* upto31-12-04Geographical Distribution of CNG stations(As
of01st January 2004)
Economics of CNGThe growth of CNG vehicles in the year 2002 was
primarily because of economic advantage of CNG with regard to
petrol / diesel. The economics of running the CNG vehicles vis--vis
its operation on petrol /diesel has been worked out at the current
price of fuel. The results are reproduced in the form of the
following bar graph:.Cities where City Gas Distribution Projects
being planned:As per the directive of the Honble Supreme Court of
India dated April 5,2002, in order to control heavy air pollution
due to vehicular traffic, the following cities in India have been
identified for developing infrastructure for distribution of
alternative fuel:.However, the study of air pollution indicated
that the pollution in the cities ofJodhpurand Jharia is mainly due
to dust pollution than vehicular emissions. Also, there are no
trunk gas pipeline in the vicinity ofPatnaandVaranasi.Subsequently,
in August 2003, Honble Supreme Court of India has issued a
directive to the Union of India and the state governments to draw
plans to introduce clean fuels in 11 cities apart from the existing
cities of Delhi and Mumbai. These are:KOLKATA, CHENNAI, BANGALORE,
HYDERABAD, AHMEDABAD, SHOLAPUR, SURAT, LUCKNOW, KANPUR, AGRA,
PUNEUnder its Project Blue Sky, GAIL has already drawn plans to
implement city gas projects in the five cities of Kanpur, Lucknow,
Agra, Bareilly and Pune in phases at an estimated investment of Rs.
554 crores (equivalent to 118Million USD).CNG STATIONS IN INDIA AS
ON JAN 2004
The total no. of CNG stations planned to be operational by the
end of financial year 2003 2004 would be as follows:-1)Delhi :
1202) Mumbai,Maharashtra: 883)Gujarat : 6Factors Influencing the
Success of CNG Project:Government commitment to the program
Sustainable economic advantage over liquid fuels Appropriate CNG
technologies Appropriate program management OEM support Safety of
CNG vehicles and CNG economic are key factors that determine the
success of CNG programEnvironment and Climate ProtectionInIndiaa
new Auto Fuel Policy has been adopted in October03 and the policy
gives a roadmap for achieving various vehicular emission norms over
a period of time and the corresponding fuel quality up gradation
requirements. While it does not recommend any particular fuel or
technology for achieving the desired emission norms, it suggests,
taking into account security of supplies and existing logistics,
perspectives, that liquid fuels should remain as main auto fuel
through out the country and that the use of CNG/LPG be encouraged.
The report also recommends measures for improving the present
mechanism of checking pollution for min used vehicles. Limited
natural gas allocation leading to delay in management decisions
onexpenditure commitment Uncertainty about conversion of vehicles
& CNG demand Lack of indigenous technology Capital intensive
project - a mother station cost would be 5-6 times the cost of a
petrol pump & pipeline need to be in place Infrastructural
constraints (Electricity, land etc.) Delay in getting permissions
from statutory authorities Objection from local people,
encroachment Low storage capacity of on board cylinders, thus
requiring frequent refillsDifficulties For Developing CNG
Infrastructure Limited natural gas allocation leading to delay in
management decisions on expenditure commitment Uncertainty about
conversion of vehicles & CNG demand Lack of indigenous
technology Capital intensive project - a mother station cost would
be 5-6 times the cost of a petrol pump & pipeline need to be in
place Infrastructural constraints (Electricity, land etc.) Delay in
getting permissions from statutory authorities Objection from local
people, encroachment Low storage capacity of on board cylinders,
thus requiring frequent refillsThe following difficulties are faced
in developing CNG infrastructure:The roadmap for vehicular ignition
norm for new vehicles would be asfollows:
Lessons Learnt in Implementing CNG ProgramIGL in a short span of
five years has installed 117 CNG stations in NCT of Delhi in spite
of various hurdles faced during implementation of the program. The
following lessons have been learnt in implementing the CNG
infrastructure development program: Study of geographical spread of
CNG vehicles movement is a must to analyze the peak demand at
individual CNG stations Pipeline distribution infrastructure needs
to be in place Dedicated/adequate mobile cascade filling
arrangement continuous supply of gas to daughter stations.
Involvement of local government/transport authorities Genuine
cylinder kits and spare parts be used for CNG vehicles to avoid
accidents Suitable codes/standards are to be in placed for CNG kit
fitment, testing etc. Safety and performance standards should be in
place, monitored and enforced CNG stations need to be built in
large open space to allow multi vehicle and multi point dispensing
Development of CNG infrastructure needs to be in line with growth
of CNG vehicles. Long term advance planning needs to be carried out
Development of CNG station is time and d capital consuming
activity.ConclusionCompressed Natural Gas has been accepted as an
alternative fuel by the public at large. The stage is set for
expanding the network to other cities. The success of CNG Expansion
Program would depend on many factors. The key factors being the
economy of CNG vis--vis other conventional fuels, adherence to
safety guidelines and the Government Support. Auto LPG is also
launched on a large scale in the country. At the end of the day, it
will be the quality of the fuel and economics which would
beimportant parameters for the commercial success of auto fuel. The
emphasis would be on fuels with lowest emissions. However, CNG is
here for the time being till a better fuel is discovered offering
better economicsto the users.CNG IN THE VEHICLES OF MUMBAIWith the
price of petrol currently at Rs 49.78 per litre in Mumbai, the
petrol Omni with fuel efficiency of 16kmpl, costs about Rs 3.11 to
run per kilometer. The gas powered van travelled 18.48km to a kg.
CNG per kg costs Rs 21.70 in Mumbai which translates to about Rs
1.06 per km. So the CNG user is shelling out only half the cost of
what a petrol-vehicle user does. Economical, for sure! CNG by
virtue of being a gas is able to improve the combustion process by
completely mixing with air, lesser scope of adulteration keeps the
gas clean andITeeof impurities and better burning properties. This
by itself improves the efficiency of the engine however kit
installers also detune the engine so that it leans more towards the
economy side rather than power.Currently the priority before one
indulges in the CNG driving experience means seeking the nearest
CNG outlet with the shortestrefuellingqueue. Production has
increased, distributionhas improved, storage is better, but
therefuellinglines have not disappeared, though they arenot endless
as they used to be.Mumbai's largest CNG filling station near Sion
is also the hub that supplies CNG all over the city. Being the main
station, pressure is higher than elsewhere. This means you can pack
in a few more kilos of gas into your canister for a few more
kilometers before refill. Taxi drivers get their refills at such
depots only so one must be prepared for a couple of hours of
waiting. However do not be put off by the long queues as these are
for cabs. For private vehicles there is another queue so one can
drive in and get a refill most times without hours of waiting.The
need of the hour then is to increase the number of filling stations
as the existing ones are woefully inadequate to cater to growing
numbers of CNG users. Also, CNG use is still confined to the metros
and smaller towns have been completely ignored. And with CNG being
proved as safe for use as petrol, the path is clear for