Number 62 April 2012

CNG cylinder and LNG

tank technology

CNG and LNG

Comparison and
characteristics of
NG vessels

Cryogenic tank
LNG tank for
vehicular solution

April 2012

Summary
4
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Lighter, cheaper, and higher quality

cylinders More isolation in LNG tanks

A new CNG cylinder has been developed

by US companies Chesapeake Energy and
3M. The cylinders will be sold in the US
market by the fourth quarter of 2012.

12

Overview of LNG tanks and CNG

cylinders

In the bid to limit climate change, reduce

greenhouse gas and air pollution as well as
decrease oil dependency, Natural Gas
Vehicles (NGVs) became more popular ...

14

The 1st CNG cylinder producer in

Thailand: Natural Gas Cylinder

Natural Gas Cylinder (Thailand) Co., Ltd

(NGC) is a new cylinder factory that respects
the highest quality standards in order to
conform to the strict requirements of the ...

16

Safety issues in CNG vehicles

24

Vehicular solutions: LNG tanks

and fuelling stations

20

China to add 280 LNG stations

by year end

26

BusinessCentre: Sinoma, Westport,

Versus and Worthington.

20

New Natural Gas engines for

China

31

NGV Bologna 2012

24

New "eco" cars planned for

Indonesia

32

Asian NGV statistics

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April 2012

Lighter, cheaper, and higher quality cylinders

More isolation in LNG tanks
A new CNG cylinder has been
developed by US companies
Chesapeake Energy and 3M.
The cylinders will be sold in the US
market by the fourth quarter of 2012.
In the CNG vehicles after-market
conversion segment, the fuel cylinder is
known as the most expensive single
component.

cylinder is the heaviest, while type 2

with metal liner reinforced by composite
wrap around the middle (so-called
hoop wrapped) is lighter. Type 3 is even
lighter as the metal liner is fully wrapped
by composite material, while type 4
using plastic gas-tight liner reinforced
by full composite wrapped around
entire tank-is the lightest.

Cylinder producers around the globe

continuously are looking for
better solution and technology to
decrease the price while lowering the
cylinder weight and increasing the
storage volume in the vessel.

The lightest one, type 4, is the most

expensive one. However, the challenge
in the industry remains to reduce weight
in each type of cylinder while increasing
storage capacity and minimize cost of
production.

Chesapeake and 3M came up with

a new design, using
nanoparticle-enhanced resin technology
to create lighter cylinders with 10 to 20
percent greater gas storage capacity,
at a lower cost than standard cylinders.
The carbon composite is made of
woven threads of carbon, held together
with epoxy. The nanoparticles are put
into the epoxy to add strength and
stiffness. Also, plastic lining is
incorporated in the walls of the
cylinders.

Type 1 cylinder is the heaviest yet

cheapest. It is very popular in various
countries, such South American nations
and most Asian countries (apart from
Korea, that uses a lot of type 2 and
lighter cylinders for its CNG buses).

The new company established by both

firms combined their proprietary liner
advancements, thermoplastic materials,
barrier films and coatings, and
damage-resistant films to transform the
pressure vessel industry.
Another company, China-based Sinoma
Science & Technology (Suzhou) Co.,
Ltd. is also conducting continuous
research to lower CNG cylinder cost
while increasing its total performance.
Meanwhile, few years ago Gastank
Sweden AB developed a lightweight
composite cylinder-type 4-using
HiPertexTM glass fibre as the main
material. The fully composite cylinder
meets ECE R110 norms, the stringent
European standardization for high
pressure vessels.
In general, the more composite glass or
carbon fibre wrapped is used in the
cylinder, the lighter the end product will
be. In other words, all-metal-type-1-

African countries are also using this

cylinder although more light-weight
cylinders are being explored. Everest
Kanto Cylinders is one of the top
players in the CNG cylinder segment,
supplying a great number of type 1 as
well as jumbo cylinders for gas
transport (for use in trailers)
The end product is heavy because the
cylinder is designed in such a way to
store high pressure gas.
While the CNG cylinder is high pressure
vessel-used to store 3,600 psi (200-250
bar) compressed gas, LNG tank has
another story.
Weight is not the issue in storing this
low-temperature liquid fuel. Instead, the
challenge lays in how to minimize the
increase of temperature inside the tank.
In storing LNG, it is important to keep
the fuel in liquid state as long as
possible. When the fuel is gasified-due
to increase in temperaturethe gas
must be released (vent-out) , resulting in
lost of fuel.
So, isolation capacity is of supreme
importance in designing LNG tank.
Whether it is an LNG or CNG vessel,

one thing similar applies to both

segment: safety issue!

The market and the norms

The most popular manufacturers of
CNG cylinders can be found in China,
India, Italy, USA, etc. Other countries
that produces this cylinder include
Argentina, Brazil, Czech Republic,
Korea, Sweden, etc. Most suppliers
outside USA also export their products.
Recently, Iran Government issued a
mandate that all CNG cylinders newly
installed in NGVs must meet ECE R110
standards. Off course, this regulation
also applies all over the European
Union. Therefore, many cylinder
manufacturers from India that use to
export to Iran, have applied for this
certification.
It means that those obtaining the ECE
R110 certification, such as Worthington
Nitin Cylinders, etc, can now export
their products to Europe as well. Few
Chinese manufacturers are already own
this certification, and, thus, playing in
the European market as well.
The other popular norm for high
pressure vessels is the ISO one.
The main international standards are
include ANSI (the American standard),
NZ5454 (the New Zealand norms),
ISO11439, and ISO4605D.
Nevertheless, each country has different
requirement and some have created
national norms. For example, in
Thailand, cylinders used in vehicles
must meet ISO11439,CSA/ANSI
NGV-2, UN ECE R110, and Thailand's
local standard TISI2311/ISO11439.
For formal registration of the vehicle,
an official standard certificate from
manufacturer is required and this must
match the serial number on each
cylinder. For more complete list of
countries and their accepted standards,
check http://www.iangv.org/toolsresources/international-standards-ak.html
http://www.iangv.org/toolsresources/international-standards-lz.html

April 2012

  
 

      
 
    
        

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April 2012

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http://www.iangv.org/tools-resources/international-standards-a-k.html
http://www.iangv.org/tools-resources/international-standards-l-z.html

April 2012

April 2012

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http://www.iangv.org/tools-resources/international-standards-a-k.html
http://www.iangv.org/tools-resources/international-standards-l-z.html

10

April 2012

Gas cylinder yang lebih ringan, lebih

murah, dan berkualitas lebih tinggi
Tangki LNG dengan daya isolasi lebih tinggi
Sebuah silinder CNG baru telah
dikembangkan oleh
Perusahaan Chesapeake Energi dan
3M dari Amerika telah membuat silinder
(tangki) CNG baru. Silinder-silinder ini
akan dijual di pasar Amerika Serikat
(AS) pada kuartal keempat tahun 2012.
Di segmen konversi kendaraan ke
sistem CNG, silinder dikenal sebagai
komponen yang paling mahal.
Produsen silinder di seluruh dunia terus
memperbaharui teknologi produk
dengan tujuan untuk menurunkan harga
dan berat barang serta meningkatkan
volume penyimpanan gas.
Chesapeake dan 3M datang dengan
desain baru, menggunakan nanopartikel
dan teknologi resin yang membuat
silinder CNG lebih ringan dan
meningkatkan kapasitas penyimpanan
gas sekitar 10 sampai 20 persen lebih
besar-- dengan biaya yang lebih
murah--dibandingkan dari silinder
standar. Bahan mentah silinder ini
terbuat dari benang tenun dari karbon
yang dicampur dengan epoxy.
Nanopartikelnya dimasukkan ke dalam
epoksi sehingga hasil akhirnya menjadi
lebih kuat dan kaku. Lapisan plastik
juga digunakan di dinding sebelah
dalam silindernya.
Kedua perusahaan ini membentuk
sebuah perusahaan baru. Perusahaan
baru ini mengkombinasikan
teknologi-teknologi mereka dalam
pembuat tangki tekanan tinggi.
Perusahaan lainnya, Sinoma Science &
Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. dari
Cina juga melakukan penelitian secara
kontinu. Sinoma berupaya menurunkan
biaya pembuatan silinder dan harga
akhir barang sambil meningkatkan
kualitas dan fungsi produknya.
Sementara itu, beberapa tahun yang
lalu Gastank Swedia AB
mengembangkan komposit ringan
silinder tipe 4-dengan serat kaca
HiPertexTM sebagai bahan utamanya.
Silinder komposit tipe keempat ini
(tipe-4) memenuhi peraturan standard
Eropa ECE R110 yang ketat.
Secara umum, produk akhir akan lebih
rignan jika lebih banyak komposit
fiber-glass atau serat karbon digunakan
dalam pembuatan tangki. Dengan kata
lain, tangki tipe-1-yang sepenuhnya
dibuat dari metal--adalah yang paling

berat, sedangkan tipe 2 lebih ringan.

Tipe tangki kedua ini mempunyai
bagian dalam dari metal yang kemudian
diperkuat oleh bungkus komposit di
bagian tengah tangki adalah. Tipe 3
bahkan lebih ringan karena seluruh
bagian metal dibungkus oleh bahan
komposit, sedangkan tipe 4 adalah
yang paling ringan -menggunakan
plastik yang kuat sebagai badan
dasarnya yang kemudian diperkuat oleh
komposit penuh yang dililitkan di
seluruh tangki. Namun, tipe-4 ini juga
dijual dengan harga tertinggi.
Dibanding tipe-tipe lainnya, silinder
tipe-1 paling berat dan paling murah.
Produk ini sangat populer di berbagai
negara, seperti di Amerika Selatan dan
sebagian besar negara-negara Asia
(terlepas dari Korea, yang banyak
menggunakan tipe 2 dan silinder yang
lebih ringan untuk bus CNG-nya).
Negara-negara Afrika juga
menggunakan silinder ini meskipun
mereka juga mengexksplorasi kegunaan
silinder ayng lebih ringa. Everest Kanto
Silinder adalah salah satu pemain top di
segmen CNG silinder, memasok
sejumlah besar tipe-1 dan silinder
jumbo untuk transportasi gas (bagi trailer)
Karena silinder CNG dirancang untuk
menyimpan gas bertekanan tinggi, hasil
akhir produk ini menjadi lumayan berat.
Hal ini menjadi tanttangan di segmen
silider CNG yang mana produsenprodusen berupaya untuk menurunkan
berat tangki tersebut.
Sementara silinder CNG adalah tangki
bertekanan tinggi kapal-digunakan
untuk menyimpan gas dengan tekanan
3.600 psi (200-250 bar), tangki LNG
memiliki kriteria lain. Berat tidak
masalah dalam penyimpan bahan bakar
cair bersuhu rendah ini. Sebaliknya,
tantangannya terletak pada teknologi
dalam meminimalkan kenaikan suhu di
dalam tangki. Dalam penyimpanan
LNG, bahan bakar harus dijaga dalam
keadaan cair selama mungkin. JIka
suhu dalam tangki meningkat dan LNG
menguap, uapan gas ini harus dikeluarkan. Dengan kata lain, sebagian
bahan bakar harus dibuang secara percuma. Jadi, kapasitas isolasi produk
sangatlah penting dalam merancang
tangki LNG.
Satu hal yang sama berlaku untuk

kedua segmen ini: masalah keamanan

sangatlah penting di segmen tangki
LNG dan CNG.

Pangsa pasar dan standardisasi

Produsen silinder CNG yang paling
populer dapat ditemukan di Cina, India,
Italia, Amerika Serikat, dll. Negaranegara lain yang memproduksi barang
ini termasuk Argentina, Brasil, Republik
Ceko, Korea, Swedia, dll. Kebanyakan
produsen-produsen di luar Amerika
Serikat juga mengekspor produk mereka.
Baru-baru ini, Pemerintah Iran
mengeluarkan mandat bahwa semua
silinder CNG yang baru dipasang di
NGVs harus memenuhi standar ECE
R110. Tentu saja, peraturan ini juga
berlaku di seluruh Uni Eropa. Oleh
karena itu, banyak produsen silinder
dari India yang biasa mengekspor ke
Iran mengajukan permohonan untuk
mendapatkan sertifikasi ini.
Ini berarti bahwa mereka yang sekarang
telah memperoleh sertifikasi ECE R110
dapat mengekspor produknya ke Eropa
juga. Beberapa produsen Cina yang
sudah memiliki sertifikasi ini juga mejual
produknya di pasar Eropa.
Norma populer lainnya untuk tangki
bertekanan tinggi adalah standar ISO.
Standar internasional utama termasuk
ANSI (standar Amerika), NZ5454 (dari
Selandia Baru), ISO11439, dan
ISO4605D.
Namun demikian, setiap negara
memiliki persyaratan yang berbeda dan
beberapa telah menciptakan
norma-norma nasional. Sebagai contoh,
di Thailand, silinder yang digunakan
dalam kendaraan harus memenuhi
ISO11439, CSA / ANSI NGV-2, UN
ECE R110, dan standar lokal Thailand
TISI2311/ISO11439. Untuk pendaftaran
resmi kendaraan, diperlukan sertifikat
standar resmi dari produsen yang harus
sesuai dengan nomor urut di tiap
silinder. Untuk daftar standar yang lebih
lengkap dari berbagai negara , kunjugni
webiste ini http://www.iangv.org/
tools-resources/international-standardsa-k.html
http://www.iangv.org/toolsresources/international-standards-lz.html

12

April 2012

Overview of LNG tanks and CNG cylinders

CNG cylinders and LNG tanks
In the bid to limit climate change,
reduce greenhouse gas and air pollution
as well as decrease oil dependency,
Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) became
more popular especially during the past
few years. Accordingly, high-pressure
vessels that are used in NGVs to store
the fuel -CNG- also gained popularity.
Apart from that, LNG tanks for LNG or
Dual Fuel vehicles and LNG stations
hold an increasingly important role
especially during the last two years.
While CNG cylinder is designed as
high-pressure vessels capable of
holding around 250 bar gas, LNG tank
is used to store low-pressure (liquid)
gas at working pressure of around 25
bar. The figures mentioned above are
for working pressure as the actual
design of the cylinder was made to hold
a higher pressure, for example, up to
400-450 bar for a CNG cylinder.

High-pressure vessels
There are four types of CNG vessels
available in the market: CNG type-1
with all metal construction (normally
from seamless tubes or steel plate);
CNG type-2, mostly metal with some
fibre overwrap in the hoop direction,
mostly steel or aluminium with a glass
fibre composite; CNG type-3 metal liner
with full composite overwrap, generally
aluminium, with a carbon fibre
composite; the type-4 all-composite
polymer liner typically high-density
polyethylene (HDPE) with carbon
fibre or hybrid carbon/glass fibre
composite. While all gas load is carried
by metal in type-1 vessels, in type-2,
the metal vessel and composite
materials share approximately equal
structural loading .In type-3 and 4,
the composite materials carry all the
structural loads.
As per manufacturers advice, a CNG
cylinder lifetime -for usage- is around 15
to 20 years. However, for safety
reasons, each country has different
regulations on the cylinder lifetime once
it is applied to vehicles.

Fuel storage capacity

The fuel storage sizes for CNG car or
truck normally have around 15 to 150
liters (water-equivalent) in volume. For
smaller vehicles, like three-wheelers,
more petite cylinders are available, for

example, from 20 liter. Light-weight type

4 cylinders can also hold up to 540 liter
(water-equivalent) gas, for example. For
cars, the most popular one is the 60
liter type-1 steel vessel, in various Asian
countries (Bangladesh, India, Iran,
Pakistan, etc). Several companies also
offer tailor made products, in which
cylinder sizes and storage capacities
are designed based on special
requirements of the clients.
CNG cascades, for storing gas in filing
stations, and jumbo cylinders for
bulk-gas transfer are available from, for
example, 1,100 to 3,000 liter.

Driving range
Depending on the number of cylinders
or the total storage capacity combined
with the right engine technology, a
bifuel/CNG car could cover around 340
km with one refuelling.
For Diesel Dual Fuel (DDF)
methane/diesel, the driving range could
reach up to 500 km, at this moment,
and a possibility of extending it to
800km with further engine and cylinder
development. One full cylinder would

allow drivers to cover 340 to 400 km

range. Both examples above are from
cars and trucks with light-weight
composite (type-4) cylinders. One of the
type-4 cylinder manufacturers claimed
that light-weight full composite vessel
made with certain technology and
material can reduce cylinder weight as
much as 55 to 60 percent compared to
type-1 steel cylinder. The benefits of
switching type-1 cylinders to type-4
glass fibre composite cylinder in bifuel
Panda 1.2 8V Natural Power car include:
More payload and more vehicle
range;
Better vehicle performance with
improved acceleration;
Reduced breaking distance (which
increases safety);
More fuel savings as with type-4 cylinders the cars fuel efficiency is 120
liter/100,000km on petrol and 48 kg per
100,000 on CNG;
Higher emission reduction (4
gram/km)
However, in general, type-4 cylinders
are 3.5 times more expensive than the
type-1 ones.

April 2012

13

Cost efficiency
As mentioned above, type-4 vessels are
the most expensive product.
The cheapest one, type-1, has an
estimated production cost of about
USD5 per liter of volume, according to
Composite World. This is the most
widely available technology around the
world and is largely still the most
popular one, also due to the low price
tag of the vessels. This one also is the
heaviest, weighing around 1.4 kg/liter.
The type-2 ones cost about 50 percent
more to produce while being 30 to 40
percent lighter. Type-3 and 4 are
commonly referred as the light-weight
ones, weighing between 0.25 and 0.45
kg/liter with type-4 being the lightest.
The composites cylinders, however, are
twice as more expensive than the
type-2 ones, and about 3.5 times
greater than the type-1 cylinders.
According to a recent Lucintel report
titled Growth Opportunities in Global
Composites Cylinder Market
2011- 2016: Trends, Forecast and
Market Share Analysis, the composites
cylinder market is expected to grow at
a compounded annual growth rate
(CAGR) of 13.8 percent, and the end

product market is expected to surpass

USD1 billion by 2016.
The (type-3) cylinders for bulk-transport
applications are yet to gain a better
ground in the commercialisation and still

looking for regulatory acceptance, but

those believed to have the potential to
contribute an additional 726 to 816
metric tonnes of composite pressure
vessels annually, are worth about
USD50 million, by 2013.

14

April 2012

The 1st CNG cylinder producer in Thailand:

Natural Gas Cylinder (Thailand) Co., Ltd
Natural Gas Cylinder (Thailand)
Co., Ltd (NGC) is a new cylinder
factory that respects the highest
quality standards in order to
conform to the strict requirements of the international
markets. NGC is the first company that manufactures CNG
cylinders in Thailand. The company is located right in the
province of Rayong, a privileged/developed area of the
automotive sector in Thailand, only two hours far from the
capital city Bangkok. NGC focuses on manufacturing
seamless CNG type-1 cylinders using high quality ISO
9809-1 certified raw materials. It produces cylinders using
seamless chrome molybdenum steel pipe with the most
modern system available in the market (spinning system) to
meet and satisfy the continuously growing demand of
national and international markets. The product is designed
using combined technology from Europe (Italy) and various
Asian countries. In order to fully satisfy various kinds of
customers around the world, the firm emphasizes the
importance of quality standards. For that reason, ISO
integrated systems have been implemented. Document
control and certification is covered by the 9001:2008
resolutions while the ISO 11439 certification is applied to
monitor the high pressure cylinders production line and sale.
Apart from ensuring total quality process and meeting strict
safety regulations in the cylinders production, external and
internal cylinders surface are also tested. Designed and
constructed to withstand extreme environmental exposures,
the cylinders went through 12 stages testing processes, such
as: hydraulic pressure test, cycle test, burst test, penetration
gun test and tensile and yield strength and elongation
measuring, among others.
Its initial production capacity is set at manufacturing
approximately 140,000 cylinders during the first year.
The firm aims to increase the production capacity to 250,000
vessels per annum by 2013. Following the overview of the
new cylinders manufacturer, the aims are the customers
satisfaction, the reliability of its products and processes.
The quality and safety systems adopted in NGC are the same
ones used by the largest gas cylinders factories in the world.
The company provides cylinder with three types diameters:
325 millimeter (mm), 356 mm, and 406 mm. The gas storage
capacity ranges from 50 to 150 water-liter-equivalents.
With high-skilled experts in its R & D division, NGC constantly
conducts product development.
The firm strives for continuous product and quality
improvement, professional working attitude, while prioritizing
safety and quality of the product and customers satisfaction.
We invite you to get acquainted with our products!
For product inquiries and more information, contact us at:
Natural Gas Cylinder (Thailand) Co., Ltd
64/166 Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate (Rayong)
Moo 4, Pluak Daeng, Pluak Daeng, Rayong 21140, Thailand.
Tel: +66 38 955 138 and +66 38 656192-4
Fax : +66 38 955 887
Email : info@ngc.co.th
Website : www.ngc.co.th (active soon)

16

April 2012

Safety Corner
Safety issues in CNG vehicles

Presented by: C. P. Batra, Commercial

Director, EKC Group of Companies
CNG has become a fuel of choice for
most of the urban and rural areas due
to its economic viability and
environment friendliness. It is also a
preferred fuel for various industries. In
the beginning when CNG is introduced
as an alternative automotive fuel in any
country, everything is new, the
equipment, cylinders, CNG stations,
pipelines. Also, people are very
enthusiastic as they are on a learning
curve. Over a period of time, the CNG
fuel becomes familiar commodity for all
including the gas suppliers and users.
Familiarity breeds contempt. This is true
for this field also. With rapid proliferation
of the user cities, the supply stations
and the infrastructure have grown.
The amount of intensely trained
manpower did not increase manifold as
the increase of CNG industry. For the
newcomers, it is just a job or
commercial business and not a mission
or passion. Many of them are not aware
of the associated precautions to be
taken while handling, storing and using
the CNG fuel.
The equipment including the CNG
cylinders and CNG Kits are being put to
extensive use and the issues of safety

are showing up. As the time passes by,

and if proper training and care are not
imparted, the frequency of accidents /
incidents may increase. These incidents
usually result in severe damage to
human life and property, which we cant
afford as it may send very bad signals
to the users and public in general and
human suffering in any form is not
tolerable. Due to the interrelated nature
of the various agencies involved, the
safety issues should be addressed
immediately and seriously by all
concerned jointly and individually
including the users, operators, suppliers
of CNG products and the regulatory
authorities.
After analyzing some of the accidents
and reports related to CNG vehicles
and preliminary study, the following
areas of concern are highlighted for
improvement.
It was observed that loss of human
lives could take place due to absence
of easy emergency escape passage for
the people to exit from the vehicle in
case of fire. Vehicle body design needs
to be reviewed.
It is also observed that the public
transport passenger vehicles carry
many more passengers than
permissible for a particular vehicle and

in many cases in some countries the

passengers were seen sitting on the
roof. This creates chaos for exiting of
passengers during any unfortunate
incident. The Road Transport authorities
can ensure strict compliance with this
by the fleet operators.
It is also important to review the
engine compartment for ventilation after
a CNG kit is installed.
Many times the workshops use a
conventional CNG valve which does not
have an Excess Flow Device. If the
cylinder valves have inbuilt Excess Flow
(prevention) Device, a broken gas
connection in engine compartment or
anywhere, would not allow large
amount of gas to flood the space.
Thereby the severity of fire could be
reduced.
Electrical wiring also needs to be
reviewed for avoidance of occurrence of
spark due to loose connections of the
low voltage and high voltage wires.
All the joints, cylinder valve, piping
and connections after installation of the
Kit and after first filling of CNG should
be checked with Gas detector for any
CNG leakages.
Kit installers under the guidance of Kit
manufacturers may make a checklist for
use by the vehicle owners so that they
take care of problems before incidents
take place.

April 2012

17

Safety Corner

Burst disc actuation of the cylinder

valve should not be considered as
FAILURE. It should be considered as
warning indication and one should look
for causes.
It was seen in many reported
accidents involving CNG vehicles that
the cylinders did not explode despite
the whole vehicle was gutted by fire.
This was possible only due to use of
activation of valves safety devices.
Therefore it is highly recommended to
use only a valve having independent
thermal and pressure safety devices
genuinely approved by cylinder
manufacturer and the regulatory authority.
It could be very important if the CNG
kit is considered in totality rather than
only the pressure regulator. So, the
conversion agency should be
responsible agency rather than
considering the kit, the cylinder, the
fitment and tubing separately and
holding people responsible for the bits
and pieces of the system.
Various issues in the order of frequency
are listed below:
Safety Device Actuation. At present
there is no specific regulation in many
countries for the type of Cylinder Valves
to be used on CNG vehicle cylinder. On
many vehicles the valves used have the
safeties (Burst disc & Fusible Plug)
installed in series wherein the activation

of the Pressure Safety (Burst Disc) is

dependent on the Thermal Safety
(Fusible Plug). If for some reasons the
thermal safety (fusible plug) does not
fail, the chances of failure of the
pressure safety device (burst disc) are
remote and prone to hazard. In the
event of the valves fitted with
independent safeties, for either over
pressure or over temperature also the
cylinder is maintained safe. Hence we
strongly recommend usage of latest
generation of Cylinder Valves having
independent pressure and thermal
safety devices along with an excess
flow device.
1. The valve should have a provision for
venting the gas which is released by
operation of the safety device (through
a pipe) taken away from the bottom of
the vehicle, so that it does not get
entrapped in pockets in the vehicle in
any case.
2. Burst Disc failures of Vehicle
Cylinder Valves are usually due to
i. Overpressure
ii. Vibrations
iii. Contaminants in the gas
iv. Creep in the material of burst disc
The users are normally tempted to get it
attended by road side mechanic, who
gives them two choices with different

pricing. Usually the user is not aware of

the details, so he chooses the cheaper
one which is a small disc cut out from
the aluminium cans of soft drinks.
Customer is not aware of the safety
aspect and the risk he is subjecting
himself and others to. In case of the
failure of burst disc of the valve, the
user should get a new burst disc
installed if available or should replace
the valve with a fresh one. Under no
circumstances should a dead bolt be
used to close the opening of the burst
disc because that may cause major
accident and failure of High Pressure
cylinder in the event of development of
excess pressure of CNG inside the
cylinder due to heat or excessive
pressure from compressor while filling.
3. Cylinders bursting: Could be due to
i. Fire taking place due to leakage of
CNG thereby increasing pressure and
temperature of gas inside the cylinder
and the Valve safeties not operating.
ii. Sulphide stress cracking of steel
inside cylinder if the gas contains
sulphur (Gas supplier to control)
iii. Continuous corrosion and erosion
inside the cylinder due to accumulation
of water from the humid gas.(Use a Gas
Dryer before compression)
iv. Damage of external protective
coating of cylinder may cause corrosion
and eventually may reduce the
minimum designed wall thickness that
could cause cylinder blast. (Maintain the
cylinder by frequent inspection and
timely re-testing)
v. Usage of Cylinder without
requalification of periodic retesting.
(The maximum service life of CNG
Cylinders as defined in the widely
referred standards ISO 11439 and ECE
R 110 is 20 years) The cylinders should
be retested and re-qualified every 5
years by an approved retest centre.
vi. Usage of cylinders previously
involved in fire or collision incident. All
such cylinders should be condemned
and taken out of service.
vii. Manufacturing defects due to
poor quality of R.M., poor heat
treatment, lack of good inspection
through Ultrasonic testing. (Usage of
good quality R.M. from a reputed steel
mill is recommended)
4. Fire Explosions & Accidents in CNG
Continue to page 18

18

April 2012

Safety Corner
Continued from page 17
Vehicles: Though the print and TV
media many times reported in headlines
as accident due to CNG Cylinder
Blast, the facts after investigations
came out that all the CNG cylinders
were intact even after the whole CNG
vehicles were gutted by fire involving
casualties of human lives. The main
reasons for such accidents and fire in
CNG Vehicles mainly mini buses in
Pakistan were:i. Poor and substandard installation
of CNG kits that may lead to leakage of
CNG. All the components should be
properly supported and clamped,
including the CNG high pressure pipe
from the cylinder to the engine.
ii. Absence of Excess Flow Valve as
a part of cylinder valve.
iii. If the leakage is in the engine
compartment, the fire is fanned by the
fan of the radiator, and it enters the mini
Bus passenger compartment easily.
iv. When the fire in engine
compartment heats up the aluminium
body of the pressure regulator, it fails
very quickly giving rise to large release
of gas in that space. Excess flow valve
would be of help in such cases.
v. Use of substandard tubing and
connections from CNG cylinder valves
to the CNG Kit.
vi. Substandard way of mounting the
high pressure piping which loses
clamps in service leaving long
unsupported lengths.
vii. Usage of unauthorized system of
both CNG and LPG kits on the same
vehicle. This is most serious and
dangerous because most of the bus
operators use the Domestic LPG
cylinder which is kept loose in the bus
and they use rubber tubing instead of
metal tubing. LPG being heavier than air
gets settled down in the bus and gets
ignited with smallest spark electrical
system of the vehicle or from any fire due
to smoking on the bus by passengers.
viii. Improper installation of
interconnected CNG cylinders under the
passenger seats without the shield for
fittings and valves. Any gas leakage
around the valve and pipe fittings to it
has to be routed through a pipe to
outside of the vehicle. This should be
ensured.
ix. Usage of substandard CNG Valve
that may not cause the Pressure and

Thermal safeties of the valve to operate.

Latest generation valves having parallel
or Independent Pressure & Thermal
safeties are recommended.
x. Bypassed safeties or spurious
safeties could result in bursting of
cylinders.
xi. Public Safety rules especially in
the public transport like Mini buses
must be strictly enforced. No
one inside the bus should be allowed to
smoke or carry fire prone substance.
The mini buses should not be over
loaded with the passengers. The drivers
of the public transport system must
qualify as such passing a special test
and should refrain from over speeding.
5. Suggestions:
i. The Cylinders valves must have
high quality Independent Thermal PRD
and Pressure PRD. Never use the series
arrangement for PRD where the burst

disc and fusible plug are in series. This

arrangement is dangerous because if
the fusible plug is not melted the burst
disc cannot rupture. This could lead to
cylinder failure in a burst mode.
ii. The PRD must be with vent pipe.
The failed PRD should not contaminate
the area where the cylinder is operating.
iii. The gas must conform to the
specifications of the on-board cylinders
standard like ISO 11439.
iv. The CNG Cylinders must be of
certified quality and design as approved
by the regulatory authority.
All cylinders must be retested every 5
years from the manufacturing date in a
recognized retest laboratory and
cylinders subjected to excessive cyclic
duty (like the cylinders used for Public
Transport Vehicles) must undergo
ultrasonic examination of flaws at 3
years interval preferably for ensuring
better safety.

April 2012

19

Safety Corner
v. Cylinders should be mounted
firmly with Brackets having soft lining of
canvas or rubber so that they are not in
contact with other metallic objects
during vibration of rough and tough
road conditions.
Fitment of the mounting and location of
the cylinders must be as per the rules
defined by the regulatory authority and
preferably should be certified by the
approved inspection agency.
vi. In case of damage of protective
paint of the cylinder, the cylinder
should be repainted before installation
in the vehicle in order to avoid
corrosion and improve the safe life of
the cylinder.
vii. In case of any reported leakage of
CNG, the vehicle should be sent to the
service centre for complete check-up
of leakage with CNG leak detector.
viii. Under no circumstances
should we allow usage of LPG kits on
the vehicle which already have
installation of CNG kits. (Vehicles with
provision of both LPG & CNG Kits are
most dangerous)
ix. A training and certification
program should be started for the
conversion workshop mechanics and
supervisor as well as the dispensing
station attendants.
x. We also strongly recommend that
aftermarket conversion of the vehicles
should be only carried out by the
authorized conversion centres with
trained technical staff and such
converted vehicles must be certified by
the designated third party inspection
agencies for fitness before they are
allowed to be used.
The OEM Vehicle manufacturers
producing CNG Vehicles and the
Kit manufacturers could be helpful in
guiding and setting higher standards of
fitments for the aftermarket CNG
conversions. We strongly feel that
CNG has a great future and we need
to take precautions to avoid
overconfidence in handling this
eco-friendly fuel.
Contact: EKC International FZE
P.O. Box 61041, Jebel Ali, Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 4 883 2796/7/8
Fax: +971 4 88 32 799
Email: ekc@emirates.net.ae
www.everestkanto.com and
www.ekcuae.com.

20

April 2012

New NG engines for China

China Yuchai International Limited
announced in March that its subsidiary
Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Company
Limited (GYMCL) is developing natural
gas-powered engines. The new engines
are applicable to Heavy-Duty Vehicles,
in line with GYMCL specialization in
engines for trucks, buses, tractors,
marine as well as power generators.
The company develops gas engines
following China government policies
that encourage energy conservation
and emissions reduction technologies
and application. Under the new project,
a new facility will be constructed at
GYMCLs main facility at Yulin City,
Guangxi Province, for the
production of natural gas engines. It is
expected to be operational in early
2013 with a capacity to produce
20,000 gas engines per year for a range

of vehicles. Initially, the gas engines will

be available for sale in the Eastern
coastal region and areas where natural
gas is actively promoted. In 2009, when
the development of new alternative
energy diesel engines by GYMCL was
announced, sales of high-quality and
reliable gas powered engines rose 287
percent between that year and 2011.

China is targeting 280 new

LNG filling stations by end 2012

Chinese government is actively

promoting the use of alternative energy
in all sectors including transport.
According to Chinas 12th Five-Year
Plan, the share in the countrys total
energy mix should reach 8.3 percent by
2015. This represents around 9.2 trillion
cubic feet of gas or three times the gas
consumption of 2008. Oil & gas
companies such as Petrochina,
Sinopec, and China National Offshore
Oil Corporation are actively building
pipelines and natural gas facilities to
increase the use of

natural gas. Two pipelines linking

Western to Eastern China are already
in operation, with a third under
construction that will provide 72
billion cubic meters of gas into
Eastern China.
The 12th Five-Year Plan also calls for
between 10 to 20 percent of municipal
buses and large trucks to be powered
by methane by 2020.
In the gas-rich areas of China, there are
now 101 LNG filling stations. There is a
plan to expand this network to 380
stations by end of 2012.

Korean brand
to promote
NGVs in Europe
South Korea's
second-largest
automobile
manufacturer,
Kia, might soon
enter NGV market through its
European subsidiary.
Kia's Manager for Powertrain
Engineering in Europe is pushing
for more emphasis on the benefits
of powering cars with CNG. Dr
Joachim Hahn told Autocar of the
UK, "With all the work we do on
internal combustion engines in
hydrogen powered cars, making
big gains in CO2 reduction is either
incredibly difficult or incredibly
expensive. Hahn sees big
potential in CNG as it can offer a
20 percent CO2 reduction.
CNG is also cheaper for the
consumer than petrol and easier to
store than either electricity or
hydrogen. It can help countries to
lower dependency on oil.

Hahn continued, "The market so

far tells a different story from the
one I'm pushing for, but in time
CNG will make progress," he said.
"I'm sure nobody thought 'Mr
Diesel' had a good idea at first,
but look at the situation now."
Kia is partly owned by Hyundai
Motor Group.
The Hyundai Motor Company
and Kia are the two largest car
makers in Korea.

April 2012

21

22

April 2012

New eco cars planned

for Indonesia
In line with governments policy to
incorporate more green vehicles in
Indonesia, local and foreign investors
are eyeing to enter the market with
more eco-friendly fuels and vehicles.
Four of Japans top automotive
manufacturers are reported ready to
manufacture cheap and green cars in
this market by the end of 2012.
The Indonesia Government is offering
incentives to all car producers that wish
to produce low-cost green cars (LCGC)
in Indonesia. This policy is issued to
make Indonesia an automotive
production base for Southeast Asia as
well as to promote locally made vehicle
components.
Thus, Toyota, Daihatsu, Suzuki and
Honda plan to release a total of
500,000 units of low-cost green cars
(LCGC) in Indonesia per year. The four
carmakers want to invest around
USD1.8 billion, according to Industry
Minister M.S. Hidayat.
Before deciding to proceed with the
plan, the automakers are seeking to
secure significant incentives from the
government.
According to coordinating minister of
economic affairs, Hatta Rajasa , the
government has already agreed to
waive luxury goods tax for the LCGC
and instead apply the excise tax, which
would be at a lower rate. Prior to the
scrapping of the luxury tax, owners of
vehicles paid 70 percent of the
purchase price of the automotives.
Meanwhile, the Association of
Indonesian Automotive Industries
(Gaikindo) hopes that the government
will not impose excise tax on vehicles.
The vehicle industry is concerned that
the planned excise tax would increase
the price of the LCGC, making it a high
cost car instead of a low cost one.
Meanwhile the Industry Ministrys
director general Budi Darmadi said part

of the reason why LCGC will be subject

to excise tax and not the luxury goods
tax was because it reflected the
governments commitment to health
and the environment.
However, concession can be made
should automakers introduce cars that
meet criteria for efficiency in energy
consumption and reducing greenhouse
gas emissions. Darmadi said that the
government has conducted road shows
on this issue for two years. It is
expected that the regulation regarding
the criteria of energy efficient vehicles
and GHG reduction will be released
before coming October.
As Indonesias economy is growing at
6.5 percent annually, a bigger portion of
citizens are moving into the middle
class and has a bigger disposable
income. Domestic car sales reached
894,000 units in 2011, and are
expected to rise to 940,000 within this
year and to 1 million units in 2013. Of
the figures announced by Hidayat, half
of that total would be made up of
LCGC vehicles.
The four firms have yet to expose what
kind of fuels will be used to power the
LCGCs.

New regulation
for filling CNG
cylinder in
Singapore

Emphasizing the safety issue of

NGVs, the Singaporean authority
issued a new regulation for these
vehicles.
As in some other countries, only
three quarters of petrol tank can be
filled with fuel. In Singapore, this
rule currently applies to refuelling of
petrol tanks of Singapore-registered motor vehicles leaving the
country. Since January 1st, 2012,
this regulation also applies to CNG
cylinders in dedicated CNG
vehicles and bifuel petrol/CNG
vehicles.
As previously reported, an excise
duty of SGD0.20 per kg has been
imposed on CNG since the
beginning of the year. Thus, from
January 1st, distributors of CNG
need to apply for a licence from
Singapore Customs.
It means that they have to account
for the quantity of CNG fuel
produced, dispensed and sold,
and pay duties on a monthly basis.
Accordingly, retail prices of CNG
also include duty and Goods and
Services Tax (GST) since January 1st.

April 2012

23

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24

April 2012

Vehicular solutions: LNG tanks and

fuelling stations
By: Bernat Vidal
Ribas, Ros Roca
Business
Development Manager
ROS ROCA INDOX Cryo Energy started
LNG tank manufacturers knowledge
designing a special LNG tank in 2006
for Mercedes trucks. This Dewar is
designed to store gas at different
pressures, normally until 25 bar. It is
developed in different sizes, some of
them more than 600 liters of LNG. The
Dewar tank can be applied as a single
vessel or linked to a slave tank in the
same truck.
The firms unique design is created to
meet truck manufacturer requirements.
It provides LNG tanks to MERCEDES,
SCANIA, IVECO, but also modified to
adapt RENAULT or VOLVO and other
especial chassis requirements.
The main part of this solution is the best
communication between the fuelling
station, the dispenser and the truck
itself. We have a special software to
control the fuelling station from various
points: the owners computer, the
computer for the maintenance
subcontractor, but even from our
headquarters. The system can even
gives alarms on several mobile
telephones.
The handling of LNG is different from
that of diesel fuel. It is necessary to
keep LNG temperature and pressure
under control, not only at the LNG tank
at fuelling station, but also in the
dispenser ( in which we have special
design equipped by a cryogenic hose),
and in the fuel tank on the truck. It is
vital to have an excellent control system
among the three parts.
Our system -approved in several
countries in Europe- has an especial
gas recovery system that allows a
close circuit. It is important for
economic and environmental reasons to
avoid venting possibilities*. With this
gas recovery system, we can avoid the
venting process, and instead, using the
boiled off gas at the fuelling station as CNG.
One of our main products nowadays is
the L-CNG STATIONS, which means
Compressed Natural Fuelling Station
from LNG tank. With this solution,
owners of the fuelling stations can offer

CNG and LNG to consumers.

ROS ROCA INDOX Cryo Energy
supplies modular station, in which the
main equipment is mounted as skid, to
provide an assembly on side and a
safe start in the shortest time.
In this type of stations, Natural Gas
from cryogenic tank is driven by a
cryogenic piston pump (up to 300 bar)
to a vaporizer. The gas is stored in
CNG bottles which used to refuel
vehicles through a dispenser.
The main characteristics and
advantages of these stations are:
The location is not conditioned to a
pipeline (not dependant to availability of
gas pipeline);
Less investment (cryogenic pumps

versus big compressors);

Store availability up to 280 bar of CNG;
Energy compression cost is 7 times
lower than compressing from pipe;
It does not need a high electric power
installation;
Normally, owners of the station get
better gas quality from LNG supplier
than that from pipeline;
Possibility of mobile or transportable
fuelling stations;
Different LNG suppliers are available
(for example, in Spain you can buy LNG
from more than 7 suppliers);
Lower maintenance costs compared
to CNG from pipeline stations.
Below is our diagram to clarify different
options and solutions

Below is our diagram to clarify different options and solutions

April 2012

25

About Ros Roca Indox Cryo Energy

ROS ROCA INDOX Cryo
Energy is a company of ROS
ROCA GROUP, an international
Corporation with more than
100 years experience,
manufacturing equipment, developing engineering
related to the environment, as well as energy solutions.
With over 2,000 employees, a turnover higher than 750
million Euros, and offices in several countries, this
company is now one of the European leaders in this
field.
ROS ROCA GROUP has production facilities in South
and Central America, China, and in Europe, currently in
France, Spain, Germany and United Kingdom. Offices
in United Arab Emirates, Chile, Malaysia, Ecuador and
Brazil. Our company can offer a complete LNG chain:
from the liquefaction plant, loading facilities,
biomethanisation plants, the upgrading solutions, all
the equipment required for the logistics, regasification
plants and advising and assisting with the final
customer project: LNG / CNG / LCNG fuelling station,
power generation, and special developments on
vehicular solutions.
For the marine and river ship (inland waterways) market,
we can offer loading systems from ship to cryogenic
trailer, LNG fuel tanks on a ship, LNG storage inside
body ships. We already supplied the first LNG river ship
tank in Europe to Rotterdam City.
ROS ROCA INDOX Cryo Energy has long experience in
Natural Gas and Biogas, and especially in fuelling
stations in liquid or compressed phase.
This know-how came from our history providing
equipment, as well as global solutions in alternative
fuels. The Iberian Peninsula has Natural Gas pipeline
from North Africa and France coming from the rest of
Europe, but we also have 7 Liquefied Natural Gas
Terminals, one of the oldest in Europe (1968).
This gave us know-how and a few years ahead and
experience in this fuel.
This privileged condition allows our company to offer the
best scenario to develop various types of methane
fuelling stations: Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), gas
compressed from pipe (Compressed Natural Gas or
CNG), compressed gas from liquid form (LCNG), or
combinations of any of these. ROS ROCA INDOX Cryo
Energy already has installations operating in Europe or
South America, most of them in the form of turnkey and
/ or global solutions. Visit: www.cryoenergy.net
Note: *When temperature increases, LNG will be
gasified and created extra pressure in the tank and/or
required more room to store the fuel, thus need to be
vented-editor.

CNG control

26

April 2012

BusinessCentre
Sinoma CNG, LNG and Hydrogen cylinders
Sinoma Science & Technology (Suzhou)
Co., Ltd (Sinoma), was founded in
October 26, 2004, a state-owned
company subordinates to Sinoma
Science & Technology CO.Ltd (Stock
code: 002080), with the registered fund
USD160 million.
Sinomas main products are CNG
cylinders (type1, 2 and 3 cylinders), SCBA
cylinders, LNG cylinders, Hydrogen
cylinders and Steel pipes.
Inherit the mother companys 50 years
experience in researching, developing and
manufacturing high pressure containers
and composite material, Sinoma has a
great foundation in this field. First-class
equipments, patented manufacturing
process, high level safety management,
make Sinoma a reliable and trustworthy
partner.
In order to ensure the products uniformity
and minimize artificial effect, Sinoma built
a continuously automatic composite
high-pressure cylinder production line, the
first one in China, through independent
design and integrated innovation.
Sinoma is the first to develop
double-center circle curve head
technology in China. The technology
makes the product have a larger gas
storing volume-- while maintaining the
same lengthcompares to the traditional
dome shape. Meanwhile, Sinoma adopts
special coating material and advanced
coating process (patented), which can
increase the cohesion of the coating,
improve corrosion resistance, and
insulation of cylinder.
For key processes, such as curing,
Sinoma uses continuous and horizontal
curing method, with three temperature
section to fulfill the heating, holding and
discharging curve that can ensure no loss
of the resin. The end result of the resin is
smooth and beautiful. The resin film is
formed to protect composite layer.
Sinomas quality control system covers
all required procedures of manufacturing,
meeting the ISO9001 Quality
Management System Certificate and
TS16949 Certificate of international
automobile industry.
Besides ISO11439 certificate, Sinoma is

the first Asian CNG cylinder manufacturer

who got ECER110 certificate and
exporting to Europe.
The newly designed 225 liter cylinders for
storage trailers developed according to
ISO11119, allows an increased gas
storage with a minimum number of
cylinders. The 225 liter cylinders has been
sold to south eastern Asian countries, and
are well received.

within a limited vessel weight, and also

guarantee safety.
As the leader among Chinese composite
gas cylinder manufacturers, Sinoma
Science & Technology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd.,
with its strong scientific research background and advantageous resource, is
currently walking at the forefront of
Chinese composite cylinder
manufacturing technology!

Presently, the firm has four plants: two

plants in Suzhou and one more in
Chengdu manufacturing CNG, LNG, and
SCBA cylinders, and the other one in
Nantong, manufacturing steel pipes.
Sinoma emphasizes on quality, safety, low
cost, and lighter weight cylinders while
keeps improving the cylinder storage
capacity, to get more volume of gas

Contact:
sales@sinoma-sz.com
Tel: 0086-512-88855674
Fax: 0086-512-88189377
Sinoma Science & Technology (Suzhou)
Co., Ltd.
No. 68 Changyang Street, Suzhou
Industrial Park, 215021, P.R. China
www.sinoma-sz.com

Terzo evento internazionale di NGVA Europe,

con esposizione prodotti e workshops.
Veicoli a gas naturale, biometano, metano liquido
e miscele metano/idrogeno

3rd NGVA Europe International Show & Workshops

Natural Gas Vehicles - Biomethane - CNG - LNG - Hydrogen Blends

Fiera di Bologna, Italia Bologna Fair, Italy

www.ngv2012bologna.com
info@ngv2012bologna.com

Un evento di :: An event of

Ospitato da :: Hosted by

Organizzato da :: Organized by

28

April 2012

BusinessCentre
China's first engine with Westport HPDI Technology
Westport Innovations Inc., the global
leader in natural gas engines, today
announced the introduction of China's
first natural gas engine featuring Westport
high pressure direct injection (HPDI)
technology at a press conference at the
government building in Beijing, the Beijing
Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. Speaking at
the press conference was Tan Xuguang,
Weichai Power Chairman and David
Demers, Westport CEO in addition to
members from the Ministry of Science
and Technology and from the Ministry of
Industry and Information Technology.
The innovative technological achievement
and product introduction is the result of
China's first joint venture for HPDI natural
gas enginesWeichai Westport Inc.
and fills a gap in the natural gas engine
market for heavy-duty trucks. Based on
the Weichai Power WP12 engine
platform, the 12-litre engine features
Westport HPDI technology which maintains
the power and performance of the base
diesel engine, but allows the replacement
of up to 95% of diesel fuel with cleaner
burning, less expensive natural gas.
"Weichai Power is committed to an
economic and environmental
transportation solution to address China's
environmental protection policy," said Tan
Xuguang, Chairman of Weichai Power.
"Our technological research and
development has been at the forefront of
China's internal combustion engine
industry. By relying on its powerful
production and technological capabilities,
it has been engaging in extensive
development with renowned international
companies, like Westport, in the field of
natural gas engines."
The Weichai Westport HPDI engine is
currently undergoing road testing with a
select OEM customer, Shaanxi
Automobile Group. The low cost of
natural gas, combined with the large
amount of domestic reserves, make it an
attractive transportation fuel source for
China. Using the Weichai Westport HPDI
engine, fleet customers can achieve
significant economic benefits based on
the following criteria:
the price of natural gas, on a diesel
gallon equivalent basis, is far lower than

that of diesel;
the load control of the engine with no
throttle valve saves fuel; and
the high-pressure direct injection
nozzle is designed according to the
common rail injection engine to further
enhance performance, reduce fuel
consumption, emissions and noise.
"There are enormous potential fuel
savings to be made if Chinese fleets
adopt natural gas technology for
transportation," said David Demers, CEO
of Westport Innovations.
"The successful progress of the Weichai
Westport HPDI engine marks a historic
shift in technology and engine
development in China."
Since the joint venture was established in
2008, Weichai Westport has focused on
developing natural gas engine
technology for heavy-duty vehicles and
city buses. Since its establishment,
technical teams from both Westport
Innovations and Weichai Power have
worked together to develop technology to
suit the specific needs of the Chinese
market, and support the government's
environmental protection policy. Currently
in China, spark ignited natural gas
engines comprise the majority of
alternative fuel sales.
From a technical perspective, the Weichai
Westport HPDI engine delivers the same
power and torque (WP12HPDI Landking
engine's rated power is at 480 hp @
2,100 rpm, with maximum torque of
1,970 Nm @ 1,2001,500 rpm) as that of
the original diesel engine, and identical
performance as that of the diesel engine.
The engine's power and torque is 20%

and 20-25% higher than that of the spark

ignition natural gas engines respectively.
Hence, it solves the problem of large
plateau power loss for gas engines.
According to the Weichai Power's most
recent Annual Report, Weichai holds
approximately 40% of the heavy-duty
truck engine market for trucks over 14
tonnes. According to Weichai's August
2011 Interim Report, they sold over
200,000 heavy-duty engines for the six
months ended June 30, 2011. In 2010,
heavy-duty truck sales in China exceeded
1 million units, according to the Weichai
Power August 2011 Interim Report.

About Westport Innovations Inc.

Westport Innovations Inc. is a leading
global supplier of proprietary solutions
that allow engines to operate on
clean-burning fuels such as
compressed natural gas (CNG),
liquefied natural gas (LNG), hydrogen,
and renewable natural gas (RNG) fuels
such as landfill gas and help reduce
greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).
Westport technology offers advanced
LNG fueling systems with direct
injection natural gas engine technology
for heavy-duty vehicles such as highway
trucks and off-road applications such as
mining and rail. Cummins Westport,
our joint venture with Cummins Inc.,
designs, engineers and markets
spark-ignited natural gas engines for
North American urban work vehicles
such as buses and refuse trucks. The
Westport LD division is one of the global
leaders for natural gas and LPG fuel in
passenger cars, light-duty trucks and
industrial applications such as forklifts.

April 2012

29

BusinessCentre
New Sequential Gas Injection ECU features
There are many different types of the
calibration strategy that depend on the
producers targets.
ECU VERSUS M210 type has been
designed based on the most recent
methods of processing electronic
impulses in CNG/LPG dosage systems.
The most visible advantage of VERSUS
controller is that it is quite easy to install
and then to tune it. That is mainly due
to sophisticated algorithms inside
processor as well as easy software.
As a result ECU VERSUS can read
many parameters of the engine by itself
and finally set up proper value
automatically. Almost all process of
calibration was automatized said
Mr. Gortych main technician of FHT
VERSUSGAS. Another great
advantage of VERSUS is its ability
to map GAS injectors' based on
performance of gasoline fuel
injectors during the drive.
This simplifies and shortens the time
of device installation in a car and
respectively raises the quality of
control and reduces fuel consumption.
Installation and calibration processes
are universal and irrespective of the
type and brand of a car, as well as the
mechanical components uses
(reducers, injectors).

For installers, who are accustomed to

older generations of devices it is still
possible to calibrate ECU VERSUS in a
traditional way by manual modifying the
composition of mixture.

Contact: info@versusgas.com,
tel. +48 25-759-42-61,
fax. +48 25-759-42-51
http:///www.versusgas.com,
export@versusgas.com

30

April 2012

BusinessCentre
Worthington Cylinders overview
When it comes to
alternative fuel
storage for
compressed
natural gas (CNG)
and autogas (LPG), no company is
better positioned to lead the way than
Worthington Cylinders. Worthington
Cylinders has the broadest alternative
fuel cylinder offering in the world,
complete with Type I steel, Type II
hoop-wrapped steel, Type III
aluminum-lined/composite reinforced,
and Type IV resin-lined/composite
reinforced technology.
Our global manufacturing locations are
strategically located to minimize
distribution and freight costs. And
with more than 50 years of global
manufacturing experience, you can
count on our engineering,
technical and regulatory expertise.
Increasingly stringent emissions
standards, demand for more energy
security and cost of fuel are driving
global demand for alternative fuels.

Mr. Kunal Shah - CEO & MD Worthington Nitin Cylinders Private Limited - India

With a 50 percent cost savings

compared to petrol and diesel,
consumers are clearly embracing this
fuel alternative. At the same time, it's
hard to ignore the environmental
benefits this technology provides.
As ecological standards continue to
tighten around the globe, we've made
the development of light, safe
alternative fuel cylinders a top priority.

Top priorities: Safety and

Quality
At Worthington Cylinders, we take our
reputation and consumer safety
seriously. That's why each cylinder
must pass strict testing to assess
fatigue strength, usage life, safety and
reliability. We take pride in the technical
competency, reliability and
state-of-the-art manufacturing of
our alternative fuel cylinders.

Low risk supplier

Working with Worthington Cylinders
also brings a certain peace of mind to
the business relationship. We have a
strong track record of proven business
and financial stability and a vast global

presence, all supported by

knowledgeable and dependable sales
and customer service teams. With years
of experience in cylinder manufacturing,
we clearly understand the complex
specifications and regulations that
characterize this global market.

It's hard to dispute the many

advantages of working with a proven
global leader like Worthington Cylinders.
That's why we invite you to take a
closer look at our line of alternative
fuel productsand experience the
difference.

April 2012

31

BusinessCentre
About Worthington Nitin Cylinders Private Limited The INDIAN Joint Venture
manufactures High Pressure Seamless Gas
Cylinders for CNG (for both On-Board &
Storage applications).
In addition to the CNG Gas Cylinders,
WNCPL also manufactures High Pressure
Seamless Gas Cylinders used for Storage &
Transportation of all Permanent, Liquefied &
Compressed Gases like Oxygen, Argon,
Nitrogen, Helium, Hydrogen, Air, Carbon
Dioxide, etc. for various applications like
Industrial Use , Medical Use , Fire Fighting &
Beverage use etc. WNCPL also
manufactures Storage Cascades for all the
Permanent, Liquefied & Compressed
Gases. WNCPL manufacturers the Gas
Cylinders in accordance to various National
& International Standards which
undergoes various stringent tests as
stipulated in the standards to assess the
fatigue strength, usage life, safety &
reliability for application under rough,
tough & extreme climatic conditions.
WNCPL believes in TCS Total Customer
Satisfaction and its goes all out to meet its
customers requirements with best quality
products, timely services and thereby
achieving its goal.

WORTHINGTON NITIN CYLINDERS

PRIVATE LIMITED (WNCPL) is a Joint
venture between Worthington Cylinders
and Nitin Fire Protection Industries
Limited (NFPIL). WNCPL has set up a
world class manufacturing facility
equipped with state of art and the most
modern special purpose CNC machines
at Visakhapatnam (Special Economic
Zone), Andhra Pradesh INDIA
to manufacture High Pressure Seamless
Steel Gas Cylinders having an installed
manufacturing facility of 500,000
Cylinders per annum.
WNCPL manufactures High Pressure
Seamless Gas Cylinders having
Diameter range from 80mm to 420mm
with a length up to 2500mm.
WNCPL is an ISO 9001 : 2008 certified
company.
Lately, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
has become an effective alternative fuel
for automobiles & industrial applications
worldwide due to its economic advantage
and low pollution characteristics.
Keeping in view the growing trend of use
of CNG in global market, WNCPL

WORTHINGTON NITIN CYLINDERS

PRIVATE LIMITED
502, Delta, Technology Street,
Hiranandani Gardens, Powai,
Mumbai 400 076. INDIA.
Tel.: +91-(0)-22-4045 7000.
Fax: +91-(0)-22-6692 0910.
cylinders@worthingtonnitincylinders.com
http://www.worthingtonnitincylinders.com

Alternative Fuels Managers North America

John Coursen
Tel: +1-909-444-2503
john.coursen@worthingtonindustries.com

Asia & Latin America

Bill Clinkscales
Tel: +1-909- 444-2500
william.clinkscales@worthingtonindustries.com

Europe & Middle East

Arek Kubasik +48 -59-8424895
arek.kubasik@worthingtonindustries.com

NGV 2012 Bologna

32m2

18m2

15m2 10m2 18m2

C9

2,5 2,5

C12C10C10
15m2

D13
18m2

D11

D9

D9

12

80m2

32m2
12

24m2
120m2

120m2

C1

20

C4

C8

24m2

D5

32m2

32m2
8

8
4

E3
32m2

16m2

E2
32m2

16m2

D2 D2

D4

16m2 16m2 16m2 16m2 16m2 16m2

D1

240m2

31,5m2 31,5m2
4

Un evento di :: An event of

C2

63m2

D7

A1

B2

C5

D16 D14 D12 D10 D8 D6

Bologna Fair, Italy

www.ngv2012bologna.com
info@ngv2012bologna.com

64m2

B1

B3

10,5

18m2

15m2 10m2 18m2

10

B5

31,5m2 31,5m2

C14

10m2

C7

20

32m2

63m2

C9

18m2

120m2

10

B7

18m2

Ingresso Principale
Registrazione
Main Entrance
Registration

A5

24m2

Ospitato da :: Hosted by

Bar
Caffetteria
Cafeteria

E1

C11

120m2

10,5

C13

10m2

A3

12

2,5 2,5

B11 B9 B9
15m2

32m2

16

B13

A2

B6

31,5m2 31,5m2

48m2

18m2

A7

63m2

B8

18m2

A9

A11
6

24m2 24m2

B10

32m2
8

10

A15 A13

B14

Workshops
A4

10

A17
18m2

32m2

10,5

Natural Gas Vehicles

Biomethane - CNG
LNG - Hydrogen Blends

3rd NGVA Europe

International
Show & Workshops

A6

A8

32m2

A10

Area Esterna / Outdoor Area

Ingresso-Egresso
Area Esterna
Entrance-Exit
Outdoor Area

32m2

Organizzato da :: Organized by

32

April 2012

Asian NGV statistics

NGV statistics

Natural Gas Vehicles

Country

Total

Cars/LDVs

Iran
2.859.386 2.853.334
Pakistan
2.850.500 2.670.000
India
1.100.376 1.069.380
China*
611.900
377.400
Uzbekistan
310.000
310.000
Thailand
305.290
250.682
Armenia
244.000
192.000
Bangladesh
200.000
137.000
Russia
86.012
55.002
Malaysia
48.946
48.400
Japan
40.823
15.833
Korea
32.031
3.049
Myanmar
26.472
8.178
Tajikistan
10.600
10.600
Kyrgyzstan
6.000
6.000
Singapore
5.522
5.508
Indonesia
5.520
4.850
Turkey
3.850
1.850
Australia
3.500
100
Georgia
3.000
3.000
United Arab Emirates
1.751
1.750
Vietnam
282
280
New Zealand
201
19
Kazakhstan
200
Philippines
71
11
Turkmenistan
Greater Asia
8.756.233 8.024.226
Worldwide
14.750.208 13.765.094

MD/HD
buses

Refuelling stations

MD/HD
trucks

Others

6.036
500
23.376
152.000

180.000
715 6.905
32.500 50.000

14.997
17.300
10.000
12.900
486
1.511
28.000
18.290

37.848 1.763
34.700
27.000 26.000
18.060
50
60
21.737 1.742
972
10
4

14
400
2.000
1.700
1
2
61
200
60
289.834
451.683

16

20
950

84

250
750

37

174.666 267.507
262.638 270.793

Total

Public

1.800
3.330
724
2.500
175
470
345
600
247
167
333
190
51
53
6
4
14
14
51
50
17
3
14
10
3
1
11.172
20.749

1.765
3.330
405
2.300
175
445
9
600
206
165
287
185
51
53
6
3
14
8
4
50
16
3

Private
35

Monthly gas
consumption
(M Nm3)

VRA

Planned
465

319
200

400
50

531,72
491,10
263,53
552,43
55,80
120,71
114,22
77,56
63,06
10,22
24,86
85,33
56,35
1,91
1,08
1,03
2,10
6,33
5,92
0,54
0,32

25
336

41
2
46
5

13
4
10
612

15

1
4
6
47

35
130

39

18
3

14
10
1
1
10.092
18.392

0,26
90

0,18

1.080
2.357

1.084
1.763

814
9.420

2.467
4.056

Last update
November 2011
July 2011
November 2011
December 2011
November 2011
January 2012
September 2011
September 2011
December 2011
June 2011
September 2011
January 2012
October 2011
December 2007
December 2007
December 2012
October 2011
December 2011
October 2011
August 2011
September 2011
February 2011
December 2010
December 2011
October 2011
November 2009
March 2012
March 2012

* In December 2011, the production of OEM NGVs was 11,900 units including 7,400 passenger vehicles and 4,500 commercial vehicles. In January
2009, China was reported to have 500,000 NGVs.

World reviews
Region

Total
NGVs

World review
Cars
/LDVs

Asia
8.419.371 7.772.374 257.634 121.906 267.457
Eurasia
336.862
251.852 32.200 52.760
50
Africa
166.384
164.485
1.466
85
348
Europe
1.233.147 1.023.455 133.233 75.721
738
Central & South America4.463.4084.439.828 13.920
9.660
0
North America
131.036
113.100 13.230
2.506
2.200
Worldwide
14.750.208 13.765.094 451.683 262.638 270.793

10.516
656
161
3.315
4.904
1.197
20.749

2002
2.309.974
5.482
2003
3.254.841
6.666
944.867
2004
3.850.657
7.842
595.816
2005
4.687.230
9.077
836.573
2006
5.647.314
10.647
960.084
2007
7.546.636
12.214 1.899.322
2008
9.560.284
14.539 2.013.648
2009
11.152.339
16.970 1.592.055
2010
13.136.556
18.745 1.984.217
Dec. 2011 14.550.720
20.681 1.414.164
2002-2011
Nine years review 12.240.746

41%
18%
22%
20%
34%
27%
17%
18%
11%
530%

1.184
1.176
1.235
1.570
1.567
2.325
2.431
1.775
1.936
15.199

Cities with CNG refuelling stations

Fuel Prices
Premium Regular

Country Gasoline Gasoline Diesel

(Euro/litre)
(Euro/litre)

Armenia
Australia
Bangladesh
China
Egypt
India
Indonesia
Iran
Japan
Korea
Malaysia
Pakistan
Philippines
Russia
Singapore
Thailand
Uzbekistan
Vietnam

NGVs Stations
NGVs
Fuelling Stations
Population
Increase Growth Increase Growth

MD/HD MD/HD
Fuelling
Others
Buses Trucks
Stations

0,96
0,77
0,52
0,77
0,35
1,00
0,44
0,10
1,44
1,29
0,91
0,76
0,71
0,94
1,01
0,80
1,25

(Euro/litre)

0,91
0,72
0,49
0,73
0,23
0,96
0,31
0,07
1,34
0,44
0,71
0,62
0,91
0,72
1,17

0,83
0,78
0,34
0,68
0,14
0,59
0,33
0,01
1,16
1,17
0,42
0,77
0,60
0,66
0,67
0,78
0,68
0,92

CNG
(Euro/
Nm3)

0,38
0,34
0,18
0,43
0,06
0,47
0,18
0,03
0,79
0,60
0,16
0,55
0,26
0,21
0,70
0,23
0,23
0,89

CNG price
CNG price
equivalent per equivalent per
litre gasoline litre diesel

0,34
0,30
0,16
0,39
0,05
0,42
0,16
0,02
0,61
0,46
0,13
0,49
0,23
0,19
0,63
0,21
0,21
0,80

0,39
0,35
0,18
0,44
0,06
0,48
0,18
0,03
0,67
0,51
0,16
0,56
0,27
0,22
0,72
0,24
0,24
0,91

Country

Number
of Cities

Armenia
Australia
Bangladesh
China
India
Indonesia
Iran
Korea
Malaysia
Myanmar
Pakistan
Philippines
Russia
Singapore
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
UAE
Total

37
3
8
74
42
2
597
34
6
4
50
1
172
1
1
39
2
4
1.077

Last
update
Mar. '08
Nov. '09
Nov. '05
Sept. '04
Nov. '10
Sept. '08
Nov. '11
May. '05
Oct. '06
Oct. '11
Apr. '08
Oct.'05
Aug. '07
Jul. '05
Apr'. 05
Aug '08
Aug. '04
Jul. '11

3.211
1.077

Asia

Worlwide

22%
18%
16%
17%
15%
19%
17%
10%
10%
277%

ISO 15500
ISO 9000

BUREAU VERITAS
Certification

N 224008 / N 105507