Why does Iran need nuclear power?

End of Fuel Rationing in Sight for Iranians – Natural Gas Vehicle Use Reducing Demand on Gasoline

Source - Reuters - Through NGV Global

Thursday, 20 December 2007 Iran, Teheran

Iranian motorist could see and end to fuel rationing by March with increased use of natural gas vehicles contributing to reduced demand for gasoline. Reuters quotes Deputy Oil Minister Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh as saying that the government was working to increase natural gas vehicle and refuelling station numbers in response to demand from motorists. Gasoline rationing was introduced earlier this year to reduce demand from imported refined fuel and to ease the fiscal strain caused by heavy government subsidies.

The rationing has reportedly reduced demand for gasoline by almost a third and may be eased from 100 litres per month to 120 litres per month soon.

Iran has a long term plan underway for massive use of natural gas vehicles, rising at the rate of 15,000 vehicles per month.

CNG in EU Report on Alternative Fuels

Natural Gas (CNG, LNG) and Autogas (LPG)

Motivations
Natural gas:
•   Comparatively clean burning process
•   Commercialisation of CNG could pave the way for other gaseous
fuels such as biogas (biomethane) and/or hydrogen
•   CNG could be mixed with biogas (biomethane)
LPG:
•   Comparatively clean burning process
•   Is easily available at low costs
•   Commercialisation could pave the way for other gaseous fuels
 (DME, 
hydrogen)

Challenges
•   Natural gas and LPG are based on fossil feedstock
•   Availability of natural gas: transport sector might have to
compete with other sectors; Europe might have to compete with other
regions (China, India)


Central Controversies
•   Could a gaseous infrastructure pave the way to a so-called
 "H2-age"?

•   To what extend does CNG or LPG open the way for a market
penetration of Biomethane or DME and, thus, serve as a keystep on the
way to clean fuels.

Source and characteristics

The central difference between Natural Gas and Liquefied Petroleum Gas
(LPG) is that Natural Gas can be found in nature whereas LPG is an
artificial by-product from refining processes or can be extracted from
natural gas. LPG, also called Autogas, is a mixture of butane, propane
and low amounts of other gases. It commonly fuels Otto ICEs but can
also be used in diesel engines.

Further, it is important to note that LPG, propane and butane are
"automatically" generated during the extraction of natural gas and the
processing of methane. So, there is some flexibility in terms of
feedstock

Natural gas can often be found beneath oil basins. It is a gaseous
fossil fuel consisting primarily of methane (CH4). It nearly needs no
processing for the use in automobiles which is a decisive advantage in
terms of feasibility. The actual composition of Natural Gas may vary
widely between countries, depending on the gas origin. Since the
energy density of natural gas is low compared to diesel, the fuel has
to be stored in compressed form as so called Compressed Natural Gas
(CNG) or liquefied (LNG) at a very low temperature of -161°C.
Accordingly, LNG offers a higher energy density than CNG, but CNG is
much easier to handle.

CNG can be transported in pipelines over long distances; the transport
of LNG in specialised "reefer" vessels becomes more and more common
but is comparatively costly. In terms of security the storage of both
CNG and LPG is not dangerous.

Autogas can be compressed to a liquid at very low pressures. In this
form it is used in conventional spark-ignition engines with only small
alterations. The main modification required is the provision of an
alternative fuel tank and supply to the engine (STEPS, 2005). Both
Natural gas and LPG offer high octane ratings.

Deliverability, competitiveness and contribution to energy security

The natural gas and LPG pathways are already commercialised and
compete with each other as well as with conventional gasoline engines
– even if market shares in the EU are (still) marginal. Especially
bivalent CNG-cars which can be powered by conventional fuels as well
as by CNG have the potential to increase market shares quickly. For
example the Opel Combo CNG has a 200 bar CNG-tank which allows a range
of about 360 km. If CNG runs empty the vehicles switches automatically
to gasoline which is stored in a 15 litre tank and provides for
another 150 -170 km. Driving performance of both fuels is equal.
"There are more than 4.7 million natural gas vehicles (NGVs) in
operation around the world today; nearly 557,000 in
Europe alone. These include passenger cars, light vans, delivery
trucks, garbage trucks and urban buses" (ENGVA 2006;
http://engva.org/Content.aspx?PageID=63).

Concerning the market diffusion of CNG and LPG, the situation in
Europe is not homogeneous. A crucial factor is the number of existing
filling stations. In order to enable a successful transition to a
mass-market product CNG and LPG need a dense network of filling
stations. Whilst LPG is rather widespread in several European
countries, CNG filling stations might be hard to find in many regions.
In addition, stations are often situated in larger cities or in
industrial areas but not along the highway network. On the other hand,
there are countries such as Portugal, Italy and Germany where a
relative dense network of CNG-fuelling stations is currently emerging
(see figure 8). For example in Germany the energy supplier E.ON
announced in autumn 2006 that it will build 150 CNG pumps at filling
stations along German Highways.

Many observers see natural gas as the next dominant fossil fuel on a
global scale. From the supply side, a coverage of, for example, 10% of
general fuel demand by CNG would not add too much to the overall
consumption of natural gas in Europe. On the other hand CNG-
contribution to the energy security is clearly restricted by the fact
that natural gas is a fossil
resource which is not available endlessly (see DWV 2006, 12). Natural
Gas and also LPG are imported to a large extent in the EU from
politically sensitive regions which significantly reduce their
potential contribution to Europe's mid-term energy security. A large
scale use of natural gas in the transport sector would lead to an
overall increase in demand which has to be satisfied – at affordable
prices. Furthermore, if you consider the phasing out of coal and
nuclear power, the overall demand for natural gas is expected to grow
strongly. Transport has to compete with the generation of electricity
and heating.

Regarding LPG the JRC study points out: "The net effect of an increase
in the use of LPG for automotive purpose would be to increase
imports." (JRC, 2006, 30). Of course, the same is true for natural
gas. LPG is popular because of its usually low costs. Currently
several automakers (Citroen, Daewoo, Fiat, Ford, Peugeot, Renault,
Saab, Volvo and others) sell models
equipped with bi-fuel models that run equally well on both LPG and
gasoline. It is comparatively simple to retrofit a vehicle with LPG
equipment. In most cases LPG vehicles are bivalent which allows them
to drive on both, petrol and LPG.
stations are rather widespread in Europe and that around 4.4 million
vehicles are fuelled with
LPG. However, as the STEPS report states, "the penetration on the
total vehicle fleet of LPG
has limited chances, given the nature of the resource itself, which
may be seen either as a
"surplus" in upstream oil production or as a by product of refining."
(STEPS, 2005)

An important detail: Both LPG and natural gas vehicles are exempt from
the London congestions charge. The mid-term effect of such regulations
should not be underestimated. If similar regulations are applied to
other European cities, market penetration of those fuels might become
intensified.

Energy balance, emissions and contribution to climate security

As a fossil fuel, CNG and LPG face similar problems as oil: they are
finite resources and contribute to global warming. The advantages of
natural gas as a fuel are the comparatively clean burning process and
the low content of carbon. Significant reductions of particulate
matters,

NOx and CO emission are possible. Related to GHG emissions, balancing
is not easy and depends on various factors. The JRC (2006, 4)
comments: "The WTW GHG emissions for CNG lie between gasoline and
diesel, approaching diesel in the best case". The same study estimates
that beyond 2010 GHG-emissions become lower than those of diesel since
greater engine efficiency gains are predicted for vehicles equipped
with engines that are optimised for the use of CNG. The STEPS report
points out (2005, 51): "Natural Gas has nearly zero sulphur level and,
thus, negligible sulphate emissions, while causing low particulate
emissions because of its low carbon to hydrogen ratio. Evaporative
emissions are low too, requiring little control.

Due to its low carbon-to-hydrogen ratio, it produces less carbon
dioxide per GJ of fuel than either gasoline or diesel. However,
exhaust emissions of methane, which is a greenhouse gas, are
relatively high. It has low cold start emissions due to its gaseous
state and a superior antiknock behaviour due to its high octane
factor, thus allowing higher compression ratios, favouring engine
efficiency and operation under turbocharged conditions".

Primarily because of the lower carbon content LPG induces less exhaust
emissions than petrol. Also on a WTW-basis, CO2 benefits of LPG are
significant compared to those of petrol.

LPG's well-to-wheel energy consumption falls below that of gasoline
but above that of diesel (STEPS 2005). Regarding WTW energy and GHG
emissions balance, the JRC study concludes for LPG coming from the
Middle East: "LPG's GHG emissions lie between diesel and CNG and
energy between gasoline and diesel. Although not explicitly shown in
the graph,
transport distance has a significant impact, representing about 25% of
the WTT energy in this case" (JRC, 2006, 30).

Additional Applications and pathways

Both, CNG and LPG, can be mixed with biomass derived gases (Biogas and
DME; see Biofuels section)

Blends of hydrogen and natural gas are discussed and tested (see
hydrogen chapter).

Prospects

CNG technology is feasible in the transport sector and has the
potential to bring at least mid term improvements in terms of energy
security and GHG emissions – whereby it is crucial that real
"gas-engines" are being developed. But in particular its possible
contribution to energy security strongly depends on the overall demand
on natural gas. It is likely, that CNG
vehicles will become at least established for niche applications (e.g.
in larger fleets, in inner cities). LPG is a relatively uncomplicated
technology. It offers environmental benefits at relatively low costs.
It is becoming rather popular in several European countries. Since
both, CNG and LPG, are based on fossil feedstock they must be
considered as bridging technologies. They might help to pave the way
for "cleaner" gaseous fuels such as hydrogen, biomethane or DME.

"The paradigm shift from liquid to gaseous fuels will create enormous
new business opportunities—initially mainly for methane-powered
vehicles, but eventually also for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles" Peter
Boisen, former Volvo executive and chairman of ENGV Europe; quoted in
ENGV 2006.


-- 

Listing your CNG vehicle on E-bay

I posted this on E-bay after looking at too many listings that just didn't seem to be right. Especially after the 200th time that someone listed their Propane car as a CNG. If you list your vehicle on E-bay, these are some ideas and conventions to follow.

Read all this article before listing. All information here is important and you should take great care listing.

You've decided to sell that CNG vehicle you have. Truth be told, either you thought you were buying something different, got something strange at auction, selling something for someone, or you just need to get that car off the lot that isn't selling. OK. First things first.

CNG stands for Compressed Natural Gas. CNG is not Propane!!! Natural gas is the same gas that comes out of your stove if you live in an urban area. CNG is not Propane!! (This is a pet peeve of mine, so I am emphasing it). There are great differences between the gasses and they are NOT interchangeable. They have different tankage structures, refueling hookups and the like. Propane is chemically different from Natural Gas. CNG is Methane and can only be compressed as a gas. Propane becomes a liquid when compressed which is why its officially known as LPG (Liquified Petrolium Gas). There ARE LPG vehicles out there including many models which were also made as CNG cars. LPG is derived from Natural gas as part of the refining process. Propane is commonly used in Bar-b-Que grills and forklifts. (As an aside, using LPG tanks for CNG systems and Vice versa is Extremely Dangerous and is not recommended).

In the alternative fuels boom in the late 1990's, many manufactures built cars in the factory which could run on CNG. Honda, Ford, GM, Chrysler, and Toyota featured models that are OEM vehicles. However, this ceased with lack of Federal government participation. GSA stopped buying them so the manufacturers stopped making them. However, many are in the aftermarket and you are seeing fleets getting rid of their CNG vehicles. Many airport fleets, taxi fleets and city governments bought CNG's as well and you can see them on the auction block as well. Honda is the only manufacturer which is still making CNG vehicles, a dedicated CNG known as the Civic GX.

There are two types of CNG vehicles, dedicated or "bi-fuel". Dedicated vehicles function solely on CNG. Bi-Fuel vehicles can function on both fuels.

There are also two compression ratios for fueling Most Vehicles manufactured before 1999-2000 are 3000 psi fueling standard and 3,600 psi afterwards. This is important to note in your listing.

Also, the expiration date on your tanks is important as well. Tanks from the manufacturer are certified for 12-15 years or 100,000 miles whichever comes first. Make sure to check your tank, there should be a label on the tank to locate this information. The expiration is necessary due to the high pressure that the tanks endure. An old tank can burst and that will give you a bad day.

Fuel locating is important. Its important that you know this as it makes operating the vehicle more difficult. If you have a dedicated CNG vehicle you must know where the CNG stations are. Since a dedicated vehicle MUST have CNG to run, you have to know the locations of stations in your area. If you live in an area where CNG is prevelant such as California, the Phoenix or Tuscon Metro areas, Utah, DFW Metro, Oklahoma, and some of the areas in the Northeast, then you can check with your local area to find out. Your Gas company would have information, they may even have a station. Your local Clean Cities Collation site will know where you can get the gas. Or you can check the the government EERE website at

http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/infrastructure/locator.html

A company called Fuelmaker sells refueling appliances for your home. This allows your vehicle to be refueled at home overnight using your regular natural gas hookups. Fuelmaker is only really available in California as they market their appliances with Honda in conjunction with their sales, however you can check with them Visit the website at

http://www.myphill.com/

Checking out your CNG vehicle is probably important. Locating a certified CNG mechanic can be difficult and probably you can check at the local Clean Cities Collation website or office. If you can't, then its probably best that you note that on you listing if you wish. Some dealers might perform a check if they have a CNG Mechanic. Ford Fleet services has a website where you can locate a certified dealer which may have a mechanic:

https://www.fleet.ford.com/dealer_locators

Inspecting your CNG cylinders is important as well. They must be inspected every 36,000 miles and replaced at 100,000 miles. A list of inspectors maybe located at the following website:

http://webext.csa.ca/cng/cngmain.asp#searchinspector

Now after all that, lets go through the advantages and disadvantages that can sell your vehicle.

Your CNG vehicle has some great advantages including the fact that CNG is CHEAPER. Depending on the subsidies, CNG can range from $1.00 to $1.50 cheaper than the equivalent amount of gasoline. Check your local rates. If you get it at home its even cheaper than at the pump.

Next, CNG burns much cleaner than most fuels. The oil will come out looking much the same way it went in. There are no soot deposits as in regular gasoline. Your service interval with oil changes is greater 6,000 to 12,000 miles vs 3,000 miles for regular gasoline engines. However, it is recommended that you still change the oil due to viscosity breakdown. CNG does burn hotter, which does contribute to viscosity breakdown, so its probably best you change it regularally still. With proper care, a CNG engine will last forever, much like a diesel engine.

Also, its clean burning, in fact much cleaner than any alternative fuel which is why the government was interested in it. In California CNG vehicles qualify for HOV lanes as a hybrid. (This may have changed of late, check with the DMV and make SURE that they know they are dealing with CNG). This is an environmentally friendly vehicle and is a good selling point.

Another point is that CNG is also produced entirely in the United States so you aren't giving money overseas for imported oil.

The disadvantages are as mentioned before the lack of fueling infrastructure.

Another disadvantage is that due to its being compressed gas, the range is limited because you have to have the huge tanks. On the passenger vehicles, this results in a smaller trunk space, especially if you have long range tanks installed. Most CNG's suffer from the lack of range and if you have a dedicated CNG vehicle, well you have to be towed to the nearest station if you run out. It might also tie you to your local area if you have a station, so there is no long trips. Also, if you purchase you vehicle, and there is no local stations or there is not a station in a practical route, you may need to have the vehicle transported.

Finding maintenance is also a problem. Although CNG and regular gasoline cars share many parts, there are some dedicated systems that you have to have maintained by a certified CNG mechanic. Check the links above for certified mechanics and inspectors.

All in all, you have a good car in spite of all the disadvantages. Promote the advantages and your vehicle will sell. Good luck.

Methane Blast

I thought everyone visiting would be interested in this story from Science@NASA: NASA-supported scientists and engineers have successfully tested a methane-powered rocket engine. The firing was not only remarkably beautiful (a must-see movie is featured in today's story) but also may herald a new type of spacecraft that one day roams the outer solar system gathering fuel from planets and moons that it visits. http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/04may_methaneblast.htm

At one time a LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) vehicle held the land speed record. The Blue Flame is now in Germany at the Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum. Blue Flame used Hydrogen Peroxide as an oxidizer.

http://www.museum-sinsheim.de/000042FCA5AB_D4E3D357_00006F8A_0001.html

CNG Motors Move

CNG Motors Move
New address is: 2114 W. Deer Valley Road Phoenix, AZ 85027
Old office # is still good #602-331-4700 and the 2nd line going in soon is #623-580-8000

Inventory will begin moving today from the old location to the new. By mid month (July) all operations will be from the new location.


Murphy
CNG Motors
www.cngmotors.com

SAVE TIME. SAVE MONEY. SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT.

Autotrader problems w/update

Addendum: The problems are on my system and have nothing to do with AutoTrader. However, since it is my system, AutoTrader updates will not be as frequent. I'll try to get them on there for you dear reader, but understand I can't do it on a regular basis as I hoped. The 155 Vans listed below for Best Auto represent all vans and are not all CNG. When I can get the problems with my system straightened out, I'll post the search for the varous vehicles I have found. I even found a Chrysler Concord CNG conversion today! Must be very rare because this is the first I have heard of one.

Due to the numerous problems I have been having getting data from Autotrader, I will just advise you to perform a search of Autotrader yourself. Just search for a specific vehicle, and then enter "Natural Gas" in the advanced search under the search terms. I have e-mailed Autotrader to advise them of the problem. It may be my system, but then again it may not. Hopefully it can be corrected and I can compile things from Autotrader soon. I have tried to add vans and trucks. Best Auto has sold most of their Ford trucks and have one left as far as I know. They probably have a lot of Vans as I was able to find 155 vans on their site, but the crash occurred after I found this out and was unable to search any further.

The following vehicles should be searched for CNG:
Ford Crown Victoria, Contour, F-150, F-250, F-350, Club Wagon, E-series Van.
Chevrolet Caviler, Silverado, and Van
Honda Civic
Dodge Van.

There are probably others, but these are the most common I have encountered.

Ford SUV and Truck vehicle search on AutoTrader.com

Ford SUV and truck search.

Click here to see the search!

If the link above does not work, please copy this link into your browser to see the search:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searchresults.jsp?search_type=used&distance=0&address=63026&style_flag=2&body_style=SUV&body_style=TRUCKS&make=FORD&model=&make2=&start_year=1995&end_year=2008&min_price=&max_price=&transmission=&engine=&drive=&doors=&fuel=&max_mileage=&color=&keywords_display=Natural+gas&certified=&advanced=y&default_sort=priceDESC&keywordsrep=078097116117114097108032103097115&keywordsfyc=__TmF0dXJhbCBnYXM,__&sort_type=priceDESC&mod_bookmark_id=8722262&rdpage=MySearchAll&incremental=All&LNX=ESTAFSRCHUSDTEXT

Watch "CNG Cylinger Tests" on Google Video

Your friend, spacestevie@yahoo.com, has sent you the following video from Google Video and included this message:

Safety Video for CNG tanks.

CNG Cylinger Tests

13 min 41 sec - Apr 23, 2007
Average rating: (1 rating)
Description: 13 minute video showcasing the safety tests performed on vehicular CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) storage cylinders.

Want to see more cool videos?
Go to video.google.com/

Think you have an even cooler video?
Add it at video.google.com/videouploadform

If you're having trouble watching the video, try copying the following URL into your browser:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5245624839807682996&pr=goog-sl

E-bay and AutoTrader listing philosophy

Once an e-Bay listing has terminated and is no longer listed I will remove it. Once its relisted I will put it back up. Often times, a vehicle will not make its reserve and then will not be available for bidding. It will either then be listed on Craigsist or be put up for sale locally. Most people will continue relisting until they sell their vehicle or item. It doesn't make sense to keep a vehicle or item that is not available for bidding. e-Bay will also have CNG related parts and items such as FuelMaker home units and engine parts. Those will be listed as well.

As far as AutoTrader is concerned, I'll leave the Honda GX search up as long as AutoTrader has the same search parameters and check the link every time I update so we don't have a dead link. I will update and delete my AutoTrader search every so often and probably need to add trucks and SUV's to them. I have to search by Model and so forth, or AutoTrader crashes. I am going to try to stick to factory conversions for vehicles. Since there are so few, if anyone knows of any that need to be listed please feel free to e-mail me.

The Purpose of this Blog

revised April 24, 2007

The purpose of this blog is to consolidate all the information to make searching for a used CNG vehicle easier. I will not feature trucks. I will list e-Bay trucks, but not other trucks since that would require a new search for AutoTrader. In order to get Craiglist entries I have put a set of links on the page in a listing box which has a preset search for CNG. What the CNG will find is anything listing CNG so you will get grills, sailboats and so forth. So its up to you to filter and get the cars out of it. I have tried to list cities which I have seen CNG cars. Craiglist entries should be treated like want ads and one should check the ads and so forth with all the usual cavets that answering these ads should entail.

The accuracy of these listings are solely the purvue of the listing and the organization hosting the listing under their terms of service. I take no responsibility for the accuracy and no warantee is express or implied for vehicles listed.

I will not list vehicles for people. That's not the purpose of this place. You can list your vehicle on the vendors I troll and I will, in turn, list it here. That way, there will be a common format. You can advise me of any problems with a listing and I will attempt to keep this as up-to-date as possible.

The links include vendors who sell vehicles and will also list vehicles. I take no responsibility for duplicate listings from these vendors which are also listed on e-Bay, AutoTrader or Craiglist. People do list with multiple services in order to sell their vehicle in a attempt to sell it. You are welcome to browse the vendors listed. If anyone knows of any other vendors who specialize in CNG vehicles or equipment, please feel free to let me know and I will list them.

Good luck with your CNG purchase. KEEP THE BLUE FLAME ALIVE!