Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Source: CRS calculated natural gas pricing, converted to gallon equivalent, based on
EIA data.
Notes: Retail service station prices are for a gallon of diesel and a diesel gallon
equivalent for natural gas. In Figure 2, Diesel is the upper line and Natural Gas is
the lower line.
Figure 2. Retail Diesel and Natural Gas Price Trends. (2008-2013)
The increased use of natural gas as a transportation fuel in any form would
require substantial changes in vehicles and fueling infrastructure. New
vehicles would need to be developed on a large scale, in some cases requiring
new technologies. New fueling stations would be required to make fuel widely
available. Vehicle manufacturers, fleet owners, vehicle buyers, and service
station operators would all need to make significant investments. The required
investments differ with the type of technology employed.
Compressed Natural Gas
Under ambient temperatures and pressure,
5
natural gas has a volumetric
energy density of about only 1/1000 that of gasoline.
6
In that state, it would
not be able to function as a vehicle fuel. If natural gas is compressed to a
pressure of 3,600 pounds per square inch (psi),
7
however, it becomes suitable
for use in a vehicle engine. As shown in
Figure 3,
a CNG vehicle's fuel
storage tank is mounted in the back of a vehicle and takes up about half of
what is the trunk in a traditional vehicle. It contains about eight gasoline
gallons equivalent, which give it a driving range of over 150 miles.
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