Design of Light Commercial Vehicle with CNG Engine Systems

This paper presents the effective method to convert the existing diesel engine Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueled vehicle application. It is an optimizing effort between the minimum operating range requirement, packaging issues and performance parameters for a CNG vehicle incorporating all the safety features. The strength analysis of the modified frame for the CNG application is simulated using finite element method in MSC-NASTRAN and also validated in real road tests. In addition, this paper highlights the service and maintenance aspects to be provided for a CNG fueled vehicle to improve the safety level.