Liquefied Natural Gas Criteria/Comparative Values for Use as an Automotive Fuel

Liquefied natural gas, commonly referred to as LNG, is gaining popularity as an alternate fuel for heavy duty automotive applications. The use of LNG as an alternate fuel for automotive applications is in its early stages and is not yet defined by any standards. While technology improvements are common within the automotive industry, changes in fuel formulation are usually minor and evolutionary in nature. Technology advancement may play a dominant role in defining the LNG fuel standard of tommorrow but, the emergence of LNG as an alternate automotive fuel requires LNG to shed its “cryogenic mystique” and assume properties which can be understood by the automotive user.

The two industries, cryogenic and automotive, represent sophisticated, mature technologies, each individually understood within its respective industry. Yet if LNG is to be sucessfully applied as an alternate fuel that meets the demands of the heavy duty automotive industry and government emission requirements, a mutual understanding of both technologies is required. This paper is intended to bridge the gap between the cryogenic and automotive industries to allow the full potential of LNG as an alternate automotive fuel to be realized.