Browse Topic: Natural gas
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) engines are emerging as a viable alternative to gasoline and diesel in heavy commercial and passenger transport worldwide. They offer reduced CO₂ emissions and support energy independence in regions rich in natural gas. In India, enhanced CNG infrastructure and strict emission regulations have driven OEMs to develop CNG vehicles across all segments. Moreover, from a noise and vibration standpoint, CNG vehicles are expected to deliver cabin refinement comparable to that of their fossil fuel counterparts. However, one of the major challenges associated with CNG vehicles is the excitation due to additional components like CNG Pressure Regulator, Injector et al. The operational metallic/pulsation noises are generally higher as compared to liquid fuels like gasoline due to dry nature of the CNG fuel. This paper describes in detail the pulsation noise phenomena encountered during one of the late-stage vehicle development projects. An experimental root cause
Decarbonizing regional and long-haul freight is challenging due to the limitations of battery-electric commercial vehicles and infrastructure constraints. Hydrogen fuel cell medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs) offer a viable alternative, aligning with the decarbonization goals of the Department of Energy and commercial entities. Historically, alternative fuels like compressed natural gas and liquefied propane gas have faced slow adoption due to barriers like infrastructure availability. To avoid similar issues, effective planning and deploying zero-emission hydrogen fueling infrastructure is crucial. This research develops deployment plans for affordable, accessible, and sustainable hydrogen refueling stations, supporting stakeholders in the decarbonized commercial vehicle freight system. It aims to benefit underserved and rural energy-stressed communities by improving air quality, reducing noise pollution, and enhancing energy resiliency. This research also provides a blueprint
As we move towards sustainable transportation, it is essential to look for alternative powertrain technologies that might reduce emissions and depend less on fossil fuels. This paper offers a thorough analysis and comparison of several viable solutions along with their benefits, cost and conclusion for hydrogen fuel cells, solar cells, electric hybrid systems, compressed natural gas (CNG) and CNG hybrid systems alongside the latest proposal of using nuclear batteries. Hydrogen cars have zero emissions from their exhaust and can be refueled quickly, however there are some drawbacks like hydrogen production, storage, and infrastructure. The efficiency, affordability, and scalability of various hydrogen production techniques, fuel cell stack designs and storage technologies (compressed gas, liquid, and metal hydrides) are evaluated in this paper. Solar FCEVs on the other hand, are designed to utilize solar energy like Solar EVs but are very different in their operation and fundamentals
Clean-burning fuels, aftertreatment and other innovations place the heavy-duty combustion engine on a low-carbon emissions trajectory. Agriculture, industrial, mining, construction, freight transport and other major global economy sectors rely on vehicle power to thrive. “Internal combustion engines - those powered by gasoline, diesel, natural gas or propane - really are key to our current economy, and we see [the ICE] as a key part of our energy future,” Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Engine Technology Forum, a U.S.-based educational organization, said during a September webinar. Hosted by the Engine Technology Forum, the “Taking Internal Combustion Engines to the Next Level” session focused on current and under-development innovations aimed at increasing engine efficiency and lowering emissions.
Innovation often comes a piece at a time, but what happens when you put all those pieces together at once? That is precisely the question Shell is attempting to answer with its Starship initiative. Now in its third iteration, Starship 3.0 Natural Gas continues pushing the boundaries of efficiency and emissions reduction by employing all currently available technologies and engineering advancements. The Shell Starship initiative was first launched in 2018 with the aim of setting new benchmarks for the commercial road transport sector. The Starship 2.0 managed 254 ton-miles per gallon for freight ton efficiency (FTE), which is 3.5 times the North American average. Additionally, Starship 2.0 recorded fuel consumption of 10.8 mpg on a cross-country run, which according to Shell is nearly double the current fleet average in North America.
Hexagon Agility announced a collaboration with Norwegian EV transmission supplier Brudeli Green Mobility at the 2024 ACT Expo in Las Vegas. The partnership's goal is the integration of Hexagon Agility's CNG/RNG (compressed/renewable natural gas) systems with Brudeli's plug-in PowerHybrid system. This technology will reportedly offer fleets the capability to maintain diesel ICE duty cycles while providing fuel cost savings and help OEMs achieve global decarbonization goals. “The Brudeli PowerHybrid enables fleet owners to retain the power, performance and fuel cost savings offered by natural gas engines, while simultaneously harnessing the efficiencies of electric,” said Eric Bippus, EVP sales & systems development, Hexagon Agility. “We believe hybrids could play a role in commercial trucking in the future, and we are excited to take an active role bringing that to the market.”
Heavy duty engines for long-haul trucks are quite difficult to electrify, due to the large amount of energy that should be stored on-board to achieve a range comparable to that of conventional fuels. In particular, this paper considers a stock engine with a displacement of 12.9 L, developed by the manufacturer in two different versions. As a standard diesel, the engine is able to deliver about 420 kW at 1800 rpm, whereas in the compressed natural gas configuration the maximum power output is 330 kW, at the same speed. Three possible alternatives to these fossil fuels are considered in this study: biodiesel (HVOlution by Eni), bio-methane and green hydrogen. While the replacement of diesel and compressed natura gas with biofuels does not need significant hardware modifications, the implementation of a hydrogen spark ignition combustion system requires a deep revision of the engine concept. For a more straightforward comparison among the alternative fuels, the same engine platform has
In response to global climate change, there is a widespread push to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector. For the difficult to decarbonize heavy-duty (HD) vehicle sector, hybridization and lower carbon-intensity fuels can offer a low-cost, near-term solution for CO2 reduction. The use of natural gas can provide such an alternative for HD vehicles while the increasing availability of renewable natural gas affords the opportunity for much deeper reductions in net-CO2 emissions. With this in consideration, the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory launched the Natural Gas Vehicle Research and Development Project to stimulate advancements in technology and availability of natural gas vehicles. As part of this program, Southwest Research Institute developed a hybrid-electric medium-HD vehicle (class 6) to demonstrate a substantial CO2 reduction over the baseline diesel vehicle and ultra-low NOx emissions. The development included the conversion of a 5.2 L diesel engine to
Fuel system supplier Hexagon Agility is optimistic about the growth of CNG thanks to the introduction of the Cummins X15N engine. Though some OEMs have signaled that the end of the ICE age is nigh, reports of the combustion engine's death as the backbone of the commercial-trucking industry are greatly exaggerated. Battery-electric vehicles are seeing continued growth in various medium-duty and last-mile delivery sectors, but their lack of energy density and cost per have prevented them from gaining market share for Class 6 and larger commercial vehicles in North America. Several suppliers are anticipating that this trend will persist over the coming decades and are making major investments in the development of alternative fuel systems for diesel combustion engines. One such supplier is Hexagon Agility. Based in the northern suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina, Hexagon recently announced expansion plans of its Salisbury, North Carolina, facility to field orders and installations of
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