In the 21 st Century, Natural gas demand has increased steadily.
With increasing global warming, noise and air pollution, environmental rules and regulations, many industries and people adapt to natural gas uses.
Natural gases have countless benefits such as less emission of CO2, safety, pollution, affordability, widely available and distribution, and many more.
This article will discuss the concept of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and the reasons why CNG is the best alternative fuel.
What is Natural Gas?
Natural gas is a fossil fuel made from hydrocarbons and non -hydrocarbon gases. It is a naturally occurring fossil energy source found far beneath the earth’s surface.
It largely contains methane (CH4) compounds. It also has other components in smaller amounts, such as natural gas liquids and hydrocarbon gases like carbon dioxide and water vapour.
It is free of odour, colour, and shape. It is explosive and associated with oil.
What is CNG?
CNG is Compressed Natural Gas made by compressing (methane) to less than 1% of its volume at standard atmospheric pressure.
It is a non-toxic, safest, alternate fuel to LPG, gasoline, and diesel.
It is an environmentally friendly gas used for decades in transportation systems.
Nowadays, many vehicles like rickshaws, cars, buses use this fuel instead of petrol, diesel, and LPG.
Only upto 200 bar CNG cylinder is allowed to be used in vehicles.CNG gas is popularly known as green gas.
The use of CNG is getting popular at the domestic and commercial levels due to its various benefits.
Let’s understand what those benefits are:
1. Green Fuel.
CNG is commonly known as Green gas.
It does not contain lead and sulfur compounds; thus, it does not release harmful substances as much as other fuels do in the environment.
Its non-corrosive nature provides extended life to spark plugs.
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2. Safe fuel
CNG is the most preferred natural gas for safety concerns. It is stored in certified high gauge seamless cylinders, leaving no leakage.
It has a lighter weight in nature; thus, it will rise and spread in the atmosphere if it leaks. It will mix with the air quickly and equally.
3. High auto-ignition temperature
CNG has a very high auto-ignition temperature, i.e., 540 degrees centigrade, while a low range of 5 % to 15 % flammable.
These features make CNG less auto-ignite on hot surfaces.
Hence, it will not be flammable if CNG concentration lies between 5% and above 15 %.
The combination of high ignition point and low flammable point make the CNG less risky to use for households and commercial purposes.
4. Affordable transportation cost
CNG fuel price is very low compared to other fuels like petrol, diesel, etc.
According to the main cities, CNG and other fuel prices:
| City | CNG price | Petrol/ Diesel price per liter |
| Delhi | Approx Rs. 54 | Approx Rs. 95 / Rs.87 |
| Mumbai | Approx 68 | Approx Rs. 95/ Rs. 94 |
| Banglore | Approx Rs. 51 | Approx Rs. 100 / Rs.85 |
5. Less noise and air pollution
CNG vehicles are manufactured by advanced technology, with smoother and silent engines. These engines have less combustion rate and make less noise, thus reducing air and noise pollution.
“Benefit analysis of CNG as an automobile fuel” report by Haeng and Mahmud states that there will be a 70 % reduction of CO2 when CNG is being used in transportation.
Another report titled “ Technical overview of compressed natural gas ( CNG) as a transportation fuel” stated that CNG automobiles produce less noise than gasoline and diesel automobiles.
6. Works on alternative fuel
A CNG vehicle does not need CNG fuel to run. The CNG vehicles can perform on other fuels such as petrol and diesel.
7. Longevity of oils
Lubricant oil can work correctly and for a long time because CNG does not contaminate and dilute the cylinder- head.
8. Reduction of damage to your vehicle
Combustion of CNG leaves no residue; thus, there are fewer chances of blockages or any other damage to the pipes or tubes of the vehicles, unlike diesel and gasoline.
9. Low maintenance charges
CNG automobiles have more efficient engines and longer-lasting spark plugs; thus, you don’t have to go for routine oil checks or maintenance.
In CNG vehicles, you don’t have to change oils, tubes and pay attention to the maintenance of any other parts of the cars so often. The period of servicing the vehicle will be longer.
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Some key features of natural gas:
- Natural gas reduces the emission of carbon monoxide by 90-97 %.
- It is non-toxic and does not contaminate groundwater.
- North America is the biggest provider of natural gas, i.e., it has 98% natural gas.
- Natural gas vehicles produce 50 % noise compared to diesel vehicles.
- Thirty-five thousand job vacancies can be created by producing 1 % of natural gas.
Conclusion:
CNG is an eco-friendly fuel. It is the best alternative fuel for the current and upcoming generation due to its less emission, less pollution, safety, and affordability features.
