Southern Company Gas subsidiary Atlanta Gas Light announced it will test adsorbed natural gas (ANG) bi-fuel vehicles with the new integrated fuel storage technology developed by Adsorbed Natural Gas Products, Inc. (ANGP). ANG technology uses activated carbon to reduce the storage pressure of natural gas without sacrificing the volume of natural gas stored through a process called adsorption. Using this type of fuel provides a cleaner and lower cost fuel option than gasoline or diesel for large, light-duty vehicles, such as SUVs, half-ton pickup trucks, and service vans.
“The transportation sector accounts for the largest portion of total U.S. Greenhouse Gas emissions and 80% of smog forming pollutants come from mobile sources,” said Ian Skelton, director of natural gas vehicles at Southern Company Gas. “Natural gas is playing an important role in reducing emissions, and adsorbed natural gas can significantly reduce the cost and complexity of fueling natural gas vehicles. We are pleased to help demonstrate this new technology in our AGL fleet operations.”
“Reducing the compression requirement for natural gas vehicles by 75% is a game changer that enables low cost public and private fueling of ANG equipped natural gas vehicles,” said Bob Bonelli, President of ANGP. “Having Atlanta Gas Light as a project partner will provide invaluable insight and support as we work to demonstrate the value of ANG to light-duty vehicle fleets and commercialize this exciting new technology.”
ANG vehicles could be fueled at public-access CNG stations, as well as conveniently from home or work through a refueling compressor. They operate at significantly lower storage pressure than standard CNG vehicles, refilling at 900 psi instead of 3600 psi. This reduces energy consumption by over 50% and decreases fueling time by over 60%. Additionally, these vehicles can travel long distances on ANG before seamlessly switching to gasoline.
Atlanta Gas Light is purchasing vehicles for its fleet with the new ANG storage system and will test their performance compared to standard natural gas vehicles and conventional gasoline vehicles over the demonstration period. Results from the test will inform the company’s decision to purchase additional ANG vehicles and help to validate this technology for use by others.
Source: Atlanta Gas Light
