LNG is hot

At the second in a series of 'Critical Issues Workshops' by Clean Fuels Consulting, leading figures in the industry will address a truly international audience of LNG and LBG stakeholders. So far, people from fourteen different countries have registered, from Asia, Europe, North America and as far away as Swaziland.

The goal is to “identify and explore new strategies to expand the world-wide markets for cryogenic natural gas or methane as a vehicle fuel,” as it says on the workshop website.

Five sessions are on the programme:

• global prospects for LNG supply and business development
• LNG production and fuelling: technologies and strategies
• LNG vehicle technology developments
• LNG standards, regulations and safety: development and harmonisation
• next strategic steps into the market: the future of LNG vehicles

Lobbying
Clean Fuels Consulting is an independent organisation based in Brussels and Washington, D.C. They can be hired for direct lobbying within the European Union institutions and the United Nations; policy development; strategic marketing; technical and technology analysis and the likes.

Jeffrey Seisler is CEO of Clean Fuels Consulting. The foundation of his broad network in Brussels and the rest of the world stems from his former job as Director of the European Natural Gas Vehicle Association (ENGVA) in the Netherlands. At the December workshop Seisler will be talking about the European perspective of LNG vehicles, giving an overview of projects, supplies and challenges.

Seisler: “Most liquefied natural gas vehicles are long haulage trucks, buses, boats or trains. The latter two categories especially use enormous amounts of the lowest quality fuel available: we're really talking about 'bottom of the barrel sludge'. At such quantities, a small saving per litre can make a huge difference for the truck operators. So CNG or LNG can save substantial money and pollution.”

Highlight: Safety first

The fourth session of the LNG is hot workshop is announced on the website with the words: “There are three principle concerns in the NGV/LNG business: safety, safety and safety.” Gert Jan Rap, CEO of Rap Clean Air Products, and partner with Jeffrey Seisler in the International Clean Fuels Training Institute based in the Netherlands, will be giving the presentation Communicating safety from supply-to-customer: LNG training. Rap is an engineer who has designed engine conversion systems for natural gas and LPG.

Workshop initiator Seisler of Clean Fuels Consulting: “The safety chain starts with indentifying the technical issues involved. Based on those issues standards are drafted, which are not legally binding. Then national institutions, the United Nations, European Union et cetera develop these standards into binding regulations, which in turn must be 'translated' to the customer. This is the final link in the chain and this is where Gert Jan comes in. Based on the regulations he can instruct fuel station owners and operators exactly what to do in order to get or retain their licenses.”

The right balance must be found between a foundation of adequate and explicit international standards and regulations (crucial to safety and compliance) on the one hand and flexibility to facilitate innovations on the other hand.

Dangerous
But is natural gas much more dangerous than gasoline or diesel?

“LNG is actually safer than gasoline,” says Jeffrey. “Diesel, on the other hand, is harder to ignite than LNG, so LNG is in between the two.”

The safety issue is often named as a disadvantage – are there even certain parties exaggerating the danger of LNG? “Absolutely,” Jeffrey confirms.

“Inflammability, however, is not the main issue,” he continues, “explosiveness is the concern. When gasoline vapors mix with oxygen, the mixture becomes very explosive. At gasoline stations, there is no tight connection between the hose and tank, so vapors escape constantly. As with all fuels, however, the potential explosiveness is why you're not allowed to smoke there. Also, gasoline vapors are toxic. I actually always check the wind direction and turn my head away to make sure I’m standing downwind from the gas tank to avoid inhaling the fumes.

“CNG is compressed to such density, that if some of it were to be released from a tank, there would be not enough oxygen at the point where the high pressure gas is released to get an explosive mixture,” Jeffrey explains. “But as LNG is cryogenic, unlike CNG, it is stored at an extremely low temperature. It would burn your skin if you would come into contact with it. That is why LNG filling stations don't have self service; operators wear gloves and visors.

“Methanol and ethanol have their own danger: they are absorbed rapidly into the bloodstream. Every fuel has its safety issue and they all are inflammable. After all, fuels are made to ignite.”