Are Natural Gas Vehicles Safe?

Natural gas is an environmentally clean, plentiful, low-cost, domestically-produced fuel for motor vehicles. But is it a safe fuel? Any automobile fuel can be dangerous if handled improperly. Fuels contain energy which must be released by burning. Gasoline is a potentially dangerous fuel, but, over time, we have learned to use it safely. The same is true of natural gas. Natural gas safely generates our electricity, heats our homes and cooks our meals. But, like gasoline, natural gas must be understood and respected to be used safely.

Natural gas is a naturally occurring fuel which requires very little processing before use. Chemically it normally consists of over 90% methane with smaller amounts of ethane, propane, butane, carbon dioxide and other trace gases. The high methane content gives natural gas its high octane rating (120-130) and clean-burning characteristics, allowing high engine efficiency and low emissions. As with all vehicle fuels, natural gas can be used safely if simple, common sense procedures are followed. In fact, natural gas has safety advantages compared to gasoline and diesel: it is non-toxic, and has no potential for ground or water contamination in the event of a fuel release. An odorant is added to provide a distinctive and intentionally disagreeable smell which is easy to recognize.

The odor is detectable at one-fifth of the gas’ lower flammability limit. Natural gas vehicles have an excellent safety record for two primary reasons: the properties of the fuel itself and the integrity of the natural gas vehicle and its fuel delivery system. Natural gas has a very limited range of flammability – it will not burn in concentrations below about five percent or above about 15% when mixed with air. Gasoline and diesel burn at much lower concentrations and ignite at lower temperatures. Although it takes very little energy to ignite a flammable mixture of air and natural gas, gasoline, or diesel, natural gas burns at a somewhat lower temperature.

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From the gas field to the vehicle’s engine, natural gas requires very little processing to make it suitable for use as a fuel. Gasoline and diesel must be processed from crude oil in large and complex oil refineries. After water vapor, sulfur and heavy hydrocarbons are removed, natural gas flows by pipeline (the safest way to transport energy) directly to the fueling station where it is compressed for use. Alternatively it may be liquefied at cryogenic temperatures on site or at a central facility and delivered by truck. Gasoline and diesel are delivered to fueling stations by tank trucks over the highway. At a compressed natural gas fueling station the gas is compressed before being provided to vehicles at 3000 to 3600 pounds per square inch (psi). Stations can deliver a “fast fill” to vehicles in minutes or, using a “slow fill” strategy, in a few hours to overnight.

Although the use of high storage pressures might appear dangerous, compression, storage and fueling of natural gas vehicles meet stringent industry and government safety standards. Natural gas powered vehicles are designed and built to be safe both in normal operation and in crashes. New natural gas vehicles are subjected to the same crash tests as other vehicles. Natural gas vehicle fuel systems must meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 303 and 304. Natural gas cylinders are much thicker and stronger than gasoline or diesel tanks. Industry standards require them to withstand 11,250 fill cycles, and endure far beyond normal environmental and service damage risks.

Although there are approximately 85,000 natural gas vehicles now operating in the United States, there has not been a fuel tank rupture in over two years. In Italy, with over 300,000 NGVs in operation, there was only one fuel tank rupture during the last three years.

In conclusion, technical data, appropriate safety regulations and years of experience show natural gas vehicles to be as safe as, or safer than, conventionally fueled vehicles.

Save your Diesel Dollars and Prolong The Life of Your Diesel Truck

With the growing costs of gasoline and diesel fuel around the world, people are going to great lengths to find means of prolonging the life of their limited fuel dollars.

One method that has been proven to be effective in stretching the fuel buck is the process of using additives that are known to make automobiles run more efficiently, which in turn, reduces the consumption of gas. At today’s prices believe me we all want better mileage from the diesel fuel we put into our vehicles.

From a consumer’s perspective better fuel mileage is more money in the bank. But the benefits of FuelBoost Diesel Additive go far beyond simply stretching the dollars that go into the fuel tank of your automobiles, or for that matter, fuel that comes from traditional pumps. Additives also works with alternative fuels that are used by those who not only wish to save money but also wish to contribute in efforts to minimize their personal impact on global warming.

As far as the possible equipment that allows for use of an additive the possibilities are wide indeed. Diesel engines are a prime candidate for an additive with the powered down formulas of todays diesel fuel blends.

When you think of all the diesel engines that are on the market these days you should realize that this means that diesel additives are an excellent choice for busses, cars, trucks, boats, tractors, and farm equipment that rely on diesel fuel.

The many reasons why using a reliable safe diesel additive are many and include things such as: eliminating the sludge and debris that may be gumming up the works causing loss of power and lower gas mileage, lowering emissions that lead to pollution and a larger personal footprint when it comes to global warming, fewer repairs over the lifetime of the vehicle that uses FuelBoost regularly as opposed to fuel with no additive.

You should also notice much lower maintenance needs such as new fuel filters and the like because the fuel is running cleaner. Little things like this save much more money over time than you may realize over the fuel savings alone.

If you are like most Americans you have done your part to make sure that you are lowering the consumption of diesel you go through in an average drive. Things such as adjusting air pressure, turning off the air conditioner, and avoiding stop and start traffic whenever possible go a long way towards saving you money.

These things save pennies, which add up fast. FuelBoost however saves nickels and dimes, which add up much more quickly in the long run.

Take your dollars back and place them in your pockets rather than those of greedy oil companies by using fuel additives such as FuelBoost Diesel Additive to get the most value for your diesel dollars.
If you travel a great deal or use your vehicles, tractors, or farm equipment daily for work you might be absolutely amazed at how cost effective this additive makes the fuel buying process when compared to purchasing diesel fuel without the helpful benefits of a premium additive.

I hope that gives you some ideas where an additive would become proactive in your maintenance program. I have also given some links below where you may find some solid track record products.

Gale Banks - A Legend Among Gas And Diesel Truck Enthusiasts

Gale Banks is a gearhead, die-hard enthusiast, and a leader in the automotive community. With over 50 years of experience working on gasoline and diesel engines, he is a valuable resource for anyone looking to extract more power out of their car or truck engine. He is best known for his Banks Monster Exhaust systems and the Banks Bullet power programmer. These parts are made for a large variety of vehicles and are custom made to work seamlessly with the car or truck, requiring no modification for installation.

It was Jay Leno, the late night talk show host and world renowned car enthusiast, who had the original idea to put a 1,790 cubic inch V-12 engine from a Korean-war era M47 Patton tank into a car. It was a marriage of Frankenstein proportions, but it wasn't crazy enough for Mr. Leno. Many people would ask, isn't 810 horsepower enough for a street car? Jay Leno didn't seem to think so and felt that twin-turbo charging the engine would deliver the level of insanity he was seeking. For this reason, Jay contracted Gale Banks of Gale Banks Engineering for his personal advice and expertise in producing his one-off Tank Car. After much research, trail and error, and fabrication, Gale was able to create one of the most ludicrous machines ever made by man. To sum up the modifications made to the M47 Tank engine, Banks added to the mix an entirely new exhaust system, a revised intake manifold, twin turbochargers, and a built from the ground up fuel system to make this V-12 monster push out more than 1600 horses and over 3000 foot-pounds of torque! Due to the excessive wheel spin and to make the car more street-able, the car was tuned down to around 1200 horsepower. Needless to say, Jay Leno is overly pleased with the results of his absolutely mad concoction. He is also proud to comment that not only has Gale significantly improved the power output, but also the fuel economy!

Project Sidewinder is another one of Gale Banks side ventures into diesel performance. Project Sidewinder is the fastest diesel pickup truck in the world, pushing out quarter-mile times as low as 12.16 seconds at 115 miles per hour! To produce the 735 hp and 1300 lb-ft of torque, Banks had to make several modifications to the stock system. Some of the major additions include ram air ducting, an improved cooling system, new fuel rails and fuel pump, extensively modified cylinder heads, and a Holset Variable Geometry Turbocharger (VGT).

The VGT is a particularly important choice for getting quick quarter-mile times as it allows the turbocharger to maximize boost created for any given RPM range. It does this by changing the angle of incidence of the turbines to minimize turbo lag and backpressure. This in turn minimizes the time it takes to spool the turbo and maximizes boost across the RPM band. Variable Geometry Turbines are a relatively new advancement in turbocharger technology and are proving to give many the extra edge in performance they need to win races and take home the prize. In fact, VGT is one of the latest technologies that Porsche has incorporated into their 911 Turbo to help keep it in the forefront of the ultra competitive battle for the top supercar.