Liquefied methane as a transport fuel. Natural gas as a motor fuel for automotive internal combustion engines

14.04.2019

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Natural gas as motor fuel.

The beginning of the use of gas as a motor fuel was laid more than 150 years ago, when the Belgian Etienne Lenoir created an internal combustion engine that ran on lighting gas. This type of fuel has not received much popularity. The subsequent growth in oil production and the reduction in the cost of products of its processing, as well as the creation of more advanced engines, made gasoline the leader in the fuel market. Again, interest in gas motor fuel arose in the first half of the 20th century. In Russia, this direction began to develop since the 30s, when, due to a shortage of oil in a rapidly developing industry, the government decided to transfer part of the transport to gas. The corresponding decree was issued in 1936. The production of equipment was launched, filling stations were opened, development began gas engines, and both types of gas were used - compressed and hydrocarbon. The full-scale implementation of the program was prevented by the Great Patriotic War. Nevertheless, the idea was not abandoned: already in peacetime, new gas-balloon cars were designed and put into production, the number of which reached 40 thousand.

Dozens of gas filling stations were built for them. When the largest hydrocarbon reserves of Western Siberia were discovered and the country entered the era of oil abundance, attention to the program for creating gas-balloon transport weakened, although work continued. In the 1980s, they started talking seriously about saving, and gas again took revenge. By 1985, three resolutions of the Council of Ministers were issued on the mass transfer of large fuel consumers to gas. Over the next five years, about 500 CNG filling compressor stations were built, and up to 0.5 million vehicles were converted to CNG.

The work was coordinated by the Interdepartmental Council under the Ministry of the Gas Industry, chaired by Viktor Chernomyrdin. The privatization that began in the 1990s led to the disappearance of large fleets; a significant part of municipal transport passed into private hands. And although at the same time there was a drop in oil production (from 624 million tons in 1988 to 281 million tons in 1997), due to a decrease in the number of consumers, there was no shortage of oil products.
As a result, gasoline and diesel fuel retained their market positions. A new rise in the market of natural gas motor fuel in Russia began in 1998, when the demand for propane-butane mixture increased sharply.

Methane is more difficult. It can only be liquefied low temperatures, about minus 160 degrees Celsius. Appropriate liquefaction and "liquefaction" technologies are not cheap. Methane can also be compressed. However, in order for the amount of compressed gas to be at least approximately comparable in volume to a liquefied propane-butane mixture, it must be compressed to 200–250 atmospheres. Therefore, much stronger and heavier cylinders are needed to transport compressed methane. Methane plants have higher safety requirements as well. Therefore, propane equipment is most often installed on passenger cars. The consumption of compressed natural gas (as opposed to liquefied petroleum gas) is not measured in liters, but in filling meters. Since CNG is mainly composed of methane, its mass calorific value is 49.4 MJ/kg, which is 9% higher than gasoline and 11% higher than jet fuel.

For the consumer, if he switches from traditional fuel to LPG, the cost of fuel and lubricants is reduced by 20-25%. In turn, the compressed natural gas Compared to hydrocarbons, there is also an advantage. The energy efficiency of LPG is about 25% less than that of CNG - 6175 kcal/m. cube and 8280 kcal/m. cube respectively. For the consumer, this means that 25-30% more liquefied hydrocarbon gas will be required for the same distance, and besides, it is slightly inferior to CNG in terms of environmental parameters. At the same time, the cost of gas motor fuel does not exceed 50% of the cost of A-80 gasoline.

According to the NP "National Gas Vehicle Association", the highest price of motor fuel is for hydrogen. It is 9.01 euro/l. This is almost nine times more expensive than biodiesel (€1.11/l) and gasoline (€0.66/l). In turn, the cost of 1 m³ of gas, which is equivalent to 1 liter of gasoline, is more than twice cheaper than gasoline: the cost of 1 m³ of liquefied petroleum gas is 0.39 euros / l, compressed natural gas - 0.21 euros / l.

According to the Ministry of Energy of Russia, if we take Euro-4 quality gasoline as a standard, it turns out that CNG wins almost three times in nitrogen oxide emissions, 14 times in CH, more than 16 times in benzapyrene, and in soot 3 times (in comparison with diesel fuel - 100 times). Therefore, in terms of emissions harmful substances compressed natural gas into the atmosphere is second only to electricity. Although LPG is a little behind in terms of environmental parameters, it makes it possible to solve the problem of utilization of associated petroleum gas, which is still flared, although back in January 2009 a resolution “On measures to stimulate the reduction of pollution” was signed. atmospheric air products of combustion of associated petroleum gas at flares”.
According to experts, the future belongs to methane: propane-butane, like oil, is too valuable a raw material to be used as a car fuel. Although, of course, it is much more convenient, and so far the fleet using it is larger: by the beginning of 2011, the number of gas-cylinder vehicles running on LPG in the world exceeded 15 million, and on CNG - 12 million4. The annual turnover of propane-butane is 34 million tons of standard fuel, and compressed gas - about 23 million tons.

Another advantage that an enterprise operating machines on methane receives is an increase in the level of safety, since, according to its physical and chemical properties, natural gas is less hazardous than propane.
Also, due to the use of natural gas as a fuel, the service life of the oil and the engine itself is extended. internal combustion. When the engine is running on gas fuel, the oil film is not washed off the walls of the cylinder block, in addition, carbon deposits do not form on the cylinder head, piston rings do not coke, due to which the elements of the internal combustion engine wear out, and its overhaul period increases by one and a half to two times.

In addition, the operation of the ignition system is improved - the service life of the candles increases by 40%. All this reduces repair costs. In addition, the CNG segment is the most crisis-resistant in the Russian economy and the most dynamic in the medium term. In 2009, due to the decline in business activity during the crisis, the Russian CNG market fell by 1.1%, while gasoline and propane-butane consumption fell by 18% and 4%, respectively. back side medals of the use of gas as a fuel becomes possible uneven operation of the motor. This is due to resonance in the intake system and stratification of the gas-air mixture. It also becomes more difficult to start a cold internal combustion engine in winter.

This is explained more high temperature ignition of gaseous fuel and lower combustion rate. Also a certain difficulty is the re-equipment of the car. The price of propane-butane equipment ranges from 15-28 thousand rubles, and methane equipment starts from 40 thousand rubles. At the same time, the mass of the kit exceeds 50 kg for LPG and more than 100 kg for CNG. Based on this, the "specialization" of gases is built: LPG - for passenger transport, and CNG for heavy equipment.

The most expensive and "weighty" part is the balloon. To reduce its mass and increase the strength of the walls, alloyed metals or aluminum reinforced with fiberglass are used, and metal-composite cylinders are also installed in a basalt cocoon. In some branches of technology, reinforced plastic vessels are used, which are very expensive, but are 4-4.5 times lighter than steel ones.

Thus, depending on the number of cylinders with compressed gas, the weight of the truck increases by 400–900 kg. At the same time, its carrying capacity decreases and fuel consumption increases, however, when cylinders made of composite materials are used, this drawback does not affect the useful characteristics of the car so significantly. Summarizing, to the main positive and negative points use of gas as a motor fuel can be attributed to:
Main advantages:
- low cost;
- increased level of security;
- reduced level of emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere;
- increase in service life of oil;
- extension of terms of wear of the engine;
- decrease in the calorific value of the gas-air mixture.
Main cons:
- possible occurrence of uneven operation of the engine;
- complication of start-up of the cold engine in a frost;
- deterioration dynamic characteristics car;
- an increase in the mass of the machine and a decrease in its carrying capacity;
- increase in labor intensity Maintenance and engine repair.

But the main disadvantage, which is called by officials and car manufacturers, especially in Russia, is the underdevelopment of the gas station network.

In fact, this market in Russia has not yet been formed. There are about 22,000 ordinary filling stations in the country. That is, CNG filling stations are 160 times smaller, and they are distributed very unevenly throughout the country. The global market for compressed natural gas is characterized by a significant increase in consumption and advanced development of infrastructure. Consumption of compressed natural gas in the world in 2005-2009 increased by 42%, and the number of CNG filling stations increased by more than 85%. To this end, the states are taking a number of measures to develop CNG filling stations networks.

Measures to stimulate the development of CNG filling station networks

Iran and EU countries	Exemption of imported gas filling and gas-using equipment for natural gas from import customs duties.
	A ban on the construction of gas stations without a unit for filling cars with compressed natural gas.
Australia, UK, Canada, Malaysia, Japan	Allocation of grants and subsidies for the construction of CNG filling stations.
	Exemption for a certain period from the payment of land tax during the construction of CNG stations. Reduction of property tax during the construction of CNG filling stations.
	Reducing the base for calculating property tax by a certain percentage of the cost of CNG filling stations and gas-balloon vehicles running on compressed natural gas.

If retail LPG in Russia is developed by large players like Gazenergoseti, LUKOIL and TNK-BP and many small companies, while CNG is almost 90% occupied by Gazprom, which owns more than 200 CNG filling stations. Shortage of gas filling stations and points in Russia after-sales service gas-cylinder vehicles (238 stations and 74 points throughout the country) restrains the desire of owners Vehicle switch to alternative fuels. The fleet of vehicles operating on GMT in the area of accessibility of existing automobile gas-filling compressor stations is significantly lower than the optimal one (in world practice, there are 500 units per CNG filling station). transport technology).

In addition, a constraint is the lack of government programs that stimulate the development of the gas engine business by providing subsidies for the purchase of gas equipment, various tax incentives both in the CNG station sector and for motor fuel consumers. Along with this, there are certain difficulties that arise during the construction of gas filling stations in the conditions of urban development, associated with the duration of the allocation and registration land plots under construction, as well as with a number of provisions of the Norms fire safety(NPB III-98), directly related to CNG filling stations and their individual systems. Despite the criticism of NPB III-98 by interested organizations, they are the basic document for fire departments that coordinate design documentation for GMT production facilities. The foregoing, in essence, is a brake on the development of the gas filling network in Russia. As a result, Russia, which occupied in 1986-1990. in terms of production and sales of CNG, the first place in the world (more than 1.2 billion m (3) per year), was behind developed and even some developing countries.

The popularity of compressed natural gas and propane-butane by the geography of its distribution. Thus, the traditionally strong markets of India, Iran and Pakistan have significant equipment sales volumes and are expected to become the leading countries in terms of the number of vehicles running on compressed natural gas, methane and propane-butane. In Latin American countries, methane is still the most popular compressed natural gas. Propane-butane holds a dominant position in Russia and the European Union.

The readiness of the Russian industry to implement a project to increase the level of consumption of natural gas as a motor fuel is still being assessed inconsistently. The presence of gas transmission systems and gas distribution stations in Russia is adjacent to an extremely limited arsenal of new gas-cylinder equipment, the cylinders themselves and new automobile gas storage compressor stations.
All over the world, the development of the NGV sector is provided by the state with the support of large oil and gas companies - more than 85 models of vehicles capable of running on natural gas are being produced. For example, production of methane cars, buses and rickshaws is organized in Pakistan. But in Russia, the choice is limited: only Kamaz trucks and Nefaz buses (a subsidiary of Kamaz), as well as LiAZ, PAZ and KAvZ (Russian Machines group) are mass-produced.

According to the National Gas Vehicle Association, out of 40 million vehicles operated in Russia in 2010 (of which 80.8% are Cars, 16.5% - for trucks, including special equipment and 2.7% - for buses), the fleet of gas-cylinder vehicles running on compressed natural gas is about 100 thousand vehicles (of which 26.1% are cars, 50 .5% - trucks, 23.3% - buses).

Thus, trucks, buses and special equipment account for almost three quarters of gas vehicles. The structure of the fleet of vehicles running on compressed natural gas is as follows: for buses and trucks of categories M1 and N1 (vehicles used for the transport of passengers and having, in addition to the driver's seat, no more than eight seats, as well as vehicles intended for the transport of goods having a maximum mass of not more than 3.5 tons) accounts for 49.5%, passenger categories M1 - 23.3%, special equipment - 13.4%, trucks of categories N2 and N3 (vehicles intended for the carriage of goods, having a maximum mass of over 3.5 tons, but not more than 12 tons, and vehicles intended for the transport of goods with a maximum mass of more than 12 tons) - 12.4%, buses of categories M2 and M3 (vehicles used for the transport of passengers, having, in addition to the driver's seat, more than eight seats, maximum weight which does not exceed 5 tons, and vehicles used for the carriage of passengers, having, in addition to the driver's seat, more than eight seats, the maximum weight of which exceeds 5 tons) - 1.4%, tractors - 0.05%.

According to the optimistic forecast of the National Gas Vehicle Association, the overall dynamics of the development of the fleet of vehicles by 2020 will be 58.5 million units, by 2030 - 85.4, according to the pessimistic forecast - in 2020 - 38.6 million, by 2030 - 51.3. At the same time, the forecast for motor fuel consumption in Russia is as follows: the share of gas motor fuels in the total balance by 2030 will be 3% each for compressed natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas. According to the results of 2010, the level of consumption of compressed natural gas amounted to 4 million tons, by 2020 it should reach 20 million tons, in 2030 - 51 million tons. The level of use of liquefied petroleum gas in 2010 amounted to 15 million .t, by 2020 it will reach 30 million, in 2030 - 67 million tons.

Rail transport is one of the largest consumers of motor fuel. Share of consumption diesel fuel Russian Railways accounts for 9.1% of the total consumption in the country (3.2 million tons). Now Russian Railways has been tasked with replacing 30% of the diesel fuel consumed by autonomous locomotives with natural gas by 2030.

To solve it, more than 1 million tons of natural gas per year will be required. But the benefits will be tangible. For example, the indicators of harmful emissions recorded during the testing and operation of gas turbine locomotives developed jointly with Gazprom VNIIGAZ turned out to be five times lower than the EU security requirements put forward by 2012, and external noise did not exceed sanitary standards. Russian Federation.
Today on Moscow and Sverdlovsk railways Two TEM18G shunting gas locomotives are in trial operation.

In addition, on the Experimental Ring of the All-Russian Scientific research institute Railway Transport (VNIIZhT) in Shcherbinka, near Moscow, tests of the ChMEZG gas locomotive were carried out, which showed that the optimal proportion of replacing diesel fuel with natural gas is from 35 to 50%, depending on the type of shunting work.
Back in December 2006, Russian Railways and the Samara Scientific and Technical Complex named after N.D. Kuznetsov signed an agreement on the joint creation of a new type of gas locomotive - a gas turbine locomotive. By that time, the specialists of the institute had already developed gas turbine engine NK-361 and power block traction section. The project of the gas turbine locomotive itself was proposed by scientists of the All-Russian Research and Design and Technological Institute of Rolling Stock (VNIKTI), and a prototype was assembled at the Voronezh Locomotive Repair Plant. In one of the sections of the locomotive there is a fuel tank for 17 tons. One refueling is enough for 750 km of travel.

In June 2009, Russian Railways received a diploma from the Russian Book of Records for the development of this most powerful (8,300 kW) mainline gas turbine locomotive. In January 2010, for the first time in the world, he carried out a freight train weighing 15,000 tons (159 wagons). No modern locomotive is capable of such records.

A similar transition to natural gas as a motor fuel for diesel locomotives is also being carried out in the USA, Canada, Germany and Austria. In particular, the GE 3000 main gas-fuel locomotive with a capacity of 2200 kW was built in Austria.

In the United States, 15 billion dollars a year is allocated to stimulate the gas engine sector. Including 2.5 billion - for development programs and demonstration of achievements; 300 million - to the federal government for the purchase of gas-powered vehicles for official needs; 300 million - to replace diesel school buses on environmentally friendly cars running on gas engines and other alternative fuels; 300 million - for grants for pilot projects under the Clean City program; 8.4 billion - for the purchase of new municipal buses and 3.2 billion - for grants in the field of energy conservation.

If abroad the development of the methane fuel market is facilitated by the above measures of state incentives, then in Russia work is also underway in this direction. Thus, Government Decree No. 31 “On urgent measures to expand the replacement of motor fuels with natural gas” of 1993 established for the period of validity that the maximum selling price for CNG will not exceed 50% of the price of A-76 gasoline, including VAT.

Pros and cons of installing methane

From the above, we can highlight the pros and cons of using methane as an alternative fuel.

Minuses

Large cylinder weight
Large volume occupying useful place luggage compartment(if installed on a car)
Small range in terms of cylinder volume, compared to gasoline and propane
Difficulty of installation
Installation cost (all methane nodes are an order of magnitude higher than propane ones)

But there are pluses

Low gas price, and therefore cheap operation
The quality of the gas is always the same. The fact is that gasoline and propane are a product of production. And this production at different factories is different, and, accordingly, the output is a different product. This is not the case with methane. It enters the cylinders almost the same as it was mined.

What can you advise?

If your daily mileage is limited to one city and you do not use the trunk to the fullest, then you should seriously consider installing methane.

While the ideal option for installing compressed natural gas, are cars such as

Shuttle Buses,

Taxi,

trucks operating within the city and in nearby places.

While basically they are the first swallows!

What will happen next - time will tell.

And something tells me that the share of such vehicles will at least not decrease!

Reading time: 4 minutes

Vehicles equipped gas installations, became widespread in the middle of the last century. Today, such systems are increasingly equipped with new models of trucks, buses and passenger cars produced by renowned global manufacturers. The number of motorists converting their vehicles to gas fuel is also increasing every year. Those who are planning to buy a car running on gas or are going to change the design of the fuel system on their car are advised to understand what kind of gas cars are filled with and what are the advantages of this type of fuel.

Pros and cons of gas fuel

A large number of car enthusiasts. This is mainly due to the lower cost of gas compared to gasoline and diesel fuel. Although this is not cheap, the money spent, as a rule, is already in the first year of using HBO.

Another good reason for many drivers is environmental friendliness. gas fuel: car on gas throws out in environment fewer harmful substances than gasoline or diesel engines.

Despite these significant advantages, gas also has disadvantages, including:

reduction in the power of the power unit;
inability to use the car at low temperatures;
increase in vehicle weight.

Read more about the pros and cons of gas for cars - in a special one.

Natural and pyrolysis gas

To decide which fuel to choose, you should understand what kind of gas cars drive in the country, and why. This will allow you to determine which filling stations are more, and avoid problems with filling cylinders in the future.

Propane, unlike natural methane, is an organic substance released during the processing of petroleum products. Propane is not used in its pure form as an automobile fuel: it is mixed with butane or ethane.

The gas is in a liquefied state, in which it is placed in cylinders.

Methane is an element from the category of the simplest carbons. It is mined in its pure form, filtered and compressed. It is in the form compressed to 200-250 atmospheres that this gas is used to refuel cars. Installing a methane fuel system on a vehicle is a rather expensive procedure.

In the topic of what gas cars are filled with, in addition to the listed types of fuel, there is also alternatives, however, other gases are not widely used and are not used at gas stations in our country.

Compressed and liquefied gas

LPG as a vehicle fuel is methane in a compressed state. It is necessarily stored in cylinders with increased strength, which, as a rule, have a fairly large mass. Such fuel retains gaseousness at normal temperatures and any pressure.

Even with high pressure due to insignificant readings of the volumetric heat of combustion, it is not possible to store a large number of methane in a car. Therefore, the range of vehicles on this fuel is negligible. High-quality compressed natural gas must contain at least 90 percent methane in its composition.

Liquefied gas for cars consists mainly of a mixture of propane and butane. It is considered a complete substitute for gasoline. The main advantage of liquefied propane-butane is that it can be stored in relatively light steel cylinders with thin walls. This allows you to transport a sufficiently large amount of fuel in the vehicle and increase the range of the car.

The quality of liquefied fuel is determined by its composition, saturated vapor pressure, and the amount of harmful impurities. The best fuel is considered to be at least 80 percent propane and 20 percent butane.

This ratio allows the mixture to burn more efficiently in the engine cylinders, and also reduces the toxicity of exhaust gases.

What to choose - propane or methane?

What types of gas fuel for cars are preferable? The choice between propane and methane puzzles many car owners who decide to switch to gas. Each of these fuel types has its own advantages and disadvantages. Most often, propane is preferred by drivers, as it is cheaper to install and fuel can be transported in larger quantities.

Lending Specialist individuals and representatives of small and medium businesses. Over 15 years of experience in the banking sector.

In Russia, this direction began to develop since the 30s, when, due to a shortage of oil in a rapidly developing industry, the government decided to transfer part of the transport to gas. The corresponding decree was issued in 1936.

The production of equipment was launched, gas stations were opened, the development of gas engines began, and both types of gas were used - compressed and hydrocarbon. The Great Patriotic War prevented the full-scale implementation of the program. Nevertheless, the idea was not abandoned: already in peacetime, new gas-balloon cars were designed and put into production, the number of which reached 40 thousand. Dozens of gas filling stations were built for them.

When the largest reserves of hydrocarbons in Western Siberia were discovered and the country

entered the era of oil abundance, attention to the program of creating gas-balloon transport weakened, although work continued. In the 1980s, they started talking seriously about saving, and gas again took revenge. By 1985, three resolutions of the Council of Ministers were issued on the mass transfer of large fuel consumers to gas. Over the next five years, about 500 CNG filling compressor stations were built, and up to 0.5 million vehicles were converted to CNG. The work was coordinated by the Interdepartmental Council under the Ministry of the Gas Industry, chaired by Viktor Chernomyrdin.

The privatization that began in the 1990s led to the disappearance of large fleets; a significant part of municipal transport passed into private hands. And although at the same time there was a drop in oil production (from 624 million tons in 1988 to 281 million tons in 1997), due to a decrease in the number of consumers, there was no shortage of oil products.

As a result, gasoline and diesel fuel retained their market positions. A new rise in the market of natural gas motor fuel in Russia began in 1998, when the demand for propane-butane mixture increased sharply.

Gas as a motor fuel is represented by two main varieties - compressed natural gas (CNG), which is supplied to special filling stations - CNG filling stations - through gas pipelines, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The first is methane, and the second is a mixture of propane and butane, a product of associated petroleum gas (APG) processing. Historically, propane-butane was the first to spread. Its advantage is that it is easily liquefied at ordinary temperatures at a pressure of only 10-15 atmospheres. At the same time, a steel cylinder with a wall thickness of only 4-5 mm is sufficient for its transportation. Methane is more difficult. It can be liquefied only at low temperatures, about minus 160 degrees Celsius. Appropriate liquefaction and "liquefaction" technologies are not cheap. Methane can also be compressed. However, in order for the amount of compressed gas to be at least approximately comparable in volume to a liquefied propane-butane mixture, it must be compressed to 200-250 atmospheres. Therefore, much stronger and heavier cylinders are needed to transport compressed methane. Methane plants have higher safety requirements as well. Therefore, propane equipment is most often installed on passenger cars.

The consumption of compressed natural gas (as opposed to liquefied petroleum gas) is not measured in liters, but in filling meters. Since CNG is mainly composed of methane, its mass heat of combustion is 49.4 MJ/kg, which is 9% higher than gasoline and 11% higher than jet fuel1. For the consumer, if he switches from traditional fuel to LPG, the cost of fuel and lubricants is reduced by 20-25%. In turn, compressed natural gas also has an advantage over hydrocarbons. The energy efficiency of LPG is about 25% less than that of CNG - 6175 kcal/m. cube and 8280 kcal/m. cube respectively. For the consumer, this means that 25-30% more liquefied petroleum gas is required for the same distance, and it is also slightly inferior to CNG in terms of environmental parameters2.

At the same time, the cost of gas motor fuel does not exceed 50% of the cost of A-80 gasoline. According to NP "National Gas Vehicle Association"3, highest price motor fuel - from hydrogen. It is 9.01 euro/l. This is almost nine times more expensive than biodiesel (€1.11/l) and gasoline (€0.66/l). In turn, the cost of 1 m³ of gas, which is equivalent to 1 liter of gasoline, is more than twice cheaper than gasoline: the cost of 1 m³ of liquefied petroleum gas is 0.39 euros / l, compressed natural gas - 0.21 euros / l.

Environmental problems are a significant factor stimulating the states of the world community to develop the GMT market. The contribution of motor transport to air pollution in large cities and agglomerations ranges from 50 to 90% for all types of pollution. Therefore, the requirements for reducing the toxicity of exhaust gases of internal combustion engines of vehicles are constantly increasing - Euro-4 and Euro-5 standards are being introduced. Meanwhile, the transfer of cars to gas motor fuel reduces emissions of carbon dioxide (the main greenhouse gas) by 13%, nitrogen oxides - by 15-20%, reduces the smoke of exhaust gases by 8-10 times and completely eliminates emissions of lead compounds. According to the Ministry of Energy of Russia, if we take Euro-4 quality gasoline as a standard, it turns out that CNG wins almost three times in nitrogen oxide emissions, 14 times in CH, more than 16 times in benzapyrene, and in soot 3 times (in comparison with diesel fuel - 100 times). Consequently, in terms of emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere, compressed natural gas is second only to electricity. Although LPG is a little behind in terms of environmental parameters, it makes it possible to solve the problem of utilization of associated petroleum gas, which is still flared, although back in January 2009 a resolution “On measures to stimulate the reduction of atmospheric air pollution by products of combustion of associated petroleum gas at flare facilities” was signed. installations".

According to experts, the future belongs to methane: propane-butane, like oil, is too valuable a raw material to be used as automotive fuel. Although, of course, it is much more convenient, and so far the fleet using it is larger: by the beginning of 2011, the number of gas-cylinder vehicles running on LPG in the world exceeded 15 million, and on CNG - 12 million4. The annual turnover of propane-butane is 34 million tons of standard fuel, and compressed gas - about 23 million tons.

Another advantage that an enterprise operating machines on methane receives is an increase in the level of safety, since, in terms of their physical and chemical properties natural gas is less dangerous than propane.

Also, due to the use of natural gas as a fuel, the service life of the oil and the internal combustion engine itself is increased. When the engine is running on gas fuel, the oil film is not washed off the walls of the cylinder block, in addition, carbon deposits do not form on the cylinder head, they do not coke piston rings, due to which wear of the elements of the internal combustion engine occurs, and its overhaul run increases by one and a half to two times. In addition, the operation of the ignition system is improved - the service life of the candles increases by 40%5. All this reduces repair costs.

In addition, the CNG segment is the most crisis-resistant in the Russian economy and the most dynamic in the medium term. In 2009, due to the decline in business activity during the crisis, the Russian CNG market fell by 1.1%, while gasoline and propane-butane consumption fell by 18% and 4%, respectively6.

The reverse side of the coin of using gas as a fuel is the possible uneven operation of the engine. This is due to resonance in the intake system and stratification of the gas-air mixture. It also becomes more difficult to start a cold internal combustion engine in winter. This is due to the higher ignition temperature of the gaseous fuel and the lower combustion rate.

Also a certain difficulty is the re-equipment of the car. The price of propane-butane equipment ranges from 15-28 thousand rubles, and methane equipment starts from 40 thousand rubles. At the same time, the mass of the kit exceeds 50 kg for LPG and more than 100 kg for CNG. Based on this, the “specialization” of gases is built: LPG for passenger cars, and CNG for heavy equipment. The most expensive and "weighty" part is the balloon. To reduce its mass and increase the strength of the walls, alloyed metals or aluminum reinforced with fiberglass are used, and metal-composite cylinders are also installed in a basalt cocoon. In some branches of technology, reinforced plastic vessels are used, which are very expensive, but are 4-4.5 times lighter than steel ones.

Thus, depending on the number of cylinders with compressed gas, the weight of the truck increases by 400-900 kg. At the same time, its carrying capacity decreases and fuel consumption increases, however, when cylinders made of composite materials are used, this drawback does not affect the useful characteristics of the car so significantly.

In summary, the main positive and negative aspects of using gas as a motor fuel include:

Main advantages:

Low cost;

Increased level of security;

Reduced emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere;

Extended oil life;

Extending the wear of the engine;

Reducing the calorific value of the gas-air mixture.

Main cons:

Possible occurrence of uneven operation of the engine;

Difficulty starting a cold engine in cold weather;

Deterioration of the dynamic characteristics of the car;

An increase in the mass of the machine and a decrease in its carrying capacity;

Increasing the labor intensity of maintenance and repair of the engine.

But the main disadvantage, which is called by officials and car manufacturers, especially in Russia, is the underdevelopment of the gas station network. In fact, this market in Russia has not yet been formed. There are about 22,000 ordinary filling stations in the country. That is, CNG filling stations are 160 times smaller, and they are distributed very unevenly throughout the country. The global market for compressed natural gas is characterized by a significant increase in consumption and advanced development of infrastructure. The consumption of compressed natural gas in the world in 2005-2009 increased by 42%, and the number of CNG filling stations increased by more than 85%7. To this end, the states are taking a number of measures to develop CNG filling stations networks.

Measures to stimulate the development of CNG filling station networks

Iran and EU countries	Exemption of imported gas filling and gas-using equipment for natural gas from import customs duties.
	A ban on the construction of gas stations without a unit for filling cars with compressed natural gas.
	Allocation of grants and subsidies for the construction of CNG filling stations.
	Exemption for a certain period from the payment of land tax during the construction of CNG stations. Reduction of property tax during the construction of CNG filling stations.
	Reducing the base for calculating property tax by a certain percentage of the cost of CNG filling stations and gas-balloon vehicles running on compressed natural gas.

The shortage in Russia of gas filling stations and service points for gas-balloon cars (238 stations and 74 points throughout the country) restrains the desire of vehicle owners to switch to alternative fuel. The fleet of vehicles operating on GMT in the area of accessibility of existing automobile gas-filling compressor stations is significantly lower than the optimal one (in world practice, there are 500 units of transport equipment per CNG filling station). In addition, a constraining factor is the lack of government programs that stimulate the development of the gas engine business by providing subsidies for the purchase of gas-balloon equipment, various tax incentives both in the CNG filling station sector and for motor fuel consumers.

Along with this, there are certain difficulties that arise during the construction of gas filling stations in the conditions of urban development, associated with the duration of the allocation and registration of land plots for construction, as well as with a number of provisions of the Fire Safety Standards (NPB III-98), directly related to CNG filling stations and their individual systems. Despite the criticism of the NPB III-98 by interested organizations, they are the basic document for the fire department, coordinating project documentation to GMT production facilities.

The foregoing, in essence, is a brake on the development of the gas filling network in Russia. As a result, Russia, which occupied in 1986-1990. in terms of production and sales of CNG, the first place in the world (more than 1.2 billion m (3) per year), was behind developed and even some developing countries.

In Russia, the requirements for gas filling stations in a separate normative document not highlighted. When designing and building gas engine business facilities, a fairly significant number of state standards, building codes and regulations are taken into account, environmental standards, fire safety standards and other documents. This emphasizes the need to develop standards for the design of gas filling stations, including as part of multi-fuel stations. OAO Gazprom's enterprises are subject to the Rules technical operation CNG filling stations put into operation in 2003. The quality of CNG sold to the consumer is regulated by the State Standard in force since 2000, which establishes such key indicators, as volumetric calorific value, moisture content, sulfur content and mechanical impurities, filling pressure. Work is underway to bring the State Standard in line with the European ISO standard for gas motor fuel, which in the future should ensure the possibility of unhindered movement gas vehicles(NGV) throughout Eurasia. IN given time the State Standard for the quality of liquefied natural gas is being developed to replace Specifications 1987

The requirements for gas-fueled equipment on vehicles are quite clearly set out in the relevant UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) Regulations. IN technical regulations"On the safety of wheeled vehicles" provides for compliance with the requirements of the UNECE Rules in Russia.

However, despite numerous talks about the profitability of acquiring so-called green cars, which include cars that run on gas, according to the consulting company Frost & Sullivan, at the moment only 13% of consumers buy such cars. However, by 2015, experts predict an increase in this share to 30%. Yes, public park. vehicles in four years should amount to 80 million, of which 53 - 55% will be accounted for by gas vehicles8.

According to Frost & Sullivan.

The popularity of compressed natural gas and propane-butane by the geography of its distribution. For example, the traditionally strong markets of India, Iran and Pakistan have significant equipment sales and are expected to become the top 31,074 countries in terms of CNG and propane-butane vehicles. In Latin American countries, methane is still the most popular compressed natural gas. Propane-butane holds a dominant position in Russia and the European Union.

Number of LPG vehicles in 2010

	LPG vehicles (GBA) .un.
Pakistan

Argentina
Brazil



Colombia

Bangladesh

According to Frost & Sullivan experts, these types of fuels will become even more popular in the near future: sales of such vehicles are expected to quadruple by 2015.

Total sales of propane-butane and compressed natural gas vehicles in

2009 - 2015, thousand units

According to Frost & Sullivan

All over the world, the development of the NGV sector is provided by the state with the support of large oil and gas companies - more than 85 models of vehicles capable of running on natural gas are being produced. For example, production of methane cars, buses and rickshaws is organized in Pakistan. But in Russia the choice is limited:

only Kamaz trucks and Nefaz buses (a subsidiary of Kamaz), as well as LiAZ, PAZ and KAvZ (Russian Machines group) are mass-produced.

According to the National Gas Engine Association, out of 40 million vehicles operated in Russia in 2010 (of which 80.8% are cars, 16.5% are trucks, including special equipment and 2.7% are for buses), the volume of the fleet of gas-balloon vehicles running on compressed natural gas is about 100 thousand vehicles (of which 26.1% are cars, 50.5% are trucks, 23.3% are buses). Thus, trucks, buses and special equipment account for almost three quarters of gas vehicles.

The structure of the fleet of vehicles running on compressed natural gas is as follows: for buses and trucks of categories M1 and N1 (vehicles used for the transport of passengers and having, in addition to the driver's seat, no more than eight seats, as well as vehicles intended for the transport of goods having a maximum mass of not more than 3.5 tons) accounts for 49.5%, light categories M1 - 23.3%, special equipment - 13.4%, trucks of categories N2 and N3 (vehicles intended for the carriage of goods with a maximum mass over 3.5 tons, but not more than 12 tons, and vehicles intended for the carriage of goods, having a maximum mass of more than 12 tons) - 12.4%, buses of categories M2 and M3 (vehicles used for the transport of passengers, having, in addition to the driver's seat, more than eight seats, the maximum mass of which does not exceed 5 tons, and vehicles used for the carriage of passengers, which, in addition to the driver's seat, have more than eight seats, the maximum mass of which exceeds 5 tons) - 1.4 %, tractors - 0.05%.

According to the optimistic forecast of the National Gas Vehicle Association, the overall dynamics of the development of the fleet of vehicles by 2020 will be 58.5 million units, by 2030 - 85.4, according to the pessimistic forecast - in 2020 - 38.6 million, by 2030 - 51.3. At the same time, the forecast for motor fuel consumption in Russia is as follows: gas species motor fuel in the overall balance by 2030 will be 3% each for compressed natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas. According to the results of 2010, the level of consumption of compressed natural gas amounted to 4 million tons, by 2020 it should reach 20 million tons, in 2030 - 51 million tons. The level of use of liquefied petroleum gas in 2010 amounted to 15 million .t, by 2020 it will reach 30 million, in 2030 - 67 million tons.

Production program for the main components (according to the compressed

natural gas)

Project periods Indicators	2011 -2015	2016 - 2020	2021 - 2025	2026 - 2030	Total
Consumption of compressed natural gas, million m³
New HBA, thous.
New cylinders (eq. 50 l), thous.
New CNG filling stations

According to NP "National Gas Vehicle Association"

Rail transport is one of the largest consumers of motor fuel. The share of consumption of diesel fuel by Russian Railways is 9.1% of the total consumption in the country (3.2 million tons). Now Russian Railways has been tasked with replacing 30% of the diesel fuel consumed by autonomous locomotives with natural gas by 20309. To solve it, more than 1 million tons of natural gas per year will be required. But the benefits will be tangible. For example, indicators harmful emissions, registered during testing and operation of gas turbine locomotives developed jointly with Gazprom VNIIGAZ, turned out to be five times lower than the security requirements of the European Union put forward by 2012, and external noise did not exceed the sanitary standards of the Russian Federation.

Today on the Moscow and Sverdlovsk railways there are two TEM18G shunting gas locomotives in trial operation. In addition, at the Experimental Ring of the All-Russian Research Institute of Railway Transport (VNIIZhT) in Shcherbinka near Moscow, tests were carried out on the ChMEZG gas-fired locomotive, which showed that the optimal proportion of replacing diesel fuel with natural gas is from 35 to 50%, depending on the type of shunting work. At the same time, there is a decrease in emissions of toxic combustion products by about 1.5 - 2 times10. A program has already been prepared for the modernization of gas-fired locomotives, which should increase their reliability and efficiency, as well as increase the share of diesel fuel substitution up to 60%.

Back in December 2006, Russian Railways and the Samara Scientific and Technical Complex named after N.D. Kuznetsov signed an agreement on the joint creation of a new type of gas locomotive - a gas turbine locomotive. By that time, the institute's specialists had already developed the NK-361 gas turbine engine and the power unit of the traction section. The project of the gas turbine locomotive itself was proposed by scientists of the All-Russian Research and Design and Technological Institute of Rolling Stock (VNIKTI), and a prototype was assembled at the Voronezh Locomotive Repair Plant. In one of the sections of the locomotive there is a fuel tank for 17 tons. One refueling is enough for 750 km of travel. In June 2009, Russian Railways received a diploma from the Russian Book of Records for the development of this most powerful (8,300 kW) mainline gas turbine locomotive. In January 2010, he held the world's first freight train weighing 15 thousand tons (159 wagons). No modern locomotive is capable of such records.

Gas engine fuel also penetrates into aviation. Thus, an Airbus A-340-600 with Rolls-Royce engines, owned by Qatar Airways (Qatar), made a passenger flight on the London-Doha route. The aircraft was refueled with fuel manufactured by Shell, which consists of aviation kerosene and liquid gas in a ratio of one to one. In addition, Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar Abdullah bin Hamad al-Atiyah was present at the launch of the pilot production of gas kerosene using Gas to Liquids (GTL) technology. According to preliminary data, with the transition to gas kerosene, the world's airlines will be able to save 4 billion dollars a year.

It is noteworthy that the first domestic helicopter capable of operating on gas (gasolet) was created and tested back in 1987. It was a modified production vehicle of the Mi-8 family with an engine from the plant named after. V.Ya. Klimov. This helicopter is produced to this day. In addition, studies have shown that almost all aircrafts with gas turbine engines (all helicopters of the Mi-8 family, including the Mi-38, and regional aviation aircraft - Il-114, Yak-40, Tu-136, etc.). But so far there is only one copy of the gas aircraft - the Mi8GT - shown at the International Aviation and Space Salon back in 1995.

Therefore, in order for the Russian market to develop, state support is needed for machine builders and equipment buyers. Currently, various state programs are already operating around the world. On December 12, 2001, the UN Energy Commission adopted a resolution providing for the transfer of 23% of the European car park to alternative motor fuels by 2020, including 10% (23.5 million units) - to natural gas, 8% ( 18.8 million) for biogas and 5% (11.7 million) for hydrogen. In the United States, 15 billion dollars a year is allocated to stimulate the gas engine sector.

Including 2.5 billion - for development programs and demonstration of achievements; 300 million - to the federal government for the purchase of gas-powered vehicles for official needs; 300 million - to replace diesel school buses with environmentally friendly cars running on gas engines and other alternative fuels; 300 million - for grants for Pilot projects under the program "Clean City"; 8.4 billion for the purchase of new municipal buses and 3.2 billion for energy saving grants11.

Measures to encourage the transition of vehicles to gas motor fuel

Australia, UK, Canada, Malaysia, Japan	Allocation of grants and subsidies for the purchase of vehicles running on natural gas, gas-balloon equipment.
UK, Italy, Chile, China	Non-distribution to cars running on gas, a ban on entry into nature protection zones.
	Restrictions on the use of hydrocarbon motor fuels, except for municipal buses and garbage trucks.
France, Italy, Iran	Providing enterprises using compressed natural gas with a priority right to receive a municipal order.
	Compulsory purchase of LPG vehicles by budgetary organizations when upgrading the vehicle fleet.
	There is a zero tax for vehicles running on methane. Until 2013, the state allocates subsidies for the purchase of "gas" buses.

If abroad the development of the methane fuel market is facilitated by the above measures of state incentives, then in Russia this is not the case. The only such measure was Government Decree No. 31 “On urgent measures to expand the substitution of motor fuels with natural gas” of 1993. In particular, it established for the period of operation of regulated prices for natural gas the maximum selling price for CNG in an amount not exceeding 50% of the price of A-76 gasoline, including VAT.

In addition, in Europe and the United States, regulatory documentation for the use of natural gas is included in the package of national standards. And in Russia, all this is not there either. Moreover, in the Russian Federation, even the regulatory support regulating the use of methane as a motor fuel has not yet been created. Hence the incidents when companies transporting compressed methane are forced to draw the inscription “propane-butane” on gas carriers in order to avoid litigation with the traffic police, whose employees are aware of the regulations for the transportation of LPG, but the transportation of unregulated CNG is perceived almost like the transportation of dynamite.

At the end of 2010, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin held a meeting dedicated to the development of the gas industry for the period up to 2030, as a result of which the following measures were developed to stimulate the transition to natural gas vehicles:

The emergence of the Federal Law "On the use of gas types of motor fuel";

Comprehensive assessment of demand for gas-powered vehicles until 2030;

Formation of a national coordinating body;

Monitoring the implementation of Federal Law No. 261 “On energy saving and energy efficiency improvement and on amendments to certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation” and orders of the Government of the Russian Federation dated November 17, 2008 No. 1662-r and 1663-r;

Preparation of the FTP "Alternative fuel for transport and agricultural machinery for 2012 - 2020" and FTP "White Olympics - blue fuel";

Long-term state order for the purchase of gas-cylinder vehicles for the public sector.

1 Gas industry, 2011, No. 3

Natural gas is needed for more than just cooking, heating your home, and generating electricity. They can also drive a car. Natural gas as a fuel is much cheaper and more environmentally friendly than petroleum products.

Philippe Lebon was one of the first to use gaseous fuel. In 1801, he received a patent for a design in which gas and air are compressed by separate compressors and mixed in a special chamber. In 1860, the French inventor Etienne Lenoir designed the first practically usable internal combustion gas engine. He came up with the idea of igniting the gas-air mixture in the engine using an electric spark.

Ancestor modern car on gas motor fuel - a self-propelled wagon with an internal combustion engine - worked on lighting gas (obtained by dry distillation from certain grades of coal). In 1894, in the German city of Dessau, natural gas was used as a fuel for railway transport. However, gas-powered transport did not become widespread in the 19th century.

In the late 40s and early 50s of the 20th century, gas-balloon vehicles running on methane were produced in the USSR and a network of CNG filling stations was developed. But First level gas supply and the relatively small volume of gas production at that time did not allow the expansion of the use of such transport.

What kind of gas is used to fill the car

Various types of liquefied gas are used to refuel vehicles: methane (natural gas), propane, butane and mixtures thereof (the so-called hydrocarbon gases). In addition, methane is also used in a compressed (compressed) form. This article will focus on natural gas as a vehicle fuel. In order to obtain a compressed gas, methane is compressed using a compressor. Its volume is reduced by 200–250 times.
To obtain liquefied natural gas, natural gas must be cooled to a temperature of -161.5 °C. The volume of gas is reduced by 600 times.

Why is natural gas considered a green fuel?

In the exhaust of a car running on "blue fuel", harmful substances are 5 times less than in a car with gasoline engine. This is a serious advantage of natural gas, because transport is the main pollutant of the atmosphere, especially in major cities. Converting cars and buses to natural gas will help make the air cleaner and improve the ecology of cities.

How you can save money by filling your car with methane

Today, methane in Russia costs about 12 rubles per cubic meter (equivalent to a liter of gasoline). This is 3 times cheaper than gasoline, despite the fact that natural gas is consumed more economically. It is especially advantageous to use gas motor fuel for public transport who travel long distances every day. For example, if 100 buses are converted from conventional fuel to methane, then due to the difference in the price of fuel for the year, 34 million rubles can be saved.
In addition, methane does not contain impurities, which means it does not form deposits in fuel system during combustion. The gas engine runs longer and more efficiently.

Safe gas

Natural gas is the most safe fuel of all currently available. In the event of an accident, methane does not accumulate in depressions and does not form combustible mixture vapor with air. Since the gas is lighter than air, it evaporates immediately, so its leakage is not dangerous.

Cylinders in which methane is stored have very thick and durable walls. During production, they are repeatedly tested so that the containers can withstand gas pressure.

Gas - in engines

Today almost all major automakers produce cars on methane. World leaders in the automotive industry - Volvo, Audi, Chevrolet, Daimler-Benz, Iveco, MAN, Opel, Peugeot, Citroen, Scania, Fiat, Volkswagen, Ford, Honda, Toyota - all of them today offer factory cars with engines running on compressed natural gas . These machines are in no way inferior to traditional gasoline analogues and are very popular among car owners. Today, there are more than 17 million vehicles running on methane in the world, and this number continues to grow.

The beginning of the use of gas as a motor fuel was laid more than 150 years ago, when the Belgian Etienne Lenoir created an internal combustion engine that ran on lighting gas. This type of fuel has not received much popularity. The subsequent growth in oil production and the reduction in the cost of products of its processing, as well as the creation of more advanced engines, made gasoline the leader in the fuel market. Again, interest in gas motor fuel arose in the first half of the 20th century. In Russia, this direction began to develop since the 30s, when, due to a shortage of oil in a rapidly developing industry, the government decided to transfer part of the transport to gas. The corresponding decree was issued in 1936. The production of equipment was launched, gas stations were opened, the development of gas engines began, and both types of gas were used - compressed and hydrocarbon. The Great Patriotic War prevented the full-scale implementation of the program. Nevertheless, the idea was not abandoned: already in peacetime, new gas-balloon cars were designed and put into production, the number of which reached 40 thousand.

Methane is more difficult. It can be liquefied only at low temperatures, about minus 160 degrees Celsius. Appropriate liquefaction and "liquefaction" technologies are not cheap. Methane can also be compressed. However, in order for the amount of compressed gas to be at least approximately comparable in volume to a liquefied propane-butane mixture, it must be compressed to 200–250 atmospheres. Therefore, much stronger and heavier cylinders are needed to transport compressed methane. Methane plants have higher safety requirements as well. Therefore, propane equipment is most often installed on passenger cars. The consumption of compressed natural gas (as opposed to liquefied petroleum gas) is not measured in liters, but in filling meters. Since CNG is mainly composed of methane, its mass calorific value is 49.4 MJ/kg, which is 9% higher than gasoline and 11% higher than jet fuel.

For the consumer, if he switches from traditional fuel to LPG, the cost of fuel and lubricants is reduced by 20-25%. In turn, compressed natural gas also has an advantage over hydrocarbons. The energy efficiency of LPG is about 25% less than that of CNG - 6175 kcal/m. cube and 8280 kcal/m. cube respectively. For the consumer, this means that 25-30% more liquefied hydrocarbon gas will be required for the same distance, and besides, it is slightly inferior to CNG in terms of environmental parameters. At the same time, the cost of gas motor fuel does not exceed 50% of the cost of A-80 gasoline.

According to the Ministry of Energy of Russia, if we take Euro-4 quality gasoline as a standard, it turns out that CNG wins almost three times in nitrogen oxide emissions, 14 times in CH, more than 16 times in benzapyrene, and in soot 3 times (in comparison with diesel fuel - 100 times). Consequently, in terms of emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere, compressed natural gas is second only to electricity. Although LPG is a little behind in terms of environmental parameters, it makes it possible to solve the problem of utilization of associated petroleum gas, which is still flared, although back in January 2009 a resolution “On measures to stimulate the reduction of atmospheric air pollution by products of combustion of associated petroleum gas at flare facilities” was signed. installations".
According to experts, the future belongs to methane: propane-butane, like oil, is too valuable a raw material to be used as a car fuel. Although, of course, it is much more convenient, and so far the fleet using it is larger: by the beginning of 2011, the number of gas-cylinder vehicles running on LPG in the world exceeded 15 million, and on CNG - 12 million4. The annual turnover of propane-butane is 34 million tons of standard fuel, and compressed gas - about 23 million tons.

Another advantage that an enterprise operating machines running on methane receives is an increase in the level of safety, since natural gas is less dangerous than propane in terms of its physical and chemical properties.
Also, due to the use of natural gas as a fuel, the service life of the oil and the internal combustion engine itself is increased. When the engine is running on gas fuel, the oil film is not washed off the walls of the cylinder block, in addition, carbon deposits do not form on the cylinder head, piston rings do not coke, due to which the elements of the internal combustion engine wear out, and its overhaul period increases by one and a half to two times.

In addition, the operation of the ignition system is improved - the service life of the candles increases by 40%. All this reduces repair costs. In addition, the CNG segment is the most crisis-resistant in the Russian economy and the most dynamic in the medium term. In 2009, due to the decline in business activity during the crisis, the Russian CNG market fell by 1.1%, while gasoline and propane-butane consumption fell by 18% and 4%, respectively. The reverse side of the coin of using gas as a fuel is the possible uneven operation of the engine. This is due to resonance in the intake system and stratification of the gas-air mixture. It also becomes more difficult to start a cold internal combustion engine in winter.

This is due to the higher ignition temperature of the gaseous fuel and the lower combustion rate. Also a certain difficulty is the re-equipment of the car. The price of propane-butane equipment ranges from 15-28 thousand rubles, and methane equipment starts from 40 thousand rubles. At the same time, the mass of the kit exceeds 50 kg for LPG and more than 100 kg for CNG. Based on this, the “specialization” of gases is built: LPG for passenger cars, and CNG for heavy equipment.

Thus, depending on the number of cylinders with compressed gas, the weight of the truck increases by 400–900 kg. At the same time, its carrying capacity decreases and fuel consumption increases, however, when cylinders made of composite materials are used, this drawback does not affect the useful characteristics of the car so significantly. In summary, the main positive and negative aspects of using gas as a motor fuel include:
Main advantages:
- low cost;
- increased level of security;
- reduced level of emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere;
- increase in service life of oil;
- extension of terms of wear of the engine;
- decrease in the calorific value of the gas-air mixture.
Main cons:
- possible occurrence of uneven operation of the engine;
- complication of start-up of the cold engine in a frost;
- deterioration of the dynamic characteristics of the car;
- an increase in the mass of the machine and a decrease in its carrying capacity;
- increase in the complexity of maintenance and repair of the engine.

But the main disadvantage, which is called by officials and car manufacturers, especially in Russia, is the underdevelopment of the gas station network.

Measures to stimulate the development of CNG filling station networks

Iran and EU countries	Exemption of imported gas filling and gas-using equipment for natural gas from import customs duties.
	A ban on the construction of gas stations without a unit for filling cars with compressed natural gas.
Australia, UK, Canada, Malaysia, Japan	Allocation of grants and subsidies for the construction of CNG filling stations.
	Exemption for a certain period from the payment of land tax during the construction of CNG stations. Reduction of property tax during the construction of CNG filling stations.
	Reducing the base for calculating property tax by a certain percentage of the cost of CNG filling stations and gas-balloon vehicles running on compressed natural gas.

While the LPG retail trade in Russia is being developed by large players like Gazenergoseti, LUKOIL and TNK-BP and many small companies, the CNG business is almost 90% occupied by Gazprom, which owns more than 200 CNG filling stations. The shortage in Russia of gas filling stations and service points for gas-balloon cars (238 stations and 74 points throughout the country) restrains the desire of vehicle owners to switch to alternative fuel. The fleet of vehicles operating on GMT in the area of accessibility of existing automobile gas-filling compressor stations is significantly lower than the optimal one (in world practice, there are 500 units of transport equipment per CNG filling station).

In addition, a constraining factor is the lack of government programs that stimulate the development of the gas engine business by providing subsidies for the purchase of gas-balloon equipment, various tax incentives both in the CNG filling station sector and for motor fuel consumers. Along with this, there are certain difficulties that arise during the construction of gas filling stations in the conditions of urban development, associated with the duration of the allocation and registration of land plots for construction, as well as with a number of provisions of the Fire Safety Standards (NPB III-98), directly related to CNG filling stations and their individual systems. Despite the criticism of NPB III-98 by interested organizations, they are the basic document for fire departments that coordinate design documentation for GMT production facilities. The foregoing, in essence, is a brake on the development of the gas filling network in Russia. As a result, Russia, which occupied in 1986-1990. in terms of production and sales of CNG, the first place in the world (more than 1.2 billion m (3) per year), was behind developed and even some developing countries.

Thus, trucks, buses and special equipment account for almost three quarters of gas vehicles. The structure of the fleet of vehicles running on compressed natural gas is as follows: for buses and trucks of categories M1 and N1 (vehicles used for the transport of passengers and having, in addition to the driver's seat, no more than eight seats, as well as vehicles intended for the transport of goods with a maximum mass of not more than 3.5 tons) accounts for 49.5%, light categories M1 - 23.3%, special equipment - 13.4%, trucks of categories N2 and N3 (vehicles intended for the transport of goods with a maximum mass over 3.5 tons, but not more than 12 tons, and vehicles intended for the carriage of goods, having a maximum mass of more than 12 tons) - 12.4%, buses of categories M2 and M3 (vehicles used for the transport of passengers, having, in addition to the driver's seat, more than eight seats, the maximum mass of which does not exceed 5 tons, and vehicles used for the carriage of passengers, having, in addition to the driver's seat, more than eight seats, the maximum mass of which exceeds 5 tons) - 1.4 %, tractors - 0.05%.

To solve it, more than 1 million tons of natural gas per year will be required. But the benefits will be tangible. For example, the indicators of harmful emissions recorded during the testing and operation of gas turbine locomotives developed jointly with Gazprom VNIIGAZ turned out to be five times lower than the EU security requirements put forward by 2012, and external noise did not exceed the sanitary standards of the Russian Federation.
Today on the Moscow and Sverdlovsk railways there are two TEM18G shunting gas locomotives in trial operation.

In addition, at the Experimental Ring of the All-Russian Research Institute of Railway Transport (VNIIZhT) in Shcherbinka near Moscow, tests were carried out on the ChMEZG gas locomotive, which showed that the optimal proportion of replacing diesel fuel with natural gas is from 35 to 50%, depending on the type of shunting work.
Back in December 2006, Russian Railways and the Samara Scientific and Technical Complex named after N.D. Kuznetsov signed an agreement on the joint creation of a new type of gas locomotive - a gas turbine locomotive. By that time, the institute's specialists had already developed the NK-361 gas turbine engine and the power unit of the traction section. The project of the gas turbine locomotive itself was proposed by scientists of the All-Russian Research and Design and Technological Institute of Rolling Stock (VNIKTI), and a prototype was assembled at the Voronezh Locomotive Repair Plant. In one of the sections of the locomotive there is a fuel tank for 17 tons. One refueling is enough for 750 km of travel.

In the United States, 15 billion dollars a year is allocated to stimulate the gas engine sector. Including 2.5 billion - for development programs and demonstration of achievements; 300 million - to the federal government for the purchase of gas-powered vehicles for official needs; 300 million - to replace diesel school buses with environmentally friendly cars running on gas engines and other alternative fuels; 300 million - for grants for pilot projects under the Clean City program; 8.4 billion - for the purchase of new municipal buses and 3.2 billion - for grants in the field of energy conservation.

Pros and cons of installing methane

From the above, we can highlight the pros and cons of using methane as an alternative fuel.

Minuses

Large cylinder weight
Large volume occupying useful space in the luggage compartment (in case of installation on a passenger car)
Small range in terms of cylinder volume, compared to gasoline and propane
Difficulty of installation
Installation cost (all methane nodes are an order of magnitude higher than propane ones)

But there are pluses

Low gas price, and therefore cheap operation
The quality of the gas is always the same. The fact is that gasoline and propane are a product of production. And this production at different factories is different, and, accordingly, the output is a different product. This is not the case with methane. It enters the cylinders almost the same as it was mined.

What can you advise?

If your daily mileage is limited to one city and you do not use the trunk to the fullest, then you should seriously consider installing methane.

While the ideal option for installing compressed natural gas, are cars such as

Shuttle Buses,

Taxi,

trucks operating within the city and in nearby places.

While basically they are the first swallows!

What will happen next - time will tell.

And something tells me that the share of such vehicles will at least not decrease!