CNG Tips
Very Important CNG Station design and development tips as well as information on CNG Fill station service and preventive maintenance.
How do I determine how much oil my CNG compressor is consuming?
As a general rule of thumb, lubricant consumption at or above 50 brake horsepower (bhp) hours per once is considered an acceptable rate. To apply this principle, you have to know three basic things. Motor Horsepower Quantity of lubricant consumed. (see tip #2) Number of operating hours. For example: we are running an Ingersoll Rand Model 05H25NGSX, a simplex 25 horsepower compressor package. Through our log sheets we know that we have added 5 ounces of lubricant for every 20 hours of operation. The formula looks like this: 25bhp X 20 hours /...
read moreHow dry is CNG and why you may need a dryer for your CNG Fueling station?
How dry is dry? All natural gas contains some amount of water. This is most evident when you first light your stove top burner and see a small whiff of condensation on the stove. This is the water in the gas and at a burner tip, can not cause any problems. But compress this same gas and use it for fueling your natural gas powered vehicle and it is a different story. Gas companies typically deliver gas with a 7#MMSCF which means 7 pounds of water per million cubic feet of gas. This is sufficiently low enough to avoid condensation, hydrate...
read moreA checklist for setting up your CNG fueling facility maintenance
A well-planned and executed maintenance program is key to the reliability of your CNG Refueling Station. Not only will your station be on-line, all the time, it will also be safer for those fueling and those working at the station. Here is a quick checklist that will help you get you started. Identify the sequence of operation. Determine the actual sequence of operation. Make corrections to operations required. Select onsite personnel to be responsible for daily maintenance. Then provide the training and time to perform the job properly. Set...
read moreCNG Station Daily Maintenance Log
Many of you are already documenting the performance of your CNG stations / NGV refueling stations. This provides you with a daily history, a means of comparing past performance with the present with an eye on future performance. We encourage our customers to fill out log sheets on a daily basis. In one instance we had an individual that had never seen an NGV station before but was responsible for filling out the log sheet. We marked each point alphabetically for them and keyed this into our log sheet. Within weeks he could log the station in...
read moreClocking CNG Compressor for Gas Flow
To clock a gas compressor you will need to identify the following: That the only load on the gas meter is the compressor you are clocking. What the gas pressure is at the meter while you are clocking. What the smallest rotary dial on the meter measures in one revolution. Next, record how long it takes for a given amount of gas to go through the meter and what pressure the meter was at when you clocked it. Now the fun part; use the following formulas: Correction Factor = 14.7 + P (pressure at meter in psi) / 14.7 Uncorrected Flow = Cubic feet...
read moreAt start-up, purge your CNG fueling system of air
Natural gas is highly explosive when combined with oxygen and an ignition source. In order to operate your NGV station safely, you should remove all the air from the system especially at start-up. We suggest using an inert gas such as nitrogen. Here are some simple steps to follow; remember these are a simple guide and may or may not apply to your specific module. Open the manual drain valve on the vent recovery tank. Turn auto condensate drain manual “dump valves” to the dump position. Open isolation valves to allow inlet...
read moreCNG Fueling Site Safety
The issue of CNG Fueling site safety in the field is one that should never be compromised. We are adamant about this at CNGCenter.com as you should be also. Here are some basic rules that I make sure all of our own service technicians follow: Understand and use good lockout and tag out procedures. Never work on compressor engine internals or rotating externals without locking out all electrical power and closing and securing with lock and tags all gas into and out of the skid. Know how to vent the gas off skid. Secure and lock out air start...
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