Dear EarthTalk: I recently saw an article extolling the virtues of natural gas as an abundant, inexpensive and domestically produced automotive fuel. Is this going to be the automotive fuel of the future and how green is it? - Jason Kincaide, New Bedford, MA
Federally-funded researchers at the Argonne National Laboratory are trying to improve the efficiency of natural gas powered engines, spurred by anticipated consumer demand for fuel that is cheaper and greener than gasoline and without the hassles of other alternative fuels.
Credit: LA Wad, courtesy Flickr
Pictured: a natural gas-powered Honda Civic at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Pictured: a natural gas-powered Honda Civic at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.
It is difficult to say which of the growing number of fuel options will power the cars of the future. But natural gas, given its domestic abundance, low price and lesser carbon footprint, is certainly a contender, at least as far as researchers at the federally funded Argonne National Laboratory are concerned. Some of the same engineers there who developed the batteries now used in electric cars have been tasked with improving natural gas powered engine technologies, thanks to anticipated consumer demand for vehicles powered by something cheaper and greener than gasoline but without the hassles of other alternative fuels.
“Our conclusion is that natural gas as a transportation fuel has both adequate abundance and cost advantages that make a strong case to focus interest in the technology as a real game changer in U.S. energy security,” Mike Duoba, an engineer at Argonne’s Transportation Technology Research and Development Center outside of Chicago, told the Talking Points Memo news blog. “In terms of consumer ownership and use costs, the case to make a switch from current fuels to compressed natural gas (CNG) is much more compelling than for other alternative fuels like ethanol and electricity.”
Given this promise—in addition to a February 2012 Department of Energy announcement of a $30 million competition aimed at finding ways “to harness our abundant supplies of domestic natural gas for vehicles”—Duoba and his colleague have been ramping up vehicle systems analysis and engine research and testing around CNG as a way to wean ourselves off of foreign fuel sources.
Their goal is to improve the efficiency of the CNG combustion process so that it can fit into a new line of engines that can run on gasoline or CNG equally as well, giving consumers the flexibility of choice without any trade-offs. Duoba thinks such a vehicle would have significant consumer appeal, especially in light of sluggish sales of the latest round of electric vehicles from the major automakers.
“At least for some time, compared to plug-in vehicle batteries, CNG storage offers lower weight, higher energy storage and lower costs—as well as faster refueling/recharging.” And while CNG vehicles would generate emissions from their tailpipes, the Argonne team believes that their overall emissions footprint would be smaller than that of an electric vehicle drawing power from the fossil-fuel-based electric grid.
But to Duoba the appeal of CNG is more about reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil sources than on saving the planet. “Various technologies have been successful at reducing the environmental impact (criteria pollution) over the decades,” Duoba wrote. “To the extent that consumption of foreign petroleum has not been reduced to acceptable levels, this could be viewed as the principal motivation.”
But CNG faces the same major hurdle to becoming widely accepted as any other challenger to gasoline as king of the road: a lack of refueling stations. Whatever does finally unseat gasoline will no doubt have to have a system for refueling that rivals the convenience we’ve come to expect from our corner gas stations.
CONTACTS: Argonne Center, www.transportation.anl.gov
“Our conclusion is that natural gas as a transportation fuel has both adequate abundance and cost advantages that make a strong case to focus interest in the technology as a real game changer in U.S. energy security,” Mike Duoba, an engineer at Argonne’s Transportation Technology Research and Development Center outside of Chicago, told the Talking Points Memo news blog. “In terms of consumer ownership and use costs, the case to make a switch from current fuels to compressed natural gas (CNG) is much more compelling than for other alternative fuels like ethanol and electricity.”
Given this promise—in addition to a February 2012 Department of Energy announcement of a $30 million competition aimed at finding ways “to harness our abundant supplies of domestic natural gas for vehicles”—Duoba and his colleague have been ramping up vehicle systems analysis and engine research and testing around CNG as a way to wean ourselves off of foreign fuel sources.
Their goal is to improve the efficiency of the CNG combustion process so that it can fit into a new line of engines that can run on gasoline or CNG equally as well, giving consumers the flexibility of choice without any trade-offs. Duoba thinks such a vehicle would have significant consumer appeal, especially in light of sluggish sales of the latest round of electric vehicles from the major automakers.
“At least for some time, compared to plug-in vehicle batteries, CNG storage offers lower weight, higher energy storage and lower costs—as well as faster refueling/recharging.” And while CNG vehicles would generate emissions from their tailpipes, the Argonne team believes that their overall emissions footprint would be smaller than that of an electric vehicle drawing power from the fossil-fuel-based electric grid.
But to Duoba the appeal of CNG is more about reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil sources than on saving the planet. “Various technologies have been successful at reducing the environmental impact (criteria pollution) over the decades,” Duoba wrote. “To the extent that consumption of foreign petroleum has not been reduced to acceptable levels, this could be viewed as the principal motivation.”
But CNG faces the same major hurdle to becoming widely accepted as any other challenger to gasoline as king of the road: a lack of refueling stations. Whatever does finally unseat gasoline will no doubt have to have a system for refueling that rivals the convenience we’ve come to expect from our corner gas stations.
CONTACTS: Argonne Center, www.transportation.anl.gov
In Spanish:
Querido DiálogoEcológico: Vi recientemente un artículo que alababa las virtudes del gas natural como un combustible para autos abundante, económico y producido en el país. ¿Será este el combustible automotriz del futuro y cuán verde es? - Jason Kincaide, Nuevo Bedford, MA
Investigadores federales con el Laboratorio Nacional de Argonne están tratando de mejorar la eficiencia de motores a gas natural, estimulados por la demanda anticipada de un combustible que es más barato y menos dañino al ambiente que la gasolina y sin los dolores de cabeza de otros combustibles alternativos.
Es difícil decir cuál del número creciente de opciones de combustible propulsará los coches del futuro. Pero el gas natural, dada su abundancia doméstica, precio bajo y huella menor de carbón, es ciertamente un contendiente, por lo menos en lo que concierne a los investigadores del Laboratorio [Federal] Nacional de Argonne. Algunos de los mismos ingenieros de allí que desarrollaron las baterías utilizadas ahora en coches eléctricos han sido encargados de mejorar las tecnologías de motores a gas natural, gracias a la demanda de consumo anticipado de vehículos propulsados por algo más barato y más verde que la gasolina pero sin los problemas de otros combustibles alternativos.
"Nuestra conclusión es que el gas natural como combustible de transporte tiene abundancia adecuada y ventajas de costo que lo hacen una opción fuerte en la tecnología como un factor revolucionario en la seguridad de energía de EEUU," declaró Mike Duoba, un ingeniero con el Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Tecnología del Transporte de Argonne, en las afueras de Chicago, al blog Talking Points Memo. "En función de costos para consumidores y uso, el caso para hacer un cambio de los combustibles actuales al gas natural comprimido (CNG) es mucho más decisivo que para otros combustibles alternativos como el etanol y la electricidad".
Dada esta promesa—además de un anuncio en febrero de 2012 del Departamento de Energía de un concurso de $30 millones creado para identificar maneras de "utilizar nuestros suministros abundantes de gas natural doméstico para vehículos"—Duoba y su colega han estado expandiendo el análisis de sistemas vehiculares y las pruebas e investigaciones de motores con respecto al CNG como una manera de alejarse de fuentes extranjeras de combustible.
Su objetivo es mejorar la eficiencia del proceso de combustión del CNG para que pueda operar en una nueva línea de motores que pueden usar igualmente gasolina o CNG, dando a los consumidores más flexibilidad de elección sin ninguna pérdida. Duoba piensa que tal vehículo sería bastante atrayente a los consumidores, especialmente en vista de las ventas no muy impresionantes de la última serie de vehículos eléctricos de los fabricantes más prominentes de automóviles.
"Por lo menos por un tiempo, comparado a baterías enchufables de vehículo, el almacenamiento tipo CNG ofrece peso menor, almacenamiento más alto de energía y costos más bajos—así como más rápida recarga y repostero. Y aunque los vehículos tipo CNG generarían emisiones de sus tubos de escape, el equipo de Argonne cree que su huella general de emisiones sería más pequeña que la de un vehículo eléctrico que se alimenta de una red eléctrica basada en combustibles fósiles.
Pero para Duoba la atracción del CNG se radica más en reducir la dependencia de EEUU en fuentes extranjeras de petróleo que en salvar el planeta. "Varias tecnologías han tenido éxito en reducir el impacto ambiental (criterio contaminación) a través de las décadas," señaló Duoba. "En el grado que tal consumo de petróleo extranjero no ha sido reducido a niveles aceptables, esto podría verse como una motivación principal".
Pero el CNG encara el mismo enorme obstáculo para llegar a ser aceptado ampliamente como cualquier otro desafiante a la gasolina como rey de la carretera: una falta de estaciones de servicio. Sea lo que sea que destrone finalmente a la gasolina, sin duda deberá tener un sistema para recargar combustible que rivalice la comodidad que esperamos de nuestras gasolineras en prácticamente cada esquina.
CONTACTOS: Hatfield Marine Science Center, www.hmsc.oregonstate.edu; NOAA,www.noaa.gov; Beachcombers’ Alert, www.beachcombersalert.org.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario