Compressed Natural Gas: The Safer Alternative Fuel

There is a long list of advantages derived from compressed natural gas that benefits not only the owners of natural gas vehicles or NGVs but also those car owners who opted to convert their existing vehicles to use CNG. Among these benefits are better efficiency, less expense, and superior environment-friendliness compared to petroleum-based fuels such as gasoline.

Safety is also a key advantage of CNG over gasoline or diesel. Though CNG can not lay claim on the title of safest alternative fuel, it is still much safer than traditional fuels. For car owners who are contemplating on making the big switch from petroleum-based fuel to CNG, it is important to know and understand how CNG is safer.

The excellent safety record of CNG is actually based on two factors: the physical properties of CNG itself and the high quality of CNG systems. The physical property of CNG is already safer than most fuels because of several reasons. For instance, compressed natural gas has a higher ignition temperature of 1100 degrees Fahrenheit compared to gasoline’s 600 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes CNG pose a lesser risk of fire compared to gasoline because it takes a higher temperature to ignite it. CNG also has a limited range of flammability. It needs 5% to 15% of air and fuel mixture to burn.

Another key advantage that makes compressed natural gas safer than most fuels is its lower fuel density. As a matter of fact, CNG is lighter than air. In the event of leaks, CNG will immediately dissipate into the air instead of forming pools on the ground as in the case of gasoline and diesel, which are both dense liquids. Thus, CNG greatly reduces the risk of fire if ever a leak forms due to accidents or other causes. Meanwhile, natural gas in its original state is colourless, odourless and tasteless. To make CNG easier to detect, especially in the case of leaks, a special chemical is added into CNG to give it a distinct smell akin to rotten eggs.

Compressed natural gas is also non-toxic. It does not have any poisonous ingredients that can be absorbed directly into the bloodstream by a person who inadvertently inhales it. And because CNG is non-toxic, it does not contaminate the earth or water in case of leaks, unlike gasoline or diesel which leaves a chemical residue or slick. CNG also burns cleanly. It is actually named as the cleanest-burning fossil fuel. When ignited, CNG burns with a clean blue flame and produces heat, water vapour and carbon dioxide.

With these characteristics, CNG is indeed a safer alternative to traditional, petroleum-based fuels. More people can benefit from these advantages by retrofitting their existing vehicles with CNG conversion kits. Companies such as CNG United now offer high quality CNG conversion products and services such as CNG conversion kits, cylinders, tanks, valves and many more. CNG United is the exclusive distributor of Auto Gaz products and services.