NGVAmerica News Week in Review: March 20, 2017

 

• UPS Invests More than $90 Million in Natural Gas Vehicles and Infrastructure
• Cryoshelter’s Introduces Second Generation LNG Tanks to Market
• Trillium CNG Selected to Provide CNG Services to Tampa, Florida
• OEM Partnership Expands Natural Gas Option for Medium Duty Trucks
• Xebec Achieves Advance in Renewable Natural Gas Processing
• Government of Canada Invests in Renewable Natural Gas
• Hyundai Heavy Industries Wins Large Order for LNG-Fueled Vessels

 

UPS Invests More than $90 Million in Natural Gas Vehicles and Infrastructure

March 15, 2017

UPS plans to build an additional six CNG fueling stations and add 390 new CNG tractors and terminal trucks and 50 LNG vehicles to its alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet. UPS further cements its leadership in the alternative fuel market while continuing to reduce its environmental footprint with this more than $90 million investment in natural gas.

“With more than 4,400 natural gas vehicles and a network of fueling stations, UPS has had great results using natural gas as an alternative fuel in our fleet,” said Mark Wallace, UPS senior vice president global engineering and sustainability. “In 2016, we used more than 61 million gallons of natural gas in our ground fleet, which included 4.6 million gallons of renewable natural gas. This helped us to avoid the use of conventional gas and diesel, and decreased CO2 emissions by 100,000 metric tons.”

The six new CNG stations will be built in Ontario, California; Orlando, Florida; Salina, Kansas; Louisville, Kentucky; Greensboro, North Carolina; and Vancouver, British Columbia. Renewable natural gas (RNG) will be used at the station in Ontario to fuel UPS vehicles in the area.

Last year, UPS invested $100 million in CNG fueling stations and vehicles. UPS currently operates 31 CNG fueling stations in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, and West Virginia and runs CNG vehicles in 38 states in the U.S. in addition to vehicles in Germany, the Netherlands, and Thailand.

RNG, also known as biomethane, can be derived from many abundant and renewable sources, including decomposing organic waste in landfills, wastewater treatment and agriculture. It is then distributed through the natural gas pipeline system, making it available for use as CNG and LNG fuel.

UPS also purchased 50 additional LNG vehicles that were deployed in Indianapolis, Indiana; Chicago, Illinois; Earth City, Missouri; and Nashville, Tennessee, where UPS has existing LNG stations.

Since 2009, UPS has invested more than $750 million in alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles and fueling stations globally.

 

Cryoshelter’s Introduces Second Generation LNG Tanks to Market

March 10, 2017

Cryoshelter GmbH, an Austrian-based LNG technology company, has introduced its Second Generation LNG tank for heavy duty trucks. Cryoshelter says the Second Generation tank reduces the overall total cost of ownership by providing benefits and options that address the key performance.

The innovative Cryoshelter cryogenic thermal insulation system increases fuel capacity by reducing the thickness of the insulation gap while matching the thermal performance of today’s superinsulation systems. The tank’s cryogenic thermal insulation system relies on two key innovations built into the vacuum space in between the cryogenic inner tank and the surrounding outer vacuum shell.

One key innovation is the Inner Tank Support (ITS) (patents pending), the structural connection between the inner tank and the outer shell. The Cryoshelter ITS lowers the heat losses while improving the load bearing capacity by its design and location. The efficiency of the ITS allows the use of the same modular parts so tanks can be built to specification for a wide range of different sizes – from 70 to 200 gallons.

The second technical innovation is the Cryoshelter Shield Technology, providing ten times the specific reflective thermal insulation capacity as multi-layer-insulation technologies used in current state-of-the-art LNG tanks. The shield technology’s patented suspension system reduces the insulation gap, which in turn increases the fuel capacity up to 20 percent. The overall efficiency of Cryoshelter’s thermal insulation systems leaves enough space to further improve the insulation performance for extended hold time options – keeping the fuel cold longer without increasing the insulation gap.

Unlike many LNG tanks, Cryoshelter places the manifold housing – fuel connector, safety valves, etc. – on the side of the tank instead of at the end for more convenient operation and maintenance.  Moving the valves and controls from the end of the tank adds up to 10 percent fuel capacity.

Cryoshelter says the new tank has the largest fuel capacity within a given frame space—adding up to 30 percent more fuel on board and providing extended range. The Shield Technology increases hold time to more than double the five-day statutory requirement for ‘hold time’ prior to venting.

“We are excited about the breadth and volume of the interest already shown by truck manufacturers and fleet operators in the innovative Cryoshelter LNG tank,” said Dr. Matthias Rebernik, Cryoshelter CEO. “As the market expands Cryoshelter will continue to work on additional technical enhancements to the tank system to meet the needs of the truck industry.”

The Cryoshelter tank has been certified to the UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) Regulation 110 (R110). Certification to R110 assures full and reliable quality assurance all along the manufacturing supply chain, which also includes certification to ISO-9001. Additional durability and functional testing also has been done and is ongoing, as required by truck manufacturers to meet their specifications beyond R110.

The pathway to certification was supported by a $1.8 million grant from the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program. Having completed the last step in the pre-commercialization certification process Cryoshelter now will ramp up its industrialization efforts, focusing on the retrofit LNG truck market while continuing to address the truck manufacturers in Europe.

 

Trillium CNG Selected to Provide CNG Services to Tampa, Florida

March 17, 2017

The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART), based in Tampa, Florida, has selected Love’s Trillium CNG to provide complete operations and maintenance services on its CNG fueling station. Trillium will also complete a series of upgrades to the existing facility. Trillium was selected as the result of a competitive solicitation process.

“As the first transit agency in Florida to invest in CNG, we knew HART had serious long-term CNG goals that we felt we could meet,” said Bill Cashmareck, director of Trillium CNG.

In 2014, HART became the first public transportation agency in Florida to convert from diesel fuel to CNG. The private CNG station uses four 300-horsepower IMW compressors. Trillium will replace three control panels and develop custom programming, allowing the station to better use available capacity. A new valve and control panel will reduce wear and tear on the compressors, and improved filtration will reduce oil carryover to the vehicles. The upgrades will result in a more energy-efficient and cost-effective operation for HART.

HART operates 34 CNG buses, with an additional 25 CNG buses to be delivered in fiscal year 2017, in addition to 39 HARTPlus vans, a service that provides transportation for people with disabilities, and eight HARTFlex vans, an on-demand van service within defined geographic zones of Hillsborough County. CNG vehicles replace current diesel vehicles when each reaches the end of its effective life. It will take three years for the fleet of vans and 10 years for the fleet of buses to transition to CNG.

“We are excited to be working with Trillium CNG to help us continue moving towards a more sustainable future,” said Katharine Eagan, HART CEO. “HART is proud to continue to meet the needs of our customers with a fleet of buses and vans that run on a cost-effective alternative fuel that is clean, safe, more efficient and American-produced.”

 

OEM Partnership Expands Natural Gas Option for Medium Duty Trucks

March 16, 2017

Freightliner Custom Chassis (FCCC), Clean Energy Fuels, and Green Alternative Systems (GAS) have partnered to provide an OEM CNG fueling system on FCCC’s CNG MT-45/55 chassis.

The chassis is used in the linen and uniform, parcel and home delivery, vending and food service, baking and snack delivery, and school bus industries. Green Alternative Systems will provide the new CNG fueling system for the chassis, which is powered by a 6.0L V8 engine with three available fuel capacities: 35 GGE, 42 GGE or 52 GGE. Clean Energy will provide fleets using the chassis with fueling agreements and access to its nationwide network of fueling stations.

The new CNG MT-55 chassis will be displayed at the Freightliner Custom Chassis Booth at this year’s NTEA Work Truck Show being held March 14-17, 2017 in Indianapolis.

FCCC is one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of premium vehicle chassis and distributes them through its network of more than 400 dealers throughout the nation. FCCC has partnered with GAS and Clean Energy because of their experience and expertise in their respective industries.

Clean Energy’s network of over 550 public and private fueling stations ensures that fleets are powered for both short routes across town and long hauls across the US. Green Alternative Systems, the largest commercial alternative fuel upfitter in North America, is dedicated to designing and installing high quality natural gas and other alternative fuel systems for buses, trucks, and commercial vehicles.

In fall 2016, Ameripride / Canadian Linen, one of the largest uniform rental and linen supply companies in North America, deployed 20 trucks with this fueling system as part of its corporate sustainability program. Ameripride / Canadian Linen has committed to expanding its sustainability program by deploying additional CNG vehicles in their fleet this year.

 

Xebec Achieves Advance in Renewable Natural Gas Processing

March 16, 2017

Xebec Adsorption, a global provider of gas generation, purification, and filtration solutions for the industrial, energy and renewables marketplace, announced it has achieved a significant breakthrough in its fast cycle pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology for upgrading biogas to renewable natural gas (RNG). By optimizing the process design and combining it with an adsorption/desorption cycle, Xebec can now achieve recovery rates of up to 98.5 percent while operating at low pressure, allowing operators to lower operating costs.

Xebec has pioneered fast and rapid cycle adsorption technology, bringing its proprietary technology to the biogas upgrading market more than 15 years ago. Adsorption technology is now well-established for upgrading biogas to RNG and Xebec is a major player with 27 installations operating globally and a growing number of ongoing projects under planning, procurement and construction.

Biogas upgrading has historically been a challenge because gas compositions constantly vary, flow rates fluctuate, and temperatures change with seasonal and weather conditions. Operators need technology solutions that are flexible, reliable, and cost effective in order to maximize profits. In a collaborative demonstration with Southern California Gas in 2012, Xebec demonstrated that its technology can meet “Rule 30”, California’s very stringent gas quality standard, even under varying operating conditions.

Xebec’s newest upgrading systems being deployed in Europe over the last 6 months are achieving these new performance levels.

 

Government of Canada Invests in Renewable Natural Gas

March 15, 2017

Jim Carr, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, announced an $800,000 investment in G4 Insights Inc. for the development of technology to convert forestry waste into RNG that can be distributed through existing natural gas pipelines in Canada. The investment will diversify Canada’s energy mix, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve industrial efficiency, and create new economic opportunities for Canadian companies and create jobs.

G4 Insights is partnering with the Canadian Gas Association members Enbridge Gas Distribution, FortisBC, Gaz Metro, Union Gas, utility host ATCO, the Natural Gas Innovation Fund, Alberta Innovates, and FPInnovations, who are contributing a combined $1.35 million towards this project.

Renewable natural gas produced from sustainably managed forest residue can emit up to 85 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than traditional fossil fuels. Forest residue, which includes all parts of the tree, can be converted into solid, liquid or gaseous biofuels such as RNG that can then be burned for energy or used as fuel substitutes for transportation or industrial processes.

G4 Insights will build a RNG demonstration plant and test it under operational conditions with a range of biomass types to generate relevant technical operating and economic data. The optimal site location has been chosen in Edmonton, Alberta to support all-season operation in outdoor conditions.

 

Hyundai Heavy Industries Wins Large Order for LNG-Fueled Vessels

March 20, 2017

Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI), Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shipbuilding affiliate, announced that it recently won an order to build four 114,000 DWT Ice-Class IA aframax tankers from Sovcomflot, the Russia’s state-owned shipping company.

The world’s first LNG-fueled aframax tankers, measuring more than 820 feet in length, are scheduled to be delivered from the third quarter of 2018 and to be chartered to Shell.

“As the demand for eco-ships increases with tightening environmental regulations, we will further accelerate our efforts to win eco-ship orders,” said an HSHI official.

Since its first order of six 41,000 DWT bulk carriers in 1989, Sovcomflot has maintained a close business partnership with HHI Group by ordering 65 ships in total to date.