Gaseous fueled vehicles: A role for natural gas and hydrogen

The commercialization of gaseous hydrogen fueled vehicles requires both the development of hydrogen fueled vehicles and the establishment of a hydrogen fueling infrastructure. These requirements create a classic chicken and egg scenario in that manufacturers will not build and consumers will not buy vehicles without an adequate refueling infrastructure and potential refueling station operators will not invest the needed capital without an adequate market to serve. One solution to this dilemma is to create a bridging strategy whereby hydrogen is introduced gradually via another carrier. The only contending alternative fuel that can act as a bridge to hydrogen fueled vehicles is natural gas. To explore this possibility, IGT is conducting emission tests on its dedicated natural gas vehicle (NGV) test platform to determine what, if any, effects small quantities of hydrogen have on emissions and performance. Furthermore, IGT is actively developing an adsorbent based low-pressure natural gas storage system for NGV applications. This system has also shown promise as a storage media for hydrogen. A discussion of our research results in this area will be presented. Finally, a review of IGT's testing facility will be presented to indicate our capabilities in conducted natural gas/hydrogen vehicle (NGHV) research. 3 refs., 10more » figs.« less