When we think about emissions, we usually think about our vehicles and the new wave of personal electric vehicles. The reality is that heavy duty vehicles used for transportation of goods and passengers produce far more emissions and use a lot more fuel than personal vehicles.
We can make a bigger impact in reducing emissions by replacing the heavy duty diesel vehicles especially those that use a lot of fuel. We can also impact more lives by reducing emissions from transit and school buses and protect heath and our fragile environment.
While some nations have already taken a leap, the USA is now accelerating its move to natural gas heavy duty truck and transit buses. In fact with Cummins-Westport’s North America launch of the near zero NOx ISL-G series engines, CNG/LNG now offer the cleanest way to go for medium and heavy duty applications.
The largest limitations has been that our duty cycles are typically more demanding in terms of variations of temperature with deep negatives like -40F in the north to high 100’s in the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico. The current fuel system designs also limit the amount of recoverable fuel from the tanks to about 350-400 psi tank pressure. Further, no regulation system in the market was certified to the nationally recognized to ANSI NGV3.1 standard. Existing systems also compromise reliability of vehicles with poor filtration of contaminants and designs that include materials such as Buna, susceptible to failure in the local operating conditions.
Energy outlooks see growth
Most energy outlooks see a huge growth in use of these vehicles in the coming years and thus OEMs and integrators have been looking for answers. Parker FM80 fuel regulation system answers all the needs of the market and delivers more.
Parker Hannifin’s FM80 Fuel Regulation Module, a fully integrated CNG (compressed natural gas) flow control and regulation system for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
- Withstands extreme variations in temperature, flow, vibration, supply pressure and gas composition. It is constructed of robust anodized aluminum, a high grade low Sulphur “Vericlean” stainless steel poppet and extremely reliable Parker VG109 seals
- Features advanced FM80 metal piston-style regulator, coalescent filters, pressure sensors, lock-off solenoid valve, heat exchanger, and low-pressure relief valve all in one compact body
- Offers customizable levels of integration and more configuration options
- Exceeds industry standards for leakage and safety and is certified to ANSI NGV3.1
- Meets flow and regulation specifications of all leading OEMs with CNG options
- Features technology which prevents freezing problems in the winter and eliminates leakage of gas into coolant from wear of soft diaphragms and seals over time
- Incorporation of a larger oil sump means longer times between filter drains, helping increase driver productivity and asset utilization
- Optimized for advanced fuel handling performance in 5- to 12-liter engines
- Piston-style regulator design offers stable pressure delivery and control of CNG throughout the full range of extreme engine and environmental operating conditions
- Integrated internal regulator components, with fewer connections, work together to eliminate fuel line failures due to freezing, dampen flow-induced vibration, reduce drop at high flow, and extend cycle life
- Manifold design of regulator system reduces chance of fuel line pressure increase due to reduced volume of fuel between solenoid valve and regulator seals
- Achieves high nominal flow rate (175 lbs./hr, 80 kg/hr) and the low low-pressure operating parameter (250 psig), which increases the usable range of CNG vehicles by 3 to 5%
Many of the OEMs and integrators have entrusted their 2016 and onwards model year CNG offerings to Parker, give us a call and let us help you develop a CNG system to meet toughest EPA, CARB emissions and that offers a user experience that far surpasses any of the conventional fuels.
See it all at ACT Expo, May 2-5, 2016 in Long Beach California. Parker is introducing new CNG on-vehicle and fuel dispensing solutions, plus new biodiesel applications. Stop in at booth #845.
Article contributed by Madhukar Puniani, Business Development Manager, Parker Hannifin Veriflo Division
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