Gas in Ukraine is $0.75 for 1 L and price is going up.

Natural gas is $0.30 for 1 L and equipment is about $300.
Is it worth to do natural gas conversion and drive on the natural gas?

I heard that natural gas delete oil film inside cylinder (dunno how much of this is true).

Is it safe?

 

as far as i remember, that wasn't total conversion.. it was partial conversion. MY father had his car moded like that... the problem with it was that during the very hot waeather cars were blowing up...

but it might've changed over last years..

 

^ yes, correct, it's partial conversion, cause you can run on gas or natural gas.

 

I have ALOT of experience with alternative fuels. In India, where I lived for many years, Natural Gas was made MANDATORY for ALL Public Transportation in 2000.

You can imagine the angry revolts by the Taxi drivers, who had to spend nearly $600-$700 for a conversion. BUT the 'Sarkar' or government imposed this change because up untill that point, these taxis were using three cylinder diesel boat engines that were spurring out black, toxic fumes which darkened the skies.

Anyway, the conversion happened and within a year all of India's metros were running on CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) or LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas). CNG was popular because it was safer (lighter than air) as in the event of a leak, the gas would rise quickly and not explode in the vehicle. CNG also yields a 30-40% lower consumption rate than LPG/ Gas. But most importantly, third world countries have greater reserves of CNG. The only drawbacks are the cost compared to LPG (15% more expensive, but STILL 45% cheaper than diesel and 65% cheaper than gas) AND CNG engines produce approximately 80% of their Petrol engine counterpart's horsepwer. So a 100 HP engine would produce only 80% on CNG. Needless to say, running an AC on an underpowered engine yielded disasterous results. If you're gonna convert a Tibby, you should be fine.

Not the case with LPG. Same HP as gas but half as economical as CNG (still better than gas cause its half the price). Cars often found similar mileage with LPG, making it more expensive to run when compared to CNG even though it is marginally cheaper per unit sold. Add to that the fear of explosion (Well installed LPG kits are safe) and you can see why it didn't do as well. In a country where the average income is well below $200 a month, every Rupee saved is a Rupee earned.

CNG kits are duel kits mostly. They work better with gas engines because they can replace gasoline as a fuel. Or if you run out, you can switch to your gas reserve.

In diesel engines, only hybrid operation is possible, meaning that CNG is burnt along with diesel. Good savings but not as much as gas engines.

They are VERY safe in any weather as long as they are installed by professionals. This is NOT a DIY. But keep in mind you will need a large tank to get good range out of it since not much fits in the tank. It will take alot of trunk space. For a 10 kg (22 lb) tank expect around 200 kilometers (125 miles). At $0.25 a lb in India, that isn't too bad. For perspective, gas is $4.50 a gallon in those parts of the world.

In 5 years India went from a country with visible dirty air, to a country with air standards far cleaner than the US. I used to breathe hard when I went there. Now, I breathe harder when I come back here.

CNG requires VERY high compression, so make sure you get a good, reputed tank manufacturer. I recommed a good 20 kg tank atleast.


Hope this helps.

 

NICE post. you get an e-star fing02.gif

 

^^^ thanx!!! that was very informative.

Any problems with the engine? Will it die faster?

 

As long as it is maintained well, it shouldn't.

Check with the installation people about preventive maintainance like additives etc.

I observe a simple rule. If cab drivers use it, its gotta work. Good Luck.

 

Found some advantages about natural gas:


1. Natural gas is more ecological fuel. CO in exhaust of natural gas in 2x less than in gasolin.

2. Natural gas has higher octan number (about 100). So no detonation should be. (Maybe going turbo on natural gas? fing02.gif )

3. Longer life of the engine. Natural gas burns slower - less load on internals.

4. Natural gas do not clean cylinder from oil film.

5. Natural gas do not kills (?) engine oil that much as gasoline.

6. Almost no snuff (bad thing after fuel burns, that stays on the valves, head...) inside the engine.

7. Natural gas is more clear (no dirt) than gasolin.


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Also there could be 5% HP loss, and a bit bigger fuel consumption.