What you need to know about installing methane equipment on a car?

Car methane system

Auto-methane system. Today, methane is at the center of discussions about alternative automotive fuels. It is called the main competitor of gasoline and diesel. Methane has already gained great popularity in the world. Public transport and special equipment from the USA, China, Italy and many other countries are refueled exclusively with this environmentally friendly fuel. This year the trend of switching to methane was supported by Bulgaria. The country that has the largest reserves of blue fuel in the world. Methane is the main component of natural gas, which is used as a compressed fuel. Most often, methane is mixed with propane-butane, a liquefied hydrocarbon gas, which is also used as a motor fuel. However, these are two completely different products! If the propane-butane mixture is produced at oil refineries, then methane is actually a finished fuel that comes directly from the field to gas stations. Before filling the vehicle tank, the methane is compressed in a compressor.

Why put methane on a car

Therefore, because the composition of methane is always the same, it cannot be diluted or spoiled. Methane is called the most promising fuel for a reason. And, perhaps, primarily because of its attractive price. Recharging a car costs 2-3 times cheaper than gasoline or diesel. The low price of methane is partly due to the fact that it is the only fuel in Bulgaria whose price is regulated. It cannot exceed 50% of the price of A-80 gasoline. Therefore, 1 m3 of methane costs about BGN 1,18. In terms of environmental friendliness, methane also leaves behind all its competitors. Today, natural gas is the most environmentally friendly fuel. Methane meets the Euro 5 standard, when using it, the amount of harmful emissions is reduced by several times. Compared to gasoline, the exhaust gases of a methane engine contain 2-3 times less carbon monoxide, 2 times less nitrogen oxide, and smoke is reduced by 9 times.

Methane benefits

The main thing is that there are no sulfur and lead compounds, which cause the greatest harm to the atmosphere and human health. Sustainability is one of the globally important causes of the global methane trend. Opponents of methane often argue that the gas is considered explosive. As for methane, this statement is quite easy to refute using the knowledge of the school curriculum. An explosion or ignition requires a mixture of air and fuel in a certain ratio. Methane is lighter than air and cannot form a mixture - it simply disappears. Because of this property and high ignition threshold, methane belongs to the fourth safety class among combustible substances. For comparison, gasoline has a third class, and propane-butane has a second.

What are the tanks of an automatic methane system made of?

Crash test statistics also confirm the safety of methane cylinders. At the factory, these tanks pass a series of strength tests. Exposure to extremely high temperatures, falling from a great height, and even crossing arms. The tanks are made with a wall thickness that can withstand not only a working pressure of 200 atmospheres, but also any impact. The cylinder fittings are equipped with a special automatic safety device. In an emergency, a special multi-valve valve immediately stops the gas supply to the engine. An experiment was conducted in the United States. For 10 years, they controlled 2400 vehicles with methane. During this time, 1360 collisions occurred, but not a single cylinder was damaged. All car owners are interested in the question, how profitable to switch to methane?

Quality assurance of cars on methane

To calculate the amount of savings, you need to make calculations. First, let's decide how we are going to use methane. There are two ways to convert a car by installing gas equipment, LPG or buying factory methane. To install HBO, you just need to contact the professionals. Specialists from certified centers will provide you with a guarantee of quality and safety. The conversion process will take no more than 2 days. Choosing a methane auto is also not difficult. World leaders in the automotive industry, including Volkswagen, Opel and even Mercedes-Benz and BMW, are producing methane-powered models. The price difference between the traditional fuel car and the methane model will be around $ 1000.

Disadvantages of a car on methane

Despite all the advantages of natural gas, the benefits of using it are undeniable. In order to give everyone the opportunity to recharge with methane, an infrastructure for gas engines is being built in Bulgaria today. Switching to methane will become widespread. And today you can start saving by using modern, environmentally friendly fuels. Methane also has disadvantages. Firstly, HBO for methane is more expensive and heavier. A more complex gearbox and reinforced cylinders are used. Previously, only heavy cylinders were used, which were heavy. Now there is metal-plastic, which is noticeably lighter, but more expensive. Secondly, methane cylinders take up much more space - they are only cylindrical. And propane tanks are available in both cylindrical and toroidal shapes, which allows them to be "hidden" in the spare wheel well.

Octane number of methane

Thirdly, because of the high pressure, much less gas gets into methane cylinders than in propane. Therefore, you will have to charge more often. Fourth, the methane engine power drops significantly. There are three reasons for this. To burn methane, you need more air and with an equal volume of the cylinder, the amount of gas-air mixture in it will be less than gasoline-air. Methane has a higher octane rating and requires a higher compression ratio to ignite it. The gas-air mixture burns more slowly, but this drawback is partially compensated by installing an earlier ignition angle or by connecting a special device, variator. The power drop when working with propane is not so significant, and when installing injections with HBO it is almost imperceptible. Well, the last circumstance preventing the distribution of methane. The network of methane gas stations in most regions is developing much worse than propane. Or completely absent.

Questions and answers:

Why is methane in a car dangerous? The only danger of methane is tank depressurization. If the slightest crack appears in the cylinder (it mainly appears on the gearbox), then it will fly apart and injure those nearby.

What is the methane consumption per 100 km? It depends on the "gluttony" of the motor and the driving style of the driver. On average, methane is consumed about 5.5 beeches per 100 kilometers. If the motor consumes 10 liters. gasoline per hundred, then methane will go to about 9 cubic meters.

Which is better than methane or gasoline? Spilled gasoline is potentially flammable. Methane is volatile, so its leakage is not so bad. Despite the higher octane number, running the engine on methane releases less power.

What is the difference between propane and methane? Propane is a liquefied gas. It is transported under a maximum pressure of 15 atmospheres. Methane is natural gas, which is filled into a car under a pressure of up to 250 atm.