Ridgeline and CNG

[zuhl]

I used to do DOT testing for CNG tanks when I worked at certification and testing institute in San Antonio. I will leave them nameless but they are similar to UL.

These were the 3 and 4 ft tanks used on commercial buses. They are fiber overwrapped steel or composite so they are probably a little bigger than a consumer would use.

The test was a fire exposure test to ensure that the vent properly instead of exploding. The stupid thing was, the vents are designed to relieve under high heat, not pressure. But the test called for the fire to be under the side away from the relief valve.

Twice we had CNG tanks explode. We never found most of the building that the test was conducted in on the first test. We located random shrapnel several hundred yards out for months. The second time we built an 8 foot or so thick berm around the building. The tanks shot through that berm like a missile and smashed the adjacent building. We never tested for DoT again while I was there.

Prior to this, I actually worked for a few summers for Texas DOT and our pickup trucks had CNG tanks in them. It was fun to fill up the truck because you never knew if you would accidentally ice over the side of the truck from a leak. They got about the same MPG, but of course those gallons were MUCH cheaper than gas back then. The trucks were Chevys with the old crappy 305 V8. The CNG made that engine run like a gutless turd. If we had to pull a trailer we always used regular gasoline (there was a switch).

Our mechanics did say that the engines were spotless though when we had them serviced.

[450 DUDE]

Just wanted to dig this subject out again ( no supprise why )

Have any of you done a CNG RL conversion.
I might get a nice kevlar tank for free and was hoping to copy an conversion.


I did see the earlier posts But I dont think that they were CNG.
The set up looked more Hydrogen like or LPG .

Thanks,
ken

[breiman]

Interested in getting this bumped to the top. With the outbreak of the pickens plan, didn't know if this is more dueable or not.