Increased CNG Use Prompts Winter Safety Alert

Two natural gas vehicle (NGV) organizations have issued early warnings about severe cold weather and its possible effect on vehicles operating on compressed natural gas (CNG). With more of these vehicles operating on U.S. roadways, the groups are warning CNG providers and operators alike.

NGVAmerica and the Clean Vehicle Education Foundation (CVEF) are reminding CNG providers and operators to properly calibrate their equipment for winter temperatures. NGVs may be over-filled with fuel in extremely cold temperatures, leading to a hazard if weather warms or a vehicle is parked indoors, the two organizations said.

The CFEF recently issued a technical bulletin, "Reliable Temperature Compensation Is Critical to CNG Vehicle Safety," stating that there are potential hazards from a failure of CNG dispensers to accurately compensate for temperature.

"Proper temperature compensation is essential to safely fuel CNG vehicles, regardless of the station type," the bulletin said. "Serious incidents" have resulted from the overfilling of CNG containers at both fast-fill and time-fill facilities.

Recommendations include:

CNG station operators contact their fast- and time-fill dispenser suppliers to ensure that they are using the latest set of written instructions and maintenance schedules (NFPA 52-2013)
Station operators schedule annual temperature and pressure calibrations and function checks