Chester, NJ May 3, 2016 – Adsorbed Natural Gas Products, Inc. (ANGP) announced today that it has successfully installed the industry’s first ANSI NGV2 certified adsorbed natural gas (ANG) active storage system. The system, which ANGP calls its first generation (GEN 1) ANG System, is comprised of six activated carbon monolith-filled seamless aluminum cylinders, fully ANSI NGV2 certified for an operating pressure of 900 psig, and ANGP’s low-pressure fuel management system. The first system was successfully installed on ANGP’s 2014 Ford F-150 pick-up truck equipped with Ford’s CNG/LPG-ready 3.7 liter V6 bi-fuel engine for gasoline or natural gas operation.
“Today we have met the challenge of producing a fully ANSI NGV2-certified low-pressure ANG storage system for motor vehicles,” said Bob Bonelli, co-founder and CEO of ANGP. “Our GEN 1 system proves that low-pressure storage for natural gas vehicles (NGVs) is not only a possibility, but a commercial reality complying with the most demanding certification standards in the industry.”
Bonelli added, “Low pressure ANG technology has been the subject of credible research over the past three decades. It took the past four years of dedicated effort by ANGP and our manufacturing coalition of major corporations (Ingevity Corporation, Worthington Industries and Aspen Compressor), to develop a commercially viable ANG fuel system successfully passing the many strict tests comprising the ANSI NGV2 certification process.”
The ANGP GEN 1 ANG system includes several industry firsts:
- ANSI NGV2 certification, conducted by tank manufacturer Worthington Industries, which allows for over-the-road use of the vehicle;
- Seamless monolith-filled cylinders, containing Ingevity Corporation’s Nuchar® Fuelsorb™ activated carbon monoliths, developed and produced for ANGP. Worthington Industries and Ingevity Corporation worked closely to achieve the seamless closure of the ANGP ANG cylinder around the monoliths; and,
- ANGP’s patent pending fuel extraction and pressurization system (FEPS™), which engages as tank pressure drops below 125 psig to ensure consistent fuel as the tank approaches empty. The FEPS™ is equipped with miniature compressor technology from Aspen Compressor, LLC.
This first production system is configured on the floor of the cargo box of the F-150. This system configuration allows for the full length and width of the cargo box to be utilized by installing a floor above the cylinders (ANGP’s truck is equipped with a clear floor above the system to allow for visual inspection of the configuration). Alternative configurations, that can be achieved by working with up-fitting companies and OEMs, include horizontal stacking in the front of the cargo box (similar to current CNG configurations) or “sunk” into a well below the cargo box of the truck to allow maximum depth to be utilized while leaving the length and width of the cargo box available for use.
“While we are extremely proud of this great milestone in NGV technology; the industry; and our company, we remain on schedule for the early 2017 release of our second generation (GEN 2) system – the ANGP conformable tank,” Bonelli said.
He added, “Our GEN 2 system will be developed through ANGP’s exclusive license with United Technologies Research Center to use its innovative Type IV conformable tank design. GEN 2 can be configured for optimal space utilization and will enable commercially viable application in the broad light duty vehicle market, including passenger cars and SUVs.”