Pradhan to inaugurate H-CNG Plant and launch trial run of hydrogen-run CNG buses

New Delhi: Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan will formally launch the much-awaited trial run of city buses in the capital city on Hydrogen-blended CNG (H-CNG) green fuel on October 20. He will inaugurate a compact reformer plant set up by Indian Oil at Rajghat Bus Depot-I of DTC.

Indian Oil's Research & Development Centre had developed a patented compact reforming process for H-CNG production directly from natural gas. The technology has been successfully proved for its benefits concerning emissions, mileage and durability through extensive studies at a demonstration unit installed at its Faridabad campus. Recent studies conducted by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Pune, have confirmed that 18 percent H-CNG as fuel ensures 70 percent reduction in carbon monoxide and 25 percent reduction in hydrocarbon emissions in heavy-duty BS-IV engines as compared to baseline CNG, besides increasing fuel economy by 4 to 5 percent.

The Supreme Court had taken cognizance of Indian Oil's patented technology and its likely benefits and had advised Indian Oil and the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MOP&NG) to conduct trials using 18 percent H-CNG fuel on 50 buses in Delhi.

Accordingly, IndianOil, under the guidance of the Petroleum Ministry, has set up a semi-commercial plant of 4-tonnes per day capacity at Rajghat Bus Depot-I, along with dispensing infrastructure by Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL), for conducting a study on the use of H-CNG fuel in 50 BS-IV compliant CNG buses. International Centre for Automotive Technologies (i-CAT) will be the third-party accredited laboratory for performance testing of the buses, while the Environmental Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority for Delhi & NCR (EPCA) has been designated as the monitoring agency.

ALSO READ: Indian Oil reviewing refinery expansion plan, looking to petchem to boost margins: Chairman

After the six-months trial period, a detailed performance report will be compiled incorporating the fuel economy and emissions data of the trial buses run with CNG and H-CNG fuel mixtures for submission to EPCA & Supreme Court.

In India's quest to promote Hydrogen as a clean fuel for the mobility sector, Hydrogen-blended CNG (H-CNG) is emerging as an excellent interim technology for achieving emissions reduction and import substitution. H-CNG can be used in existing IC engines without major modifications in the engine architecture. Also, refueling of H-CNG blends in vehicles can be achieved with minimum modifications in the infrastructure that is currently under use for dispensing CNG.

What is Indian Oil's patented H-CNG Production Technology?

Globally, Hydrogen required for blending in CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) is produced through electrolysis of water, followed by high-pressure blending with CNG. This process's high cost offsets the savings achieved from fuel economy gains compared to baseline CNG. Indian Oil R&D has, however, patented a simpler, cheaper single-step compact reformer technology with several advantages over conventional reforming processes associated with Hydrogen production:

• H-CNG blends can be produced directly from CNG, bypassing the energy-intensive electrolysis process and high-pressure blending costs. 
• The flexible and robust process allows the production of H-CNG on-site, in less severe conditions, and under low pressure
• It yields a higher quantity of H-CNG mixture, by up to 4 percent to 5 percent compared to the input quantity of CNG. 
• The cost of H-CNG production by the above process is about 22 percent cheaper than conventional physical blending.

(PSU Watch– India's Business News centre that places the spotlight on PSUs, Bureaucracy, Defence and Public Policy is now on Telegram. Join PSU Watch Channel in your Telegram and stay updated)