Natural gas - an alternative fuel for industrial trucks

Industrial trucks have become indispensable in manufacturing, warehousing and material handling applications. Smaller trucks (up to 1 or 1.5 t carrying capacity) are normally battery powered, while the power needed by the larger trucks for moving and lifting is delivered by diesel or fuel gas engines. However, an alternative fuel for internal combustion trucks is increasingly attracting the attention of manufacturers and users. The new fuel is natural gas, which is very low in emissions when burnt, and is either stored in compressed form (200 bar) in pressurized containers (CNG) or, applying a new technology, refrigerated in liquid form (LNG - minus 160° Celsius) in thermostatic containers. Of the two types, LNG provides twice the energy density and lasts twice as long for the same tank volume. The following paper presents the possible applications of natural gas as a fuel for industrial trucks and compares the CNG and LNG versions in terms of ecology and handling.