U.S.-based Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc. has developed a 5,000 psi tank for the emerging compressed natural gas (CNG) virtual pipeline market and has shipped the first 100 units to a foreign customer.
The tank was developed in connection with the customer's arrangement with an industrial firm to transport CNG in bulk quantities to locations where natural gas pipeline infrastructure is nonexistent. On a broader scale, virtual CNG pipeline applications include natural gas transport to remote manufacturing and power generation sites, mines, oil and gas fields, and marine.
According to Quantum, the 640-liter tank was designed to maximize the transport density of natural gas at 5,000 psi and incorporates unique design characteristics with patented interfaces enabling high capacity. Quantum notes that the virtual pipeline tank is a derivative of the company's Q-Lite CNG storage tank technology, which is being utilized on Class 6-8 trucks throughout North America.
‘The CNG virtual pipeline will be one of the first applications, and we see emerging opportunities for this innovative tank in the United States, as well as international markets,’ comments Brian Olson, president and CEO of Quantum.
‘Our light-weight 5,000 psi virtual pipeline tank will enable natural gas transporters and industrial manufacturers to take advantage of high-capacity storage and tap into a low-cost energy source,” concludes Olson.
In addition, Quantum says the foreign customer has a proprietary tank-fill technology that allows for innovative refueling and elevated use of the new tanks' available capacity.
