Next-Generation NGV Driver Information System

Technical Report · Tue Sep 10 04:00:00 EDT 2024

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/2479680· OSTI ID:2479680

Halliday, Devin ^[1]; Pamminger, Michael ^[2]

---

1. GTI Energy, Des Plaines, IL (United States)
2. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Measuring the amount of fuel contained in the tank of a Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) is not as straightforward as it is for a liquid-fueled vehicle. The fuel in an NGV is a compressed gas at pressures up to 4200psig, and its pressure changes with temperature. The current state-of-the-art, which is used on most NGVs, is a simple pressure gauge as a rough guide for remaining fuel. This presents a high degree of error because pressure varies widely depending on temperature. Immediately following refueling, the temperature in the vehicle’s cylinders is often greater than 150°F. As the driver pulls out of the fueling station and begins consuming gas, the pressure drops at a very fast rate due to expansion cooling of the gas. This pressure drop appears to the driver to be a very rapid decrease in fuel level, reducing trust in the fuel level indication and leading to concern about the distance the vehicle can travel before refueling again, which is known as “range anxiety.”

• Research Organization: GTI Energy, Des Plaines, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO)
• DOE Contract Number: EE0008802
• OSTI ID: 2479680
• Report Number(s): DOE-GTI--8802
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
CNG
NGV
Natural Gas
gaseous fuel
range anxiety