ISO Sees Need for Natural Gas Fuel Station Standards
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) says its committee developing standards for natural gas fuel stations for vehicles has already decided two standards are needed: one for stations dispensing compressed natural gas (CNG) and another for liquefied natural gas (LNG). The ISO/PC 252 committee's first meeting in June 2010 in the Netherlands was attended by about 30 experts from 15 countries, ISO announced.
Also agreed at the meeting is that the standards will cover station design, construction, operation, equipment, safety devices, and maintenance. There are more than 8 million CNG vehicles in use worldwide, and LNG is being used in the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, Japan, and the United States, mainly for heavy-duty vehicles.
Committee Chair Martin Seifert said the panel will be hard pressed to finish the consensus standards within two years as planned. "With growing concerns about the security and availability of the oil supply, local air pollution, and greenhouse gases, more and more vehicles are being developed and manufactured to run on CNG and LNG," he said. "However, despite their many advantages, CNG and LNG vehicles are restricted by the limited infrastructure available for delivery and distribution at fueling stations. [ISO] will harmonize requirements for such infrastructure and facilitate its development around the world. The standards will open up global markets for this cleaner new technology."
The committee's second meeting will take place Nov. 22-24 in Mumbai, India, prior to the 2nd International Natural Gas for Vehicles event there that week.
Posted by Jerry Laws on Aug 03, 2010