Cng Tank Inspection: Fill & Download for Free

The danger factor. This probably trumps everything else combined.Natural gas is a gas (well duh!). More importantly, unlike Propane/Butane (LPG) it cannot be compressed to a liquid at room temperatures. This means that carrying enough to give decent range in a transport vehicle requires large, high pressure tanks which don’t give particularly high energy density (for their range).Those tanks are subjected to pressure cycling which progressively weakens them, which in turn means higher maintenance/inspection costs - or a shredded car (tanks usually blow out when being filled and cars are unoccupied) - google for “CNG tank blowout” to see what happens.New Zealand had a large (and growing) CNG fleet until a well-publicised series of tank blowouts in the mid-late 1980s resulted in a near halting of new installations and most existing owners refusing to fill their cars until the causes were established - unsurprisingly it was discovered that the steel tanks were subject to microcracking when repeatedly filled to 22MPa and then emptied to atmospheric pressure, and this compbined with hydrogen embrittlement from the gas gave the tanks a lifespan significantly shorter than was anticipated.The resulting extra costs of inspections, or swapping out of steel tanks with (expensive) wrapped carbon fibre ones or much heavier-walled ones with substantially lower capacities and lowering of allowable fill pressures all contributed to CNG rapidly losing popularity despite being fuel less than 1/4 the price of petrol on a per kJ (or per litre) equivalent basis. All existing installations were decertified until the tanks were replaced and the fuelling system rechecked, which resulted in more than 3/4 of the existing CNG cars on the road simply being scrapped due to the costs being higher than the value of the vehicle.Natural gas is a great fuel. Compressed natural gas is a bomb waiting to go off if you look sideways at it - not because of the flammable nature of the gas, but simply because of the pressures and mechanics involved. Very few of those tank ruptures involved anything catching fire - the disintegration was more than enough. The steel tanks didn’t just split, they shattered.

I am owner of Wagon-R LXi (2008 model) LPG company fitted kit. In India, It is mandatory to get the inspection of LPG/CNG kit by authorized government agencies after 5 years. Last month (September 2019), I lost my original RC book. When I submitted my application for duplicate RC, RTO official asked me to get the fitness certificate of the LPG cylinder. So, issue of duplicate RC or any changes in RC (such as removal of hypothecation, change of address etc.) requires the fitness certificate if not renewed in 5 years. Earlier this practice was manual without entry in computer so was not given importance. But now, since every entry is done in the software, fitness certificate with proper serial number of LPG/CNG tank, authorization serial number of testing agencies is compulsory. So it is better to get it done from such authorized agencies.The process involved: You may find private agency whose job is to remove the tank and send it to the authorized agency for inspection. The process involves 6–10 days depending on the location where they send the tank. Maruti Suzuki showroom/service center is not involved in this process in my city (Belagavi, Karnataka).Prices: For cars: Rs. 2600–2800 (LPG), As I inquired with the private agency for LPG/CNG auto rickshaws the price is Rs. 1000I hope this (answer) helps you.

In car CNG cylinder testing: Is it really necessary after every 3 years?Vehicle CNG tanks are not tested every 3 years. The whole CNG system is INSPECTED every 3 years or 36,000 miles.Whats the difference? Testing would require the system to be defueled and the tank removed. This is only done if the tank has been damaged but may still be servicable. For example, it is gouged and the gouge is deep enough the manufacturer cannot say without testing if the tank is still servicable.With an inspection we are only removing covers to gain visual access to the tank and other CNG components. Are brackets loose? Has the tank or lines been rubbed or gouged? Is the tank still within it’s service life? Are all the proper labels present? Etc.And, yes it is necessary to INSPECT the system every 3 years / 36,000 miles to ensure it is still safe. Fires from a CNG leak are not pretty.