SPOTLight
BEST DAYS, STILL AHEAD The rise of natural gas in the trucking industry
BY TODD TRAUB Contributing Writer
People of a certain age may recall
with a shudder the energy crisis of the 1970s.
Major industrial nations, including
the United States, faced a double whammy of petroleum shortages and higher prices. World politics also affected oil supplies as the years 1973 and 1979 were particularly nightmarish for U.S. consumers. Long lines at gas stations and lowered
thermostat settings marked an era in which the United States’ reliance on foreign oil was coming home, like the proverbial chickens, to roost in the homes and pocket- books of average Americans. Well, we’ve come a long way. Thanks to extraction technology and
aggressive development of domestic oil fields and shale plays, the United States is the world’s leading provider of petroleum and natural gas hydrocarbons. That’s right. The U.S. is not only fuel rich, it has choices. A few years ago high oil prices affect-
ing the cost of gasoline and diesel fuel made cleaner-burning natural gas, which was becoming more and more available and was much more affordable, making it an attractive and viable alternative fuel for the transportation industry. Natural gas’s best days are probably still ahead said Steve Goreham, energy expert, author and public speaker.
Slow Revolution Goreham is a former Naval air reserv- ist who worked in the electrical engineer-
ing field for 30 years, 24 with Motorola, before becoming interested in climate and energy, which led to a shifting of career gears after a stint as vice president and gen- eral manager of Panduit Corporation ended in 2008. Goreham, author of two books with a
third about to be published, learned about pollutants and Environmental Protection Agency regulations in his previous career, helping his company with regulatory compliance. “We’ve had a revolution, and people
don’t realize how big it is,” Goreham said of the natural gas surge. Energy experts are optimistic about
the growth of natural gas as a viable alter- native fuel. The reality is that alternative fuels currently move a very small percent- age of freight, and the natural gas revolu- tion has been a slow one. Natural gas comes in two primary
forms, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). According to Alternative Fuel Systems
Inc., CNG is stored on a vehicle in high- pressure tanks. Natural gas consists mostly of methane and is drawn from gas wells or in conjunction with crude oil production. As delivered through a pipeline system, it also contains hydrocarbons such as ethane and propane as well as other gases such as nitrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, sulphur compounds and water vapor. A sulphur- based odorant is normally added to CNG to help detect leaks. An advantage is that natural gas is
lighter than air and will usually dissipate if there is a leak, which makes it safer than
gasoline or LNG. LNG is natural gas stored as a super-
cooled, or cryogenic, liquid. The tempera- ture required to condense natural gas depends on its precise composition, but it typically ranges between minus 184 and minus 274 Fahrenheit. LNG offers an ener- gy density comparable to petroleum and diesel fuels, which extends range and reduces the frequency of refueling stops. The disadvantage for LNG is the high
cost of cryogenic storage on vehicles and Continues on page 36
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