Can wellhead Natural gas be compressed for auto use?

Aaron Ford · Aug 27, 2008

Can wellhead Natural gas be compressed for auto/tractor use?

I am sure it would not be legal for road use due to the tax thing, but how about for the farm?

Have a well and really don't take advantage of the free gas. Yet.

Aaron

buickanddeere · Aug 27, 2008

Yes but........ The "gas" will be a mixture of compounds, not just methane/natural gas. Any hydrogen sulphide mixed in with the "gas" will stink and can be deadly.

Ray · Aug 27, 2008

The copeland corporation,now owned by emerson electric makes a compressor to do just that.My brother in law just retired from there,said they wern't selling very well.

Drill · Aug 27, 2008

Gas directly from a well could have a lot of water in it, so make sure there is a good dryer in line.

Deereohio · Aug 27, 2008

I have heard the gas company in our area has been running all thier trucks on gas for years. My well is an exceptional well as far as pressure and in 5 years running has not made 100 gallons of fluid of any kind. I too, would be interested in being able to convert my trucks and tractors to natural gas.If anyone knows more about where to get the equipment needed, I would like to know. Richard

Roger - Kansas · Aug 27, 2008

The first problem with Natural gas is the tank. It will need to hold 3,000 lbs. pressure. When compressed, NG does not make a liquid like Propane, it remains in a gas form. The compressor is expensive and it takes a great deal of energy to run it. We went through this same thing in the 70's during the first "gas shortage". You will be better off to use it to heat your home.

Thresherman · Aug 27, 2008

I used to work for a company that specialized in CNG stations. The first thing you need to know is the make-up of the gas off the well head. I think you want about 95% methane to run on. The next is the water content, it needs to be lower than 6%, but a dessicant dryer will take care of that. Like what was said earlier, Hydrogen sulphide mixed with water makes sulfuric acid, bad stuff. We use a three of four stage compressor to take it to 4500psi. You can run on 3000, but will have to fill more often. Cars started to run on that then went to 4500 for storage. We had to cool the gas between compression stages, because compression causes heat. You could use a smaller compressor and run a long time to reach the pressure, but you need a compressor to do that. There are some old ingersol rands out there that will work. Most CNG programs in the stated are buses or commercial fleets. CNG is very popular in SE Asia.
Most well hed gas is either burned off or used for process heating.

Just my 2cents

paul · Aug 27, 2008

LP compresses real nice into a liquid at reasonable pressures. Stores a lot of energy in a small volume.

Natural gas is _not_ a doityourself job - it takes tremendous pressure, and a good refined set of ng in the right preportions, not just 'whatever' comes out of the wellhead.

Ng is cheap & available, but it contains very low energy per volume, and does not easily compress into a liquid. It works great for anything on a hose; it doesn't work well at all for anything portable.

You will hear a lot about cng (compressed natural gas) vehicles being the wave of the future because we have 100 years worth of clean-burning ng. Don't believe them, it is pie in the sky. While it is possible to do it, the weight & dangers of the gas tank make it not practical for commuter-sized cars.

--->Paul

John A. · Aug 27, 2008

Arron, Ditto to what Paul below said, When I was farming in the TX-Ok panhandles.....Henry C Hitch Feedyards Inc, Hitch I was located at Guymon Okla. Attempted to do this turn key for their feed yards trucks and other rigs. They purchased a HUGE compressor, Carbs and Oxygen type of tanks to put in the back of their pickups and and other trucks.
The first problem was a tank full (5ft O2 bottle) of CNG would only run about 20 miles. Second was keeping the compressor together. and the $$ involved in that endevor. After about a year They abandoned the whole project, lock, stock and barrel!! went back to running gasoline.
Also the pressures involved with CNG make it so mutch more dangerious over LP or Gas. Hope this helps.
Later,
John A.

2x4 · Aug 28, 2008

W. VA. tried it 6-8 yrs ago. Cop cars, city, county & a few private cars used it. Every town had a Nat. gas station. Consolidated Natural Gas & Hope Gas were behind it. Cops had to fill up 10 times in a 8 hr shift. Completely abandoned now. Often wondered what became of the 100's of compressors, etc. Every once in while you see that stuff advertised in classified ad sheets like Bulletin Board, Traders Guide & Your Bulletin Board.

Aaron Ford · Aug 28, 2008

Thanks all,

I knew there was more to it, but I had to ask. I could not have been the first to dream it up. Just got a hellacious supply and no real use for it... yet.

Aaron

Can wellhead Natural gas be compressed for auto use?

Aaron Ford

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buickanddeere

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Ray

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Drill

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Deereohio

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Roger - Kansas

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Thresherman

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paul

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John A.

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2x4

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Aaron Ford

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