Quantum Delivers New 5,000 psi CNG Tank for Virtual Pipeline Applications
California-based Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc. has developed a 5,000 psi tank for the emerging CNG virtual pipeline market and has shipped the first 100 units to a foreign-based customer. The tank was developed in connection with the customer’s arrangement with an industrial firm to transport CNG in bulk quantities to locations where natural gas pipeline infrastructure is nonexistent. Virtual CNG pipeline applications can include natural gas transport to remote vehicle filling stations, marine bunkering, manufacturing and power generation sites, mines, and oil and gas fields.
The 640-liter tank was designed to maximize the transport density of natural gas at 5,000 psi and incorporates unique design characteristics with patented interfaces enabling high capacity. In addition, the customer has a proprietary tank fill technology which allows for innovative refueling and elevated use of the tanks’ available capacity. The virtual pipeline tank is a derivative of Quantum’s Q-Lite® CNG storage tank technology being utilized on thousands of Class 6-8 trucks around North America.
“We have always prided ourselves on engineering the future of CNG and this first-of-its-kind 5,000 psi CNG storage vessel can be used across a multitude of industries and applications. The CNG virtual pipeline will be one of the first applications and we see emerging opportunities for this innovative tank in the United States as well as international markets,” said Mr. Brian Olson, President and CEO of Quantum. “There are approximately 6,200 trillion cubic feet of stranded natural gas estimated around the world and our light-weight 5,000 psi virtual pipeline tank will enable natural gas transporters and industrial manufacturers to take advantage of high capacity storage and tap into a low-cost energy source,” concluded Mr. Olson.
