Natural Gas Vehicle Safety Requirements in India, Europe and United States 2013-01-2815

Natural gas (CNG) vehicles have been introduced in many parts of world including India, Europe and United States and achieved tremendous success in addressing the energy security and pollution challenges. This paper describes in detail the safety requirements for CNG vehicles in India, Europe and United States. Various safety and design requirements for CNG fuel system components such as gas cylinders, cylinder valves, fuel lines, filling connection, pressure regulator, gas-air mixer, electrical systems, are explained. The safety requirements described in ISO standards, UN-ECE standards, USA FMVSS, NFPA standards and Indian Standards are compared and discussed in detail. It also specifies the procedure for commissioning and installation of CNG vehicles. Further, it is concluded that all these international standards for CNG vehicles have adequate provisions with regard to impact protection, passenger safety and fire safety. It is also suggested that countries can consider communization of CNG system requirements for better advantages.