Development of gas engine fuel technology and infrastructure is one of the focal issues at the 8th St. Petersburg International Gas Forum. On its second day the Forum hosted the Russia-Korea NGV Technical Forum as part of its business program. Gas engine fuel, where representatives of leading companies in this sphere shared their experience and unveiled their latest solutions in the field of gas fuel and liquefied gas.

The speakers from the Korean side spoke a lot about the progress they have made, and the way they use gas-engine fuel technology in their home country and what equipment they were ready to supply to foreign markets. In addition to technical characteristics, it was especially important for the audience to clarify some points related to the certification and re-certification procedures, as well as the cost-effectiveness of using the new equipment. For example, the following issue was raised: “We are always told that cylinders of the 4th type are better: there is no corrosion, they are light and durable. And is there a way to evaluate the real economic benefit for the consumer, as these cylinders are much more expensive than the third type?”

“They were really very expensive a few years ago. But technologies are making progress, and there are more good engineers and manufacturers emerging with the price gap between type 1 and type 4 becoming much smaller. As for the benefit to the consumer, the tests showed that in the event of exposure to fire, for example, type 2 cylinders give a mush better protection of what’s inside, which explains the price difference, ” - was the answer from the representative of the Korea Association for Natural Gas & Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles.

The speaker from TKF, the company engaged in production of kits for converting diesel engines to gas fuel, spoke about the characteristic features of this process. It is necessary first of all to replace the engine control system. And to do this you need a certain set of components. The most important of them is the engine control unit. As well as sensors that monitor its position, temperature and other parameters.

“Many people think that if we convert a diesel engine to natural gas, we'll get poorer performance, but we believe that if we install the right system and adjust the parameters, then we shall solve that issue,” -- assured the speaker. - "If you are using a mixer, as they did before the 2000s, then this effect is possible. But we are using a more advanced high pressure technology that enables the engine to keep its performance at a high level. It is hard to compare, because they have different units of measurement of volume (liter and m3), but as far as we know, natural gas in Russia is much cheaper than diesel oil, so it’s also cost-saving.”

Evgeniy Pronin, KAMAZ, NGV and Diversification Director, stressed that despite some flaws in the regulatory framework and quality standards, Russia has a groundwork ready for the transition to a new type of energy resource: “We can say that in Russia all of the conditions required for the use of gas fuel are in place, and the market does not have to have any further warm-up preparations, you can just go and use the new technology. And we all need to overcome the existing prejudice around the issue.”

Natalia Akimova, Russian Gas Company, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors, raised an important question about the involvement of private investors and small businesses in the development of gas filling infrastructure. According to her, about 30% of CNG filling stations in Russia are owned by private businesses, but the latter are not very eager to expand their network, since there is an acute question about capacity utilization and economic feasibility. "Today, without related products and additional services, the workload amounts to about 25%," - the speaker said. “And to be profitable, the station must have the workload of at least 35%.” As a possible way to solve the problem, Mrs. Akimova looked at a number of successful cases from the practices of Italy, Germany, the USA, Japan and Korea, but pointed out with regret that at the moment none of the listed practices are being applied, which is why it would be a reasonable step to raise the question of development of state programs in this area.

The final presentation of the seminar was the report by Rafael Batyrshin, CEO of RariTEK, that illustrated the need for an integrated approach to the introduction of gas-engine equipment. “What could be the objective of our seminar today? It might be the one of creation of a joint Russian-Korean company that could undertake part of the efforts for the integrated introduction of gas-powered vehicles, including production, supplies, infrastructure development, service and training of qualified personnel," - suggested Batyrshin.

Summing up the past day, the participants agreed that a successful dialogue at the site of SPIGF-2018 created a context for further fruitful cooperation between Russia and Korea in the gas-engine industry. The seminar was concluded with a solemn ceremony, the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the Russian National Gas-Vehicle Association and the Korea Association for Natural Gas & Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles.