The BASF/SHI anti-sloshing solution consists of a blanket of blocks of Basotect foam with buoys, which are stitched into Vectran textile covers and connected with Vectran belts. Click to enlarge. BASF and the South Korean company Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) have developed a new concept to prevent the sloshing of... Read more →

The US Maritime Administration (MARAD) Office of the Environment has issued two funding opportunities; the first (DTMA-91-R-2013-0020) will award up to an estimated $900,000 for up to 2 projects that demonstrate criteria pollutant emissions of carbon emissions reductions from marine vessels through repowering, re-engining, or using alternative fuel/energy. The second... Read more →

Shell and its affiliates will build two additional small-scale natural gas liquefaction units to provide liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel for marine and heavy-duty on-road customers in North America. Pending final regulatory permitting, these two new liquefaction units are expected to begin operations and production in about three years. These... Read more →

Westport Innovations Inc. is introducing a new on-board liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage solution that supports the use of cold (unsaturated) LNG fuel for large SI-engine vehicles that would have earlier required warm (saturated) LNG. By carrying fuel as cold LNG, the Westport LNG Tank System can increase fuel storage... Read more →

GE’s MicroLNG plant can liquefy natural gas at any point along a gas distribution network. Click to enlarge. GE and Clean Energy Fuels are collaborating to expand the infrastructure for natural gas transportation in the United States. The agreement supports Clean Energy’s efforts in developing “America’s Natural Gas Highway,” (earlier... Read more →

VX Cycle block diagram. Source: Expansion Energy. Click to enlarge. Dresser-Rand—among the largest suppliers of rotating equipment solutions to the worldwide oil, gas, petrochemical, and process industries—has entered into a definitive agreement with Expansion Energy LLC under which Dresser-Rand is granted a worldwide exclusive (for capacities up to 100,000 gallons... Read more →

Concept of the Alaska Southcentral LNG Project. Click to enlarge. The partners in the Alaska Pipeline Project (APP)—ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, BP, and TransCanada—submitted a letter to Alaska Governor Sean Parnell describing their companies’ progress in advancing an Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project. (Earlier post.) Given the massive size of... Read more →

The California Energy Commission (CEC) approved funding of $23,110,015 for projects that will advance the development of green fuels, and the installation of fueling stations. The awards are provided through the Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, created by Assembly Bill 118. The program provides approximately... Read more →

The Green Dolphin. Click to enlarge. The Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI) and development partners DNV and Wärtsilä have unveiled a new Handysize—i.e., ships with a cargo-carrying capability of less than 60,000 metric tonnes—bulk carrier concept design: the Green Dolphin. The Green Dolphin leverages existing technologies to... Read more →

Volvo Trucks plans to launch a 13-liter heavy-duty liquefied natural gas (LNG) engine featuring Westport high pressure direct injection (HPDI) technology for the North American market in 2014. (Earlier post.) The engine’s advanced high pressure diesel ignition technology will provide significant fuel efficiency gains compared with current natural gas products,... Read more →

Proposed route for the Alaska Pipeline project. Click to enlarge. Alaska Governor Sean Parnell announced that two major milestones have been met in the state’s effort to bring Alaska’s North Slope natural gas to Alaskans and markets beyond. The North Slope holds more than 35 trillion cubic feet of discovered... Read more →

Location of the Ichthys project. Source: INPEX. Click to enlarge. Japan-based INPEX Corporation and its joint venture partner Total have made the final investment decision (FID) for the Ichthys liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Australia, representing an investment of US$34 billion dollars. INPEX is the operator—its first time in... Read more →

ANGH Route map shows initial phase of America‘s Natural Gas Highway. Click to enlarge. Clean Energy Fuels Corp., the leading provider of natural gas fuel for transportation in North America, unveiled the route plan for the first phase of 150 new LNG fueling stations for America’s Natural Gas Highway (ANGH).... Read more →

The converted Bit Viking. The twin LNG tanks are mounted on the deck. Click to enlarge. Wärtsilä Corporation has completed the conversion of the 25,000 dwt product tanker Bit Viking from heavy fuel oil to liquefied natural gas (LNG) operation. The conversion enables the Bit Viking to qualify for lower... Read more →

Shell announced plans to have Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) available for heavy-duty fleet customers beginning in 2012 at select Shell Flying J truck stops in Alberta, Canada as one of a series of steps to increase the utilization of LNG in the transportation sector in North America. Shell is pursuing... Read more →

Top: rendering of the continuous tank cover type LNG carrier Sayaendo Series. Bottom: Conventional Moss-tank carrier. Source: MHI Tech. Review. Click to enlarge. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has completed development of a new-generation liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier marking an evolutionary advance from Moss-type LNG carriers which use independent... Read more →

Chesapeake Energy Corporation plans to create a $1.0-billion venture capital fund over the next 10 years, Chesapeake NG Ventures Corporation (CNGV), dedicated to identifying and investing in companies and technologies that will replace the use of gasoline and diesel with natural gas and natural gas-to-liquids (GTL) fuels. Chesapeake is the... Read more →

Engine installation D13C-gas. Click to enlarge. Volvo Trucks is expanding its alternative fuel program with the launch of the new dual-fuel Volvo FM MethaneDiesel. This makes Volvo the first truck manufacturer in Europe to offer gas-powered regional distribution trucks that can also meet long-haul application requirements. In 2010, Volvo Powertrain... Read more →

Graphic of Prelude FLNG. Click to enlarge. The Board of Royal Dutch Shell plc has made the final investment decision on the Prelude Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) Project in Australia (100% Shell); Shell will now start detailed design and construction of what will be the world’s first FLNG facility.... Read more →

UPS has purchased another 48 heavy tractor trucks equipped to run on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Manufactured by Kenworth, the LNG tractors are powered by Westport HD Systems and initially will pull trailers on a transit lane linking Ontario, Calif., and Las Vegas, Nev., along with UPS’s 11 existing LNG... Read more →

Rendering of the Triality concept design. © DNV/Making Waves. Click to enlarge. Det Norske Veritas AS (DNV) has introduced a new very large crude oil carrier (VLCC) tanker concept that is fuelled by liquefied natural gas, has a hull shape that removes the need for ballast water, and will significantly... Read more →

Estimated annual greenhouse gas emissions over the lifetime of the QCLNG project. More than half the emissions come from the LNG facility. Source: QCLNG EIS. Click to enlarge. BG Group has approved implementation of the first phase of a US$15-billion project to convert coal seam gas (CSG) to LNG—the first... Read more →

Artist’s rendering of a GE Frame-7 gas turbine, similar to the units that GE Oil & Gas is supplying for the Gorgon project. Click to enlarge. GE Oil & Gas has been awarded a competitive bid, worth more than $400 Million, to deploy advanced liquefied natural gas (LNG) technology for... Read more →

Cleantech research firm Pike Research forecasts growth in natural gas vehicles (NGV) on the road worldwide to 17 million units by 2015, up from 9.7 million in 2008. Pike Research forecasts that the NGV market will grow globally at a CAGR of 5.5% to reach just over 3 million vehicles... Read more →

Map showing an overview of the Gorgon Project. Source: Chevron. Click to enlarge. Chevron Australia Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, will proceed with the development of the large Gorgon natural gas project offshore Western Australia. Development proposals for the project were approved on 13 Sep by the Western... Read more →

Geographical distribution of Clean Cities Recovery Act awards. Click to enlarge. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 25 cost-share projects under the Clean Cities program that will be funded with nearly $300 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These projects put more than 9,000 alternative fuel... Read more →

Artistic impression of the Shell FLNG design. Source: Shell. Click to enlarge. Shell Gas & Power Developments BV signed a master agreement with a consortium comprising Technip and Samsung for the design, construction and installation of multiple floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facilities over a period of up to fifteen... Read more →

LNG Refuellers Pty Ltd (LNGR), an Australia-based consortium comprising seven Tasmanian transport operators, has struck a deal with industrial gas company BOC for the supply of LNG fuel for more than 120 LNG-powered heavy-duty vehicles. Tasmania is an Australian state—and island—located 240 kilometers (150 mi) south of the eastern side... Read more →

Westport Innovations Inc.; Weichai Power Co. Ltd, China’s largest heavy-duty engine manufacturer; and Hong Kong Peterson (CNG) Equipment Limited have formed a joint venture—Weichai Westport Inc. (WWI)—to research, develop, design, manufacture, market, distribute and sell advanced, alternative fuel engines (plus relevant parts and kits) for use in automobiles, heavy-duty trucks,... Read more →

Westport Innovations Inc. has been awarded US$2.25 million in funding from the California South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The funding will support the development, demonstration, commercialization and certification of Westport’s heavy-duty LNG (liquefied natural... Read more →

The Peterbilt aerodynamically-styled 386 Class 8 truck. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. will introduce four liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuelled Peterbilt 386 trucks equipped with Westport Innovations’s HPDI LNG system and Cummins ISX engines into service at its distribution center in Apple Valley, California. HPDI uses a small amount of diesel to... Read more →

The Kenworth T800 LNG truck. Kenworth Truck Company will begin production of Kenworth Class 8 T800 LNG trucks at its manufacturing facility in Renton, Washington in 2009. Under an exclusive agreement with Westport Innovations Inc. in Vancouver, B.C., Kenworth will use Westport’s LNG HPDI fuel system technology adapted for the... Read more →

Westport Innovations announced the start of fleet operations of four Westport heavy-duty liquefied natural gas (LNG) trucks as part of the previously-announced Australian LNG truck demonstration program. Additionally, Westport has received the first Australian pre-orders for its 2008-model year LNG truck systems. With the assistance of the AUD$1.4 million award... Read more →

SES LNG yard hostler. Sound Energy Solutions (SES) and International Transportation Service, Inc. (ITS) will jointly develop a one-year demonstration project to test the operations of three LNG-powered yard hostlers at the ITS container terminal in the Port of Long Beach, California. Long Beach-based SES, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi... Read more →

Westport Innovations Inc. and OMVL SpA have formed an equity joint venture to design, produce and sell alternative fuel engines in the sub-5-liter class for global applications. The new, jointly controlled company will be headquartered in Vancouver, Canada and will exploit the global engineering, production and distribution strengths of OMVL... Read more →

Snøhvit is the first gas project in the Barents Sea. Click to enlarge. The Snøhvit gas field in the Barents Sea has started production. The Snøhvit project is the first gas development in the Barents Sea and also involves the construction of the first LNG plant in Arctic conditions. Snøhvit... Read more →

PG&E, CleanAir Marine Power (CAMP) and Wittmar Engineering recently demonstrated cold ironing the first ship—APL’s 863-foot container ship the APL China—with a mobile, LNG-fueled shore-side electrical generator. The APL China was powered at berth at the Port of Oakland by CAMP’s Dual Frequency Multi Voltage (DFMV) generator. PG&E provided the... Read more →

The HPDI LNG system with engine, injectors, tank module, fuel conditioners, and pumps. Click to enlarge. The Board of the California South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) has approved US$2.9 million for the immediate acquisition and deployment of 20 Westport high pressure direct injection (HPDI) liquefied natural gas (LNG)... Read more →

GE Jenbacher type 3 engine. A GE Energy Jenbacher gas engine is powering the world’s first commercial landfill gas (LFG)-to-liquid natural gas (LNG) conversion facility designed to create alternative fuel for vehicles. The LNG produced at the new facility at the Bowerman Landfill (earlier post) is primarily targeted to be... Read more →

BNSF/Parsec LNG hostler trucks. BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) has begun using low-emissions liquefied natural gas (LNG) hostler trucks to move containers at its Los Angeles Hobart Intermodal Facility, the busiest rail intermodal terminal in the US. This use of LNG hostler trucks is part of a pilot program to test... Read more →

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach—the US’ two leading container ports—have issued a joint Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Truck Program. An LNG-powered truck fleet could help the world’s fifth largest port complex reduce particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx)... Read more →

Prometheus LFG to LNG plant at Bowerman Landfill. Click to enlarge. Prometheus Energy Company has begun producing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the world’s first landfill gas-to-LNG plant. The plant was installed in late 2006 at the Frank R. Bowerman Landfill in Orange County, California. The entire output of the... Read more →

Westport Innovations Inc has received an A$1.36 million (US$1.06 million) from the Australian Government’s Alternative Fuels Conversion Programme (AFCP) for a project to evaluate the use of LNG as a fuel for heavy-duty highway trucks in Australia. Mitchell Corp., Sands Fridge Lines and Murray Goulburn Cooperative, who each operate large... Read more →

The Board of Airport Commissioners has approved the purchase of 30 alternative-fuel buses and trucks for use at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) as part of its ongoing replacement of existing gasoline-powered vehicles when they reach the end of their useful service life in the airport’s fleet. The Board approved... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $8.6 million for 16 projects to expand the use of alternative transportation fuels. Combined with funding from the participants, the projects will total more than $25 million. The grants are part of the Clean Cities program and were selected under three topic... Read more →

Layout of the HPDI LNG fuel system. The cryogenic pump is part of the tank module. Click to enlarge. Westport Innovations and Cryostar SAS, a division of the BOC Group and a leader in cryogenic pump products, completed a License and Supply Agreement for the development, manufacture and supply of... Read more →

BWI LNG tank. Westport Innovations and Beijing Tianhai Industry Co. have formed a 50:50 owned, independent joint venture company—BTIC Westport (BWI)—to market liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel tanks for medium- and heavy-duty transportation applications. (Earlier post.) BWI combines BTIC’s world-class cryogenic manufacturing expertise with Westport’s LNG tank and natural gas... Read more →

Westport Innovations, a global leader in gaseous-fueled engines and fuel systems, and Perseus LLC, a US.-based private equity fund management company, have completed definitive agreements for a strategic investment of approximately C$22.1 million (US$20.1 million) in Westport to be completed in two separate tranches. The closing of the first tranche... Read more →

C Gas Plus engine Russian Buses, of Moscow, Russia, has ordered 278 Cummins Westport C Gas Plus natural gas (CNG) engines for use in its LiAZ-5256 (250hp) and LiAZ-6212 (articulated, 280hp) buses. These buses will exclusively transport workers to and from the AutoVAZ car manufacturing plant located in Togliatti, Samara... Read more →

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell announced the investment of $3.7 million in Alternative Fuel Incentive Grants (AFIG), in amounts ranging from $500 to $2 million, for 23 projects. Among the awards are a grant for $112,000 toward participation in a buyer’s consortium for the commercial development of a plug-in electric/biodiesel hybrid... Read more →