All Highlights

NGV Global is recommending RFID systems as a means of verifying CNG vehicles and cylinders at the point of refuelling.

The recommendations follow more than 12 months of study on the subject and are outlined in a 66 page Position Paper released by the association this week.

The paper arose as a result of discussions with NGV Global’s Technical Committee on means to reduce the incidence of illegal or accidental tampering of CNG cylinders and installations.

Executive director, Brett Jarman, says the intent of the paper is to reduce preventable incidents and to stimulate discussion and action within the industry and regulators. ”Our observations of industry incidents causing harm or damage indicated that most were the result of human negligence or interference and could be prevented if sufficient controls were put in place at the point where high pressure CNG fuel is delivered to a vehicle,” said Mr Jarman. “This is the point where a non-compliant vehicle potentially becomes dangerous.”

The paper examines a range of verification options, concluding that:

RFID systems present the simplest and most secure form of verifying a vehicle while at the same time providing additional features not easily achieved with [other] systems. There are fewer means of circumventing the RFID system; it has the highest likelihood of detecting tampering or foul play of a vehicle’s natural gas system while providing the highest degree of verification, ultimately contributing to reduced incidents and increased safety.

Examples of situations that could be detected by RFID verification include:

illegal or unqualified CNG conversions
the use of LPG, acetylene, oxygen or other cylinders not designed for CNG applications
the use of adaptors to dispense CNG fuel into LPG vehicles
the use of CNG cylinders beyond their inspection or expiry dates
the fitment of additional CNG cylinders to a vehicle by unqualified personnel

As well as increasing the safety of CNG vehicles, RFID verification also offers other commercial, operational and fleet management benefits which can potentially or partially offset the cost of implementing the system. These costs are assessed as being small, amounting to a fraction of a cent per mile or kilometer driven.

The paper also emphasizes the importance of having best practice inspection programs in place for CNG cylinders and vehicles:

Whether verification is used or not, regular inspection of CNG cylinders and installations is a must and this requires industry and regulatory oversight to be fully effective. Although industry standards do require inspections in many countries, these inspection programs are not always being enforced, thus there are too many cylinders on the road which have not been subjected to the required inspection. In the face of growing NGV numbers this problem will only increase if verification systems are not implemented.

To request a copy of the Position Paper, CNG Cylinder and Vehicle Verification at the Point of Refuelling – Methodologies for increasing the safety of compressed natural gas vehicles For a copy of the document, please email info@viridistech.com

Change of Viridis Listing

As of November 15, 2011, Viridis Technologies Inc, has withdrawn its listing from the 1st Quotation Board of the Open Market, Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

The decision was based on the general lack of liquidity for companies trading on the 1st Quotation Board. Viridis is evaluating more effective solutions that will result in shareholder value.

Viridis presents RFID at ANGVA Conference in Beijing

Mr. Ian Patterson presented the Viridis Intelligent Fueling System at the Fourth AsiaPacific Natural Gas Vehicles Association (ANGVA) Conference in Beijing, China. The Viridis team from Asia and North America attended the conference and particpated in Viridis' exhibit.

Viridis Technologies Asia is a member of ANGVA and participates in regular industry events