ANG - Adsorbed Natural Gas  Adsorbed natural gas (ANG) technology is a low-pressure (900 psi), bi-fuel solution for light-duty vehicles like pickup trucks, SUVs and service vans. ANG technology can also be leveraged for natural gas handling.

The product characteristics and benefits of our Nuchar® FuelSorb™ carbon monoliths are similar to our other activated carbon products. The monoliths have high natural gas working capacity and are shape-specific for natural gas vehicle (NGV) tanks; the activated carbon has sustainable performance; and we also provide granular activated carbon for low-pressure gas storage tanks.

How lower pressures have changed the game

ANG technology marks the second wave of NVG's. The methane gas adsorption science behind ANG is likely already part of the car you drive today. Proprietary activated carbon technology has been used for over 40 years in vehicles and applications around the world to capture and recover over 8 million gallons of gasoline vapor emissions every day. This same activated carbon technology has been leveraged to enable ANG.

Activated carbon monoliths made from hardwood sawdust (as opposed to coal) have performance characteristics that enable the material to more efficiently capture and release vapors. The activated carbon fills cylindrical tanks that are nested in the bed of a truck and further reduce the storage pressure of the natural gas without sacrificing the volume of gas stored. ANG’s ability to operate at 900 psi – compared to CNG’s 3,600 psi – increases the methane adsorption capacity inside the cylinders, meaning the ANG tanks hold twice the volume of natural gas at equivalent pressures while still allowing access to the traditional benefits of CNG at a fraction of operational pressures. ANG’s lower pressures are game changing for LDVs and the technology.

ANG technology is ideal for small (5-20 vehicles), dispersed light-duty fleets with easy access to natural gas but without scale economies to support the investment in higher-pressure CNG. LDV fleets can benefits from ANG in many ways:

Environment: Studies in California show a reduction of more than 20% in GHGs for NGVs compared to gasoline, and in excess of 100% when using renewable natural gas.

Convenience: Private fueling enabled by ANG leverages the vast natural gas infrastructure network already available in 60 million homes and over 5 million businesses across the U.S.

Range: Bi-fuel ANG trucks can serve 100% of the average daily usage miles on natural gas alone.

Value: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) alternative fuel price report shows fuel savings for natural gas users can be up to $2.50 per gasoline-gallon equivalent (GGE) compared to conventional gasoline

ANG Calibration ANG bi-fuel calibration demonstrates expanded natural gas consumption compared to CNG. A Ford F-250/350 truck modified to run on bi-fuel ANG technology maintains the full vehicle warranty though Ford’s qualified vehicle modifier (QVM) program.

ANG low pressure fueling appliance

Fueling with ANG (900 psi) is faster and less costly to maintain compared to CNG (3,600 psi).

Italy-based Cubogas is the main manufacturer of the Fuelmaker FMQ 2.5 ANG fueling appliance.

Two fueling hoses (P9 nozzles) for the ability to service 2 trucks at once.

Maintains American National Standards Institute NGV certification (5.2).

Fuels at a rate of approximately 1 GGE per hour.

The total cost of ownership (TCO) of a new FMQ 2.5 is almost $0.89 per GGE, while a used version of the appliance has a TCO of approximately $1.00 per GGE. Studies conducted by the Gas Technology Institute also demonstrate that even 3,600 psi CNG fueling compressors that are repurposed to fuel at lower 900 psi ANG pressures can have a TCO that falls within $1.00 per GGE.