Alternative Fuels Industry

Liquid to Compressed Natural Gas (LCNG)

In March 2002, General Physics Corporation completed the design and construction of a liquid to compressed natural gas (LCNG) fuel station for Omnitrans at their bus maintenance facility in Montclair, California. Omnitrans is the public transit agency serving the San Bernardino Valley.

The facility consisted of one 20,000-gallon horizontal LNG storage tank, three 25 hp LNG boost pumps, and two 60 hp high-pressure LCNG pumps. Each LCNG fuel pump has a capacity of 16 gpm. One LCNG pump operates as the primary and the second as a backup. A 7.5 hp vertical fan assisted vaporizer converts the high pressure LNG to CNG to feed two new transit-style CNG dispensers installed by General Physics. A 150KW diesel-powered back-up generator was installed to provide back-up power to the LCNG fuel station.

GP removed the concrete foundations for the previous CNG compressors, relocated the existing CNG storage bottles to improve bus traffic flow, and provided landscaping to meet planning commission requirements. We also obtained waivers for a City of Montclair ordinance that limited the amount of LNG storage allowed on the site, and obtained permission to encroach on the Army Corps of Engineers property adjacent to their flood control channel.

First LNG Delivery to Omnitrans Montclair Facility

GP worked closely with the City of Montclair Fire Department, the Montclair Planning Commission, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the local Title 8 department to obtain approval for this project.