CNG is natural gas in its compressed form (high pressure) and LNG is natural gas in its liquified form (low temperature). To sum up, one can simply say that CNG is a form of natural gas that is stored at normal temperature and high pressure.
LNG, on the other hand, is a form of natural gas that is stored at low temperatures and normal pressure. The biggest similarity between CNG and LNG is that both of them are non-renewable energy resources as well as a renowned alternatives to petroleum products like gasoline (petrol) and diesel.
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CNG vs LNG
| CNG | LNG | |
| 1. | CNG stands for Compressed Natural Gas. | LNG stands for Liquified Natural Gas. |
| 2. | CNG is natural gas in its compressed form. | LNG is also natural gas in its liquified form. |
| 3. | It occupies 1/100th volume of natural gas in its original state. | It occupies 1/600th volume of natural gas in its original state. |
| 4. | The volumetric density of CNG is less than LNG. | The volumetric density of LNG is higher than CNG. |
| 5. | The production, storage, and transportation cost of CNG are low. | The production, storage, and transportation cost of LNG are high. |
| 6. | CNG is primarily fit for light and sometimes medium-duty vehicles. | LNG is primarily fit for heavy-duty vehicles. |
| 7. | CNG is cheap. | LNG is more expensive than CNG. |
| 8. | Both CNG and LNG are sold in units of gasoline or diesel gallon equivalents (GGEs or DGEs). | Both CNG and LNG are sold in units of gasoline or diesel gallon equivalents (GGEs or DGEs). |
What is CNG?
Compressed Natural Gas or CNG is a form of natural gas that is produced by compressing the natural gas up to 1/100th of its original volume at standard atmospheric pressure. Just because they emit fewer greenhouse gases than other fossil fuels, they are widely replacing gasoline (petrol) or diesel as the primary fuel for running our automobiles, especially light and medium-duty vehicles.
The volumetric density of CNG is always less than LNG. To be exact, Compressed Natural Gas‘s volumetric density is 41% of Liquefied Natural Gas. However, the energy density of both the CNG and LNG is always the same. Just to let you know that the exact volumetric density of CNG is 9 MJ/L.
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Advantages of CNG over LNG
Some of the advantages of CNG over LNG are:
- CNG is cheaper than LNG
- CNG is easy to refuel
- Handling of CNG requires less special equipment
- CNG is safer than LNG
- Unlimited holding time, etc.
Disadvantages of CNG over LNG
Some of the disadvantages of CNG over LNG are:
- The volumetric density of CNG is lower than LNG
- CNG cannot be transported where there are no pipelines
- CNG requires more storage space than LNG, etc.
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What is LNG?
Liquified Natural Gas or LNG is a form of natural gas that is produced by, at first, purifying natural gas and then super cooling it at -260°F to 1/600th of its original volume at standard temperature and pressure. Just because they emit fewer greenhouse gases than other fossil fuels, they are widely replacing gasoline (petrol) or diesel as the primary fuel for running our automobiles, especially heavy-duty vehicles.
The volumetric density of LNG is higher than CNG. To be exact, Liquified Natural Gas‘s volumetric density is 2.44 times higher than that of a Compressed Natural Gas. However, the energy density of both the CNG and LNG is always the same. Just to let you know that the exact volumetric density of LNG is 22 MJ/L.
In addition, since LNG is a super-cooled natural gas, it has to be stored in a cryogenic tank. Otherwise, it will lose all its super-cooled properties. Therefore, as a result, LNG has relatively higher production, maintenance as well as transportation cost as compared to the CNG.
Advantages of LNG over CNG
Some of the advantages of LNG over CNG are:
- The volumetric density of LNG is higher than CNG
- With advanced technology, easy to convert LNG to CNG
- Easy to transport anywhere around the world in specialized trucks or ships
- LNG requires less storage space than CNG, etc.
Disadvantages of LNG over CNG
Some of the disadvantages of LNG over CNG are:
- LNG is expensive than CNG
- Hard to refuel
- Handling of LNG requires much-specialized equipment
- Cannot hold for a longer time, etc.
Similarities Between CNG and LNG
Now is the time that we should talk about some of the similarities between CNG and LNG. Some of them are:
- Both of them are non-renewable energy resource
- They are environmentally clean
- Both of them are less expensive than other fossils
- They both are highly flammable
- Both of them are mostly made up of methane
- They are both colorless and odorless
- Both of them are non-corrosive and non-toxic, etc.
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