COMPARING NATURAL GAS TO DIESEL – ENERGY CONTENT

[Pages:2]COMPARING NATURAL GAS TO DIESEL ?

ENERGY CONTENT

What You Need to Know

COMPARING NATURAL GAS TO DIESEL BASED

EQUIVALENT ENERGY

To understand and compare natural gas and diesel, you need to measure by diesel litre equivalent (DLE), which is the amount of natural gas it takes to have the same energy content as a litre of diesel. Natural gas has its own commonly used measurement units. The equivalent energy for each of these units in diesel litre equivalent (DLE) is as follows:

Natural gas 1 GJ 1 kg* 1 m3 1 ft3

Diesel Litre Equivalent 27.7 litres of diesel 1.462 litres of diesel 1.032 litres of diesel .0292 litres of diesel

* Measurement Canada requires pricing in cents per kilogram for natural gas sold at public stations

ENERGY CONTENT

To determine how much natural gas is needed to match the energy provided by a certain amount of diesel, energy content must be considered. A unit that is often used to describe energy is the British thermal unit (BTU). A BTU is the amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of a pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit. To compare natural gas and diesel on an energy equivalent basis, both fuels can be described using their BTU values:

1 GJ of natural gas = 947,950 BTU

1 kg of natural gas = 50,020 BTU

1 m3 of natural gas = 35,300 BTU

1 ft3 of natural gas = 1,000 BTU

1 litre of diesel = 34,210 BTU

This product is made possible by a financial contribution from Natural Resources Canada.

CONVERSION FACTORS ? EQUIVALENCY BASED ON ENERGY CONTENT

1 kilogram of natural gas

= 1.417 cubic metres of natural gas = 1.462 litres of diesel

1 cubic metre of = 0.706 kilograms of natural gas

natural gas

= 1.032 litres of diesel

1 litre of diesel

= 0.684 kilograms of natural gas = 0.969 cubic metres of natural gas

FUEL SAVINGS 0.40

ENGINE EFFICIENCY

DIESEL

NGV

VS

Natural gas and comparably-sized diesel engines may have different efficiencies. This potential difference should be considered and incorporated into fuel savings calculations. For example, the Cummins Westport 9 litre and 12 litre natural gas engines use about 12 per cent more natural gas than comparably-sized diesel engines. The $0.40/DLE fuel savings example shown below must be reduced by the cost of using 12 per cent more fuel to account for the engine efficiency difference.

CALCULATORS

Fuel cost savings with natural gas are calculated on an energy equivalent basis.

The fuel cost savings with natural gas are always expressed based on the equivalent amount of energy. For example, if the cost of diesel is $1.15 per litre and the cost of natural gas on an equivalent energy basis is $0.75 per DLE, the fuel savings are $0.40 per DLE.

FUEL SAVINGS EXAMPLE

Fuel

Pricing

Diesel Natural Gas Savings

$1.15 per litre

$0.75 per diesel litre equivalent

$0.40 per litre

These are illustrative costs and are subject to regional price differences. Consult your local fuel provider for actual prices.

To convert annual fuel consumption from diesel litres to a natural gas unit, click on the previous link and use the calculator on the Go With Natural Gas website.

To calculate fuel consumption for natural gas based on the type of engine technology, click on the previous link and use the calculator on the Go With Natural Gas website.

GoWithNaturalGas.ca

November 2014

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