Natural Gas and Safety

For use as a vehicle fuel, Natural gas is stored in cylinders of thick-walled, reinforced aluminum, steel or composite materials. These cylinders are manufactured and tested in compliance with strict regulations, and have withstood severe abuse, under conditions more stringent than those for testing gasoline storage tanks. 

NG tanks are tested in high-speed crashes and bonfires, and perform extraordinarily well, especially when compared to the risks of explosion with gasoline. To quote a research expert, "If you were introducing gasoline to the market today, you likely couldn't do it."

Natural gas vehicles are subjected to crash tests at speeds of up to 52 miles per hour. In such tests, the vehicle sustains exceptional damage, while the compressed gas cylinders sustain little or no damage at all. In vehicles that were totally destroyed in crash tests, the only component of the vehicle remaining intact was the gas cylinder.

Bonfire and dynamite tests subject cylinders to temperatures and pressures exceeding standard requirements. The NG cylinders repeatedly pass both these tests with flying colors.

It is important to note that natural gas is lighter than air and in the unlikely event of a leak, the gas will quickly dissipate into the surrounding air with no danger. (LPG vapors however, are heavier than air and tend to pool near the ground thereby constituting a danger).

Science and experience indicate that the danger of fire from a leaking NG cylinder is unlikely to occur. With well over 5 million NGVs operating worldwide, there is no evidence of fire problems.

Natural gas has a high ignition temperature (about 650°C, compared with about 350°C for gasoline) and a narrow range of flammability (NG will not ignite at concentrations below about 5% and above about 15%). It is quite unlikely for gas leaking from an NG cylinder to meet these conditions.

Natural gas is neither toxic nor corrosive, and will not contaminate ground water. The existing NG delivery system has a proven safety record. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the natural gas transmission and distribution system (1.9 million Km of pipes and distribution points) is the safest way to transport energy in the United States.

In its pure form, NG does not smell. However, to meet safety requirements, scents are mixed with the gas making it possible to detect the presence of NG in the air. These strong-smelling scents are not hazardous, and likely do not indicate an imposing danger. These scents are typically smelled when the concentration of NG in the air is too low to ignite.

All this makes NG the safest form of fuel.