Simple-Fill - CryoGas International

Simple-Fill: Changing the Way America Fuels Its Vehicles
Simple-Fill: Changing the Way
America Fuels Its Vehicles
By Rob Underhill
Simple-Fill (simple-fill.com), a spin-out of
The Ohio State University’s Center for Automotive Research, is developing a new way to
efficiently and affordably compress gases. The
start-up’s first target market: compressed natural gas for vehicles.
Compressed natural gas (CNG) can currently
be purchased for $2.10 or less per gasoline
gallon equivalent (GGE). As a result, businesses and governments with large vehicle
fleets are rapidly adopting the fuel. Given the
fleet size and the return to a central location,
they can justify purchasing the large, expensive fueling systems required to compress natural gas to 3,600 psi. However, it is difficult
for businesses with small to medium size
fleets (SMFs) to realize these savings. Refueling locations are few and far between with
only about 1,200 CNG filling stations located
throughout the United States. Widespread expansion of CNG filling stations is unlikely as
they require millions of dollars’ worth of
equipment and must be located near mediumto high-pressure gas lines.
There are smaller gas compression systems
that SMFs and consumers could use, but they
utilize reciprocating compressors. While these
compressors are very good at compressing gas
at lower pressures, expensive high-tolerance
parts are required to compress a gas to high
pressures, like those required by CNG. The
high tolerance parts generate significant friction leading to excessive wear and energy use.
The result: after several thousand hours, the
compressor needs to be rebuilt as gas leaks
and energy usage become problematic.
Motivation for a New Technology
Simple-Fill’s compressor uses a patent-pending process whereby a pressurized liquid compresses the natural gas. Subsequent to
compression, a liquid/gas separator removes
any extraneous liquids captured in the gas. The
gas is then transferred into the awaiting vehicle.
Simple-Fill’s competitive advantage is multifaceted. The compressor design takes advan-
Simple-Fill’s Advantage
36
Simple-Fill’s 4 GGE/hr Alpha Prototype is well under construction.
Pictured from left to right: Fabio Chiara, CTO of Simple-Fill, Matteo Triberti,
Engineer at OSU-CAR, Gianpaolo Noschese, Sr. Technician at OSU-CAR, Rob Underhill,
President of Simple-Fill and Jim Durand, Project Manager of Simple-Fill.
tage of durable hydraulic equipment with useful lives in the tens of thousands of hours. That,
coupled with few moving parts, results in improved reliability over conventional compression systems. Additionally, novel geometries
within the compression chambers promote
intra-compression cooling and increase the
system’s efficiency by a factor of two. Finally,
Simple-Fill will be able to utilize the existing
natural gas infrastructure so medium- to highpressure gas mains are not required.
Simple-Fill is focused on two segments within
the natural gas vehicle market: businesses and
governments with SMFs first, and then, somewhat later, the home-based refueling market.
SMFs are the first target market because the
vehicles used by SMFs exist today with dedicated CNG fuel or bi-fuel systems. Simple-Fill
will serve this market with a 4 GGE/hr compressor. In addition, its modular design will
provide fleet owners with an option for larger
capacities, if so desired.
The second market, the at-home refueling
market, is expected to be larger than the SMFs.
There are an estimated 64 million households
Target Markets
in the US that use natural gas today and therefore could use the Simple-Fill’s planned
1 GGE/hr at-home refueling system. Currently
few CNG vehicle options exist for American
consumers. That is beginning to change, however, with the emergence of Ford’s F-150
pickup truck and Chevrolet’s Cruze and Impala all going to market in 2014/2015 with bifuel options. As these and other entrants arrive
to the CNG market, momentum will build and
Simple-Fill will be well-positioned to provide
its at-home compressor.
Simple-Fill’s gas compression technology is
leading the way toward the widespread adoption of CNG as an automotive fuel. The technology will be robust yet affordable and
provide SMFs and consumers a viable alternative to conventional fuels. Distributed refueling will become the norm, not exception.
Simple-Fill is changing the way America fuels
its vehicles.
n
A New Way
Rob Underhill is President of Simple-Fill.
He can be reached at [email protected].
April 2014 — CryoGas International

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