The Natural Gas Vehicle

Fuel Pressure Regulator

By: Jeff Gotthelf, Engineering Manager
ITT Industries / Conoflow

October 28, 2004

The Functions of a NGV Fuel Pressure Regulator

Reduces CNG pressure from fuel cylinder(s).
Inlet from 250 to 3600 psig
Factory setting ranges from 30 to 175 psig
Manages gas pressure to engine fuel system.
Must respond quickly to changing gas flow
Must have very predictable output pressure
throughout range of flow, temperature and tank
pressure.
Manages varying gas compositions.
Discussion of Joule-Thomson effect
Requires heat to prevent icing inside regulator
Resists damage from compressor oils
Enable options for pressure sensor, HP and LP
gas fittings, relief valve connection, etc.

How Does an NGV Pressure Regulator Work?

CONTROL SPRING LOAD
BONNET PRESSURE
DIAPHRAGM

REGULATED
OUTPUT PRESSURE
VALVE SEAT
INLET PRESSURE
VALVE
GAS FLOW

PLUG SPRING

How Does an NGV Pressure Regulator Work?

CONTROL SPRING

DIAPHRAGM

INLET

VALVE
SEAT

VALVE

ITT Conoflow CNG Fuel

Pressure Regulator
OUTLET

PLUG SPRING

Pressure Regulator Flow Performance

PRESSURE CHANGE DUE TO
CHANGING SUPPLY (10 PSI)

REPRESENTATIVE ITT CONOFLOW HPNGV REGULATOR

GAS FLOW PERFORMANCE CURVES

OVERALL PRESSURE
WINDOW (16 PSI)

125
250 Psig Inlet
500 Psig Inlet
1000 Psig Inlet
2000 Psig Inlet
3000 Psig Inlet

120

Outlet Pressure
(Psig)

115

110

105

100

95

90
0

IDLE

12

16

20

24

28

32
36
40
Gas Flow Rate
(SCMH)

44

48

52

56

60

Is your regulators performance predictable?

64

68

WOT

Upstream Restriction
NGV FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR DISCHARGE
250 PSIG FUELCYLINDER PRESSURE
WITH / WITHOUT SOLENOID VALVE
110

105

WITHOUT SOLENOID VALVE

REGULATOR OUTPUT (PSIG)

100

95

90

85
WITH COMMERCIALLY
AVAILABLE DIRECT
ACTING SOLENOID
VALVE RESTRICTION

80

75

70
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

GAS FLOW (LB/HR)

Does your regulator get sufficient gas to operate correctly?

Response to Changing Flow Requirements

Sudden flow changes (acceleration, deceleration)
How fast does regulator need to respond?
How quickly does the pressure need to recover?
How quickly does regulator need to stabilize?

Do you know what the transient response is for your regulator?

System Cleanliness / Filtration

Upstream filtration required to protect regulator and remainder of
fuel system.
Downstream filtration can be used to protect fuel system from
excessive compressor oil, moisture or other contaminants.
Metal particulates can damage
regulator valve seat and create
internal leakage

Is your system protected from debris?

Gas Quality Effect on Fuel System

MOISTURE
As CNG expands it gets very cold due to JouleThomson effect. Moisture in CNG can form ice and
hydrate deposits if the equipment is not designed to
handle it.
Standards SAE J1616 and ISO 15403 address
permissible moisture in CNG for safe use, but not
best performance.
COMPRESSOR OIL
As gas expands and cools, oil dissolved in gas can
drop out and load up system. Excessive compressor
oils can cause problems to the fuel system.

Joule Thomson Effect when CNG Expands

ITT Conoflow HPNGV Regulator
Temperature / Pressure data
50 SCMH Flow, 3000 PSIG Inlet
(Pipeline Quality Natural Gas)

Outlet Pressure (Psig)

Flow Rate (SCMH)
CNG Inlet Temp (Deg C)
CNG Outlet Temp (Deg C)
Coolant Inlet Temp(Deg C)

140
120

CNG Temp, Coolant

Temp, Flowrate,
Outlet Press (10 per
div)

100
80
60
40
20
0

-20
-40
-60
-80
8:25:52

8:27:19

8:28:45

8:30:12

8:31:38

8:33:04

8:34:31

8:35:57

Time (hour:minute:second)

Will your regulator still perform correctly when it gets cold?

Symptoms of Freeze Up
Power or smoothness degrades as vehicle is driven.
Vehicle drive ability suffers.
Seems to happen more often during warm weather.
Problem seems to build up, then fix itself the next
time the vehicle is operated.
Problem is intermittent and difficult to diagnose.
Service shows downstream pressure faults when
problem is present, then fault goes away next time
vehicle is started.
May be related to different fueling locations.

Does your fuel system show these symptoms?

Managing Joule-Thomson Gas Temperature

Flow bypass to prevent cold gas from

freezing against diaphragm

Coolant circulation control to force

convection over large surface areas

Engine coolant circulation around critical elements

Can your regulator manage chilled gas flow?

Gas Quality Compressor Oil Carryover

Example of oil deposits in regulator

Will your regulator and fuel system function with this much oil?

Environmental / Installation Considerations

Temperature Excessive heat can cause leaks.
- Keep regulator away from exhaust system

Shock / Vibration can reduce product life.

- Mount regulator to vehicle chassis, not engine
- Mounting brackets must be rigid.

Is your regulator located and mounted properly?

NGV Fuel Pressure Regulator Configurations

Regulator can be configured several ways to meet system needs.
Basic model
Optional items, such as sensor ports, bias ports, sub-assemblies

Base HighPressure
Natural Gas
Vehicle
regulator

Regulator customized as an assembly

with filter, sensor, and fittings

Conclusion
A robust regulator is an essential component of a safe
and reliable NGV fuel system.
It is important to know if the regulator is able to
effectively manage NGV fuel system issues such as
temperature, vibration, flow changes, supply pressure
changes, as well as imperfect gas composition.
For further information, contact me at jeff.gotthelf@itt.com

Thank You!