CNG

The use of natural gas in transportation is growing not only in large European countries, such as Germany, France, and Sweden, but also in their smaller counterparts. In mid-2003, a fuel station selling compressed natural gas (CNG) was opened in the Liechtenstein capital of Vaduz. Immediately, it became a center of attraction thanks to its modern architectural design.

The first thing that people notice is the station's futuristic appearance, because of which the facility is sometimes called a “UFO” station. All the components (compressors, pressurized tanks, central electric unit, etc.) are located in an elliptic container five meters above the ground, as opposed to the usual location on the ground. Weighing more than 200 tons, the container rests on four concrete pillars. Below it there are only two CNG pumps, one for buses and another for passenger vehicles. Each of them can fill two vehicles at a time.

The station is connected to a backbone high-pressure pipeline with an entry pressure of 50 Bars. Natural gas is pressurized with two compressors (both with an output of 90 kW) to 220 Bars and stored in 6,000-liter pressurized tanks. Another booster compressor increases the pressure from 220 to 250 Bars, and gas is subsequently stored in 1,200-liter containers.

The CNG station is operated by the local Liechtenstein gas company Liechtensteinische Gasversorgung (LGV). Its main customers are the Liechtenstein bus company, which uses 19 MAN buses powered by natural gas, LGV company vehicles, municipal vehicles, and privately owned cars. The station's capacity allows annual sales of gas that correspond to eight million kWh.

The station features self-serve operation and payment by charge cards (EC, MasterCard, Maestro). The “UFO” station was built by the Italian company SAFE.

Station diagram >> Scheme