Five public CNG refuelling stations in Prague

April 1, 2010; Pavel Novak

Already a fifth CNG refuelling station was put into operation for the public in Prague in February 2010. This new, and at the same time the first low-energy CNG station connected to a high-pressure gas pipeline, is also the first CNG station on the left bank of the river Vltava. The station is located in Praha 6 – Liboc, on the Evropská Street on the right-hand side in the direction from the centre of Prague to the Ruzyně airport, next to the parking area of the Divoká Šárka natural park and near a McDonald’s. Vehicles are refuelled on a self-service basis and the station is in non-stop operation. Customers have all the options for payment – payment cards (VISA and MasterCard), CNG CardCentrum cards, or in cash.
At a gas regulating station, the CNG refuelling station is connected to a 24-bar high-pressure gas pipeline; using the high pressure of the gas upstream from the regulating station as the input pressure for the compressor is the greatest advantage of this solution, which ultimately helps to reduce compression work and achieve significant savings of the electrical energy required for operating the compressor (the compressor only needs 0.13 kWh of electricity for compressing one cubic metre of gas).
Prior to compression, the gas is filtered and completely dried in a Zander unit. The IMW compressor has an output of 234 cu m/hr. It is an oil-free compressor, which helps to avoid potential complications with oil in output gas. The output pressure of the gas flowing into CNG storage tanks is 30 MPa, and vehicles receive CNG under a pressure of up to 24 MPa. The pressure vessels have a gas storage capacity of 980 Nm³. During peaks, more than 500 kg of CNG can be filled in two hours. The dual-hose Kraus Global HAM dispenser has an NGV1 nozzle for up to 20 kg/minute (for passenger cars) and an NGV2 nozzle for up to 70 kg/minute (for trucks and buses).
Bonett Gas Investment, a.s., the main supplier, has delivered and built the station on a turnkey basis. Having opened the CNG station in Praha 6 - Liboc, Pražská plynárenská, a.s. has increased the number of public CNG stations in Prague. It currently also operates a CNG refuelling station on its compound in Praha 4 - Michle, in Praha 4 - Hodkovičky near the Q100 filling station, in Praha 9 on the Pod Šancemi Street on the compound of Pražské služby a.s., and in Praha 10 - Zahradní Město at a Shell fuel filling station.
Twenty-five public CNG refuelling stations are currently in operation in the Czech Republic. For more information please visit www.cng.cz or www.cgoa.cz.

Pavel Novák, NGV Manager, Czech Gas Association