Ressort Presse

• 06.11.2020

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is an excellent substitute for conventional diesel fuel because it is much more environmentally friendly and also easy to handle - this is the conclusion of the pilot project of RWE Supply &Trading, Duisburg port operator duisport and the UDE.

Over a period of two years - between the beginning of 2018 and mid-2020 - they jointly researched the use of LNG in the world's largest inland port. The results showed that LNG not only has a better environmental balance but is also safer and more economical. 

Specialists from the UDE-faculties Mechatronics and Building Operation and Construction Management accompanied the project as scientific advisors. They say: “Our analysis shows that natural gas used in port vehicles is a practicable, everyday fuel alternative to the established diesel option and capable of lowering greenhouse emissions within the transport industry.This is underlined by the positive feedback we documented from Duisburg Port employees. They extensively tested the vehicles and tank station infrastructure under real operating conditions and found them fit for purpose.”

LNG is natural gas that is liquefied by cooling it down to -161° degrees. This reduces the volume to around 1/600 of the natural gas volume under normal pressure, making it possible to safely transport large quantities of gas. In its liquid form, apart from the recognised benefits of lower carbon emissions compared to diesel, LNG also has a sufficiently high energy density for use in long-distance transportation or operation of mobile machinery.

RWE installed a mobile tank station at Duisburg Port to enable port-internal vehicles and the trucks of local truckage companies to fill up on LNG and have access to the alternative fuel. The LNG converted vehicles made available by duisport were then tested under everyday conditions and compared to the performance of diesel-powered trucks. The university used data loggers and exhaust-fume trackers to analyse the data.

Overall the project partners invested around 1.5 million euros in this exercise, with about half of it coming from the European Fund for Regional Development, which accepted the project as part of its support regime for contestable climate-change-mitigation initiatives.

Detailed results can be found in the Environment Report compiled by the UDE (only German).

Complete press release:
https://www.group.rwe/en/press/rwe-supply-and-trading/2020-11-06-lng-as-environmentally-friendly-alternative-fuel-advances-transition-to-clean-transport/?

Environment Report:
doi.org/10.17185/duepublico/73258

Further information:
Patrick Driesch, Mechatronics, T. +49 203 379 1604, patrick.driesch@uni-due.de