Life Cycle Analysis on Liquefied Natural Gas and Compressed Natural Gas in Heavy-duty Trucks with Methane Leakage Emphasized

Abstract

Greenhouse gas emissions have been concerned worldwide, and natural gas (NG) is regarded as an option to substitute gasoline and diesel in vehicles. This paper conducts a life cycle (LC) analysis on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) in the heavy-duty trucks and takes the methane leakage of NG supply chains into account. The results indicate that NG production and transportation dominate as the major contributor to the total methane emissions of the NG supply chains, accounting for approximately 68.7%~86.7% of the total methane emissions estimated. LC analysis on LNG, CNG and diesel heavy-duty trucks shows that LNG and CNG heavy-duty trucks will reduce the LC GHG emissions by 11.17% and 5.18%, respectively, compared to that of diesel. GHG emissions of fuel use are the chief component and account for 71~78% of the total LC GHG emissions.