Propane could help fuel WV future

A West Virginia company is at the forefront of the future of alternative fueled vehicles.

And the future looks a lot closer than ever before.

Bret Chandler, directing manager of Triana Energy-owned Propane Fuel Technologies, has partnered with a German company — CHM-TruckTec, the top developer in liquid propane blend technology.

The technology displaces as much as one-third of diesel fuel consumption with propane. An evaporator converts the propane to a gas, which is injected into the truck's intake system and burned concurrently with diesel, according to CHM-TruckTec.

"Propane Fuel Technologies is going to continue to look for the best technologies that are out there," Chandler said. "Our partners in Germany are committed to continue to develop the best engine technology in the world.

"We have an exclusive distribution agreement for all of North America (secured in February 2013). It's the best in the world. It's the only one that has zero emissions and it's the only one that has been in a lab in this country that meets EPA emissions standards."

Fuel savings is an attractive feature of the technology. The savings are substantial, with minimal sacrifice in performance.

"It's a little less efficient fuel, so you get a little less miles per gallon, about 3 to 7 percent less," Chandler said. "It's not enough to even notice. But you'll save anywhere between $1.15 and $1.75 per gallon on every gallon you use.

"Accounting for the efficiency, the gas prices and all of that, that's the (savings) range."

While most light and medium passenger vehicles could run on straight liquid propane as effectively as gasoline or diesel, a blend is needed primarily for large truck use.

"The bigger the engine, the more diesel you displace (with liquid propane)," Chandler explained. "If you have 10 or 12 trucks, you need the savings today. The fleets are where the big savings are at currently.

"There's no substitute for the torque of a diesel engine. So this system works to give you savings when you need it, and it gives you power when you need it."

Realizing potential in WV

With gas being increasingly harvested in West Virginia, it only makes sense that liquid propane could become a more readily available fuel for companies and individuals locally.

Propane fueling stations are in place, with more coming soon.

"What we're trying to do in West Virginia, we've already done in large metropolitan areas," Chandler said. "We also want to bring it here in the state and focus more on the eastern part of the United States.

"There is an abundance of propane that is being generated now because of the amount of wet gas," he added. "The supply of propane is increasing at an incredibly rapid rate. We already had an abundant supply. Now we're adding to it. One study shows that in the eastern United States that there is 165,000 barrels per day that they can't predict a use for. The price is historically stable, and that only lends to the stability of the price." Read more here.