INITIATING LNG-FUEL TECHNOLOGY IN THE NIGERIA TRANSPORTATION SECTOR: A FUNCTION OF BETTER ENGINE EFFICIENCY

Abstract

The transport sector fuel in Nigeria is dominated by two fossil fuels (PMS and diesel) which are products of Petroleum refinery. With the moribund state of Nigeria refineries and the challenges faced with the facet of fuel importation, the demand for transportation fuel has tripled in a geometric progression. The need to seek for other alternatives to bolster the country’s transport sector cannot be overemphasized. Natural Gas has been researched as one of the most energy sources and fortunately, there is a profuse deposit in Nigeria, with total proven reserves of >187tcf. Thus, the initiative of employing Liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be systematically established. This paper is aimed at integrating LNG-fuel technology in transport sector to accelerate the transportation sector by looking into the exergy energy of using the boil-off gases from LNG into conventional vehicle engines. The analysis shows 24% exergy efficiency compared to conventional engines.