Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/99982
Cover Story Mendoza says the most important aspects of retro���tting an existing service location are removing potential heat sources and providing ceiling ventilation. ���Petroleum-based fuels have always been heavier than air. So when they spilled, you had to worry about them puddling up on the ���oor,��� Mendoza says. ���With natural gas, you are looking at a fuel that is lighter than air. It doesn���t fall on the ground; it rises to the ceiling.��� The top 18 inches of the ceiling, to be exact, he says. To detect and remove natural gas that leaks from a fuel tank and into the air, service facilities must add ventilation systems on their rooftops and af���x natural gas sensors within 18 inches of the ceiling. Mendoza says there are open path beam sensors and point detectors that service providers can use to detect natural gas rising in a facility. The open path beam sensors are positioned on two ends of a rectangular service facility and shoot an infrared line across the building that identi���es natural gas. For non-rectangular facilities where open path beam sensors are impractical, point detectors can sense natural gas at a 50-foot radius. When installing fans and ventilation systems, it is important to install enough that the air in a facility can be quickly and ef���ciently evacuated in the event of a leak, says Sam Stevenson, general manager at the new natural gas equipped JX Truck Center in Kronenwetter, Wis. When Stevenson���s company, JX Enterprises, began designing his facility in 2008, they did not intend to build it for natural gas service. But as interest in the alternative fuel grew in the area, the company altered its plans. ���Our footprint stayed exactly the same,��� he says. ���The biggest change we made was the HVAC system,��� which had to be altered to be compatible for natural gas service. In natural gas facilities, only natural gas sensors and the building���s ventilation can be Before maintaining natural gas trucks, service facilities must be equipped with natural gas sensors on the ceiling. Natural gas is lighter than air, and the sensors detect leaks as they rise in the facility. W W W . T R U C K PA R T S A N D S E R V I C E . C O M Proper ventilation is another necessity for providing natural gas service. When the gas leaks, it rises to the ceiling where the ventilation system helps quickly remove it from the facility. located in the 18 inches below the ceiling. Also, standard HVAC systems cannot be used in natural gas facilities due to the high temperatures and open ���ames they create, which can ignite natural gas. Stevenson says JX decided to use in-���oor heating units as the primary source of heat in its natural gas facility, and removed above-ground heating systems from the facility plans. Together, all of these steps will help eliminate the risks of a natural gas leak in your facility. But Horne adds even if your facility is properly modi���ed for natural gas service, it is still a good idea to perform all re���lling and draining of natural gas tanks outside your building. The less potential for a natural gas leak in your facility, the better. Once these changes are made, your facility will be ready to service natural gas trucks. If you���ve been ef���cient, and trained your technicians about natural gas engines while improving your facilities, you can make your business natural gas capable in 90 days or less, says Dan Martin, president of Dual Green Consulting. ���It���s not really that hard once you get started,��� he says. ���You just have to have a plan.��� A natural gas sensor in use at a service location. These sensors are used to notify employees of a gas leak and start ventilation systems to clear the area. J a n u a r y 2 0 1 3 | T R U C K PA R T S & S E R V I C E 19