SUN VALLEY : New Fueling System for RTD Unveiled

A new fueling system, the first of its kind in the nation, will reduce the time spent refueling buses powered by natural gas at the Southern California Rapid Transit District facility in Sun Valley, RTD officials said Friday.

The conventional system of fueling a bus with natural gas normally takes up to eight hours, RTD officials said. But the “fast-fueling” system unveiled Friday, which uses dual compressors to pump the gas, can fill an empty bus with 16,000 cubic feet of compressed natural gas in 10 minutes, they said.

The RTD operates 10 natural gas powered buses throughout Los Angeles.

“Fueling a bus with a gaseous fuel instead of liquid presents a number of challenges, mostly because of the difference in the way gases and liquids flow,” RTD General Manager Alan F. Pegg said. “To get 16,000 standard cubic feet into a bus in just 10 minutes is quite a feat of engineering.”

Seventy-five percent of the funding for the $1.23-million demonstration project was provided by the Federal Transportation Administration. The Southern California Gas Co., which helped design the system, also contributed a portion of the funding.

The addition of the new natural gas fueling system is part of the RTD’s effort to meet strict new clean air regulations adopted by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The RTD recently ordered 202 methanol-fueled buses from a New Mexico company and is planning to use electric trolley buses on at least 10 of its busiest routes.