Many decades have passed since the first gas-powered industrial trucks appeared in operation. Currently, it is difficult to find logistics processes in which they are not used. They can be seen in almost every production hall, warehouse, distribution center, and even in stores. Their popularity among users increased even further when industrial trucks powered by internal combustion engines using LPG as fuel appeared on the market.
This was due to the fact that engines powered by gas fuel run quieter, and the exhaust gases released into the environment contain fewer harmful substances. A truck with such a drive and the same operating parameters as a truck with a different type of drive is significantly cheaper to operate. LPG is generally drawn into the fuel system from cylinders mounted on the truck. Until now, steel cylinders with a weight of approx. 11 kg and a capacity of 27 dm3 have been and still are commonly used. The protective coating of these cylinders is a paint coating. During operation, it is exposed to abrasion or scratches. Areas where the paint coating is damaged cease to be resistant to changing weather conditions, thus becoming a potential source of corrosion. Both damage to the coating and corrosion on the surface of the cylinder reduce its aesthetics. Steel cylinders are also exposed to internal surface corrosion, which is invisible from the outside, and has a negative impact on the fuel system, because impurities enter the system along with the gas, causing rapid clogging of filters and increasing the frequency of their replacement.
For some time now, so-called composite cylinders have been available on the market, which have a weight of approx. 6.5 kg for the same capacity. These cylinders, made of modern composite plastic and additionally reinforced with glass fibers, have many advantages. They are characterized by high resistance to both mechanical damage and sudden pressure increases (the test pressure of the cylinder is 30 bar, while the burst pressure is 160 bar).
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka”, No. 2/2006.