The Huntington Beach Union High School District refueling station project upgraded the existing and outdated compressed natural gas refueling station at 7180 Yorktown Avenue in Huntington Beach (Orange County). A grant from the California Energy Commission allowed the district to expand the existing compressed natural gas fueling station, which was completed in February 2018.
The compressed natural gas station was upgraded to add fast-fill refueling capabilities and 15 time-fill posts for the district's expanded compressed natural gas fleet of student transportation vehicles. The compressed natural gas fleet has increased from 11 compressed natural gas buses in 2016 to 17 Type D and two Type C compressed natural gas buses at the time the station was commissioned in 2017. An additional 15 Type D compressed natural gas buses are on order and expected to be delivered by mid-2019. The new station increased compressed natural gas filling capacity to accommodate these needs and included electrical upgrades and spatial and infrastructure provisions for future expansion.
The project provided an upgraded electrical service, two new 50 horsepower compressed natural gas compressors, one fast-fill fueling dispenser with two fueling houses and 15 dual-hose time-fill posts. The fast-fill system is designed so two full-size buses can refuel simultaneously and deliver 30 gallons of gasoline equivalent per hose in a continuous five- to eight-minute period.
The fast-fill component will allow the district to enter refueling station access agreements with neighboring public agencies or to sell compressed natural gas at retail prices for personal vehicles. The district received verbal commitments for station usage from several other public entities in the area with a need for access to compressed natural gas fuel for their own fleets of transportation vehicles.
Author(s)
Patrick Stellhorn, Jeff Hutchings, Marshall Noble, Patrick Wills
