Worldwide industrial services and products company Harsco Corporation announced
Feb. 21 that its Structural Composites Industries (SCI) unit has been
selected by Volvo to produce up to 5,000 lightweight composite fuel
tanks this year for Volvo S80 series natural gas vehicle (NGV)
automobiles.
Announcing the contract, SCI General Manager Ron Eickelman said, "We
are honored to partner with Volvo's world-renowned commitment to
vehicle safety and performance. This award underscores our ability to
design the safest, most weight-efficient fuel tank solutions available
today and further enhances our leadership as a major NGV tank supplier
to the automobile and bus industries." Founded in 1971, SCI is a leading producer of lightweight, filament-wound composite
cylinders, pressure vessels and structures for gas storage.
According to Harsco, natural gas is seen as one of the best medium-term alternatives to
gasoline for motor vehicles, reducing smog emissions to near zero and
carbon dioxide emissions by about 20 percent, while retaining
performance levels comparable to gasoline-fueled vehicles. Worldwide
NGV users exceed one million vehicles, while US demand is also
beginning to accelerate, with over 100,000 vehicles already on the road
and more than 1,300 natural gas refueling stations in operation,
according to industry estimates. Because natural gas is stored in gas form, a larger fuel
tank is required to achieve practical driving range. With a conventional tank, increasing size also increases weight. According to SCI, its filament-wound carbon fiber technology keeps weight to a minimum, while offering high shock resistance and long life.
SCI is one element of Harsco's presence in the
emerging alternate fuel technology market. Harsco's Taylor-Wharton unit
manufactures a complementary line of stationary and portable liquefied
natural gas (LNG) pressure vessels that are ideal for a range of
alternate fuel technology applications, while Harsco's American Welding
& Tank (AWT) unit is a producer of propane tanks.
SCI, Taylor-Wharton and AWT are all part of Harsco's Gas and Fluid
Control Group, manufacturers of a broad range of gas and fluid
control equipment in the world. Harsco Corporation is a provider of industrial services and
products, serving the worldwide infrastructure development, steel and
metals, railway transportation, and gas and energy industries. The
company employs nearly 20,000 people in 40 countries of operation.
Additional information about Harsco, including its Gas and Fluid
Control Group, can be found at www.harsco.com.
