200-250 bar (200–250 bar)
Also known as: CBG filling pressure
The standard pressure range for compressed biogas storage — biogas is compressed to 200–250 bar for storage in cylinders and transfer to vehicle fuelling stations.
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What is 200-250 bar?
200–250 bar (approximately 2,900–3,625 psi or 20–25 MPa) is the standard storage and dispensing pressure range for compressed biogas (CBG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) in India. The Bureau of Indian Standards specification IS 15663 for CNG dispensing infrastructure defines 200 bar as the nominal vehicle filling pressure at 15°C, with provisions for over-filling to 250 bar to compensate for temperature rise during fast-fill operations.
The choice of this pressure range reflects engineering trade-offs between storage energy density, cylinder design cost, and compressor energy consumption. Compressing biomethane to 200 bar yields an energy density of approximately 9 MJ per litre — about a quarter of diesel's 36 MJ per litre, which is why CNG and CBG vehicles need physically larger fuel tanks than equivalent diesel ones. Going below 200 bar would shrink driving range; going above 250 bar would increase cylinder wall thickness, compressor staging, and capex without proportional benefit. Modern CBG plants are now adopting 250 bar as the new standard for their high-pressure storage cascades because it enables faster vehicle fills with smaller buffer storage.
Reaching 200–250 bar from upgrading-system outlet pressure (typically 1–10 bar) requires multi-stage reciprocating compressors with 3–5 stages and intercoolers between each stage to keep gas temperature below 150°C. Typical compressor energy consumption is 0.25–0.35 kWh per kg of CBG compressed. Cylinders used for CBG storage and transport must comply with the Gas Cylinder Rules, 2016 (administered by PESO) and IS 7285 (steel cylinders) or IS 15490 (Type-2/3/4 composite cylinders). All cylinders require hydrostatic testing every 3–5 years and PESO certification. Mobile cascades — multi-cylinder skids used to move CBG from production plants to satellite fuelling stations — typically hold 1,500–4,500 kg per trailer at 250 bar. Safety regulations require pressure-relief devices set at 1.1× working pressure, and cascade transport must follow PESO route permissions.
Common questions about 200-250 bar
Plain-English answers to what people most often ask.
What compressor is needed to reach 200–250 bar from near-atmospheric biogas?
Is 250 bar safer or less safe than 200 bar?
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