equipment_sizingcostingother
Pre-feasibility sizing and cost model for a biomethane-to-BioCNG (bioGNC) refuelling station: compressor flow and power, storage check, annual energy, CAPEX/OPEX and levelized distribution cost (EUR/kg).
Choose how the daily demand is specified. If Nm³/day is used, the calculator converts to kg/day using an assumed methane density at normal conditions.
Average required dispensed amount per day. This is treated as the target daily demand; utilisation is applied separately.
min 1 · max 5000 · step 1 · kg/day or Nm³/day
Max vehicles served per day (time-based)
Based on dispenser count, flow rate, fueling window, and average kg/vehicle
Design station capacity
Daily capacity required to meet demand at the specified utilisation
Average utilisation of the station relative to nameplate capacity. Used to translate demand into required design capacity.
min 10 · max 100 · step 1 · %
Working (usable) high-pressure storage capacity. Used to compare against a screening recommended buffer.
min 0 · max 2000 · step 5 · kg
Recommended working storage (screening)
Rule-of-thumb buffer storage as a fraction of daily capacity
Typical dispensed mass per vehicle fueling event (fleet-specific; heavy-duty values can be higher).
min 1 · max 200 · step 1 · kg/vehicle
Typical storage/fill pressure required for vehicles (commonly 200–250 bar for CNG).
min 100 · max 350 · step 10 · bar
Planned count of vehicles to be fueled per day (used for feasibility/throughput indicators).
min 1 · max 300 · step 1 · vehicles/day
Number of compressor units
Modular compressor trains required to meet average flow in the fueling window
Average compressor mass flow (fueling window)
Average BioCNG mass flow required during the fueling window
Estimated compressor electrical power
Average electrical power during compression in the fueling window
Annual electricity consumption
Compression + auxiliaries electricity based on annual dispensed mass
Total installed CAPEX (scaled)
Compression + storage + distribution + electrical works (screening)
Used for capital recovery factor (CRF). Enter as a decimal ratio (e.g., 0.08 for 8%).
Levelized distribution cost
Station cost per kg dispensed (excluding biomethane commodity)
If provided, the calculator adds the biomethane molecule cost to compute an all-in EUR/kg. Set to 0 to view distribution cost only.
min 0 · max 5 · step 0.01 · EUR/kg
Levelized cost including biomethane
Distribution cost plus biomethane commodity price
All-in electricity price paid by the station (energy + network charges if applicable).
min 0 · max 1 · step 0.01 · EUR/kWh
Amortization period for annualizing CAPEX via CRF.
Select the closest reference design used for CAPEX and modular compressor sizing.
Number of hours per day during which most fueling occurs (drives required average compressor flow and power).
min 1 · max 24 · step 0.5 · h/day
Pressure available upstream of the station compressor (e.g., grid or upgrading outlet pressure).
min 1 · max 30 · step 0.5 · bar
Calculator context
This calculator provides a pre-feasibility (screening) estimate for a biomethane-to-BioCNG station serving captive fleets or heavy-duty mobility in France/EU conditions. It covers high-pressure compression, storage, dispensing, and auxiliaries, translating a daily BioCNG demand into equipment sizing, electricity use, and levelized costs.
The methodology follows standard project-screening practice (order-of-magnitude sizing, scaled CAPEX, fixed + variable OPEX) and is informed by public references such as the provided report BioGNV agricole et territorial (ADEME/sector actors), and common cost-engineering conventions used by IEA/IRENA/NREL.
1) Demand normalization and design capacity
2) Compressor sizing and power
3) Storage and dispensing check
4) Costing and levelized cost
32 assumptions used in the calculations
Prevents division-by-zero and invalid logarithms in screening calculations.
Market range 1e-9 to 1e-6 (typical numerical guard range)
Converts daily quantities to annual quantities at screening stage.
Market range 365 to 365.25
Used to validate fueling window constraints.
Market range 24
Used to convert fueling window hours to minutes for vehicle throughput estimation.
Market range 60
Converts Nm3 of (bio)methane to kg for demand normalization. BioCNG is assumed to be near-methane after upgrading.
Market range 0.65 to 0.75
Required for ideal-gas isothermal compression work estimate.
Market range 8.314
Representative ambient/packaged-equipment temperature for screening compression work.
Market range 278 to 308
Converts per-mole compression work to per-kg basis.
Market range 0.016 to 0.0161
Converts J/kg to kWh/kg.
Market range 3600000
Aggregates thermodynamic and packaging losses for a simplified isothermal-work approach.
Market range 0.5 to 0.75
Represents typical industrial motor + VFD efficiency in steady operation.
Market range 0.9 to 0.97
Adds a simple overhead to compression energy for packaged station auxiliaries.
Market range 0.05 to 0.2
Represents a smaller packaged compressor module for low-demand stations.
Market range 10 to 30
Matches the report example mentioning a 40 Nm3/h compressor for an agricultural bioGNC station.
Market range 30 to 60
Reference CAPEX for compression+storage+distribution+electrical works for a small station configuration.
Market range 100000 to 300000
Reference CAPEX for an AgriGNV40-like station including module and associated works.
Market range 250000 to 700000
Provides an anchor capacity for scaling the small-station CAPEX reference. Exact throughput is project-specific; this is a screening proxy.
Market range 50 to 150
The report provides an example of 60,000 kg/year maximum distribution; converted to ~164 kg/day for scaling anchor.
Market range 120 to 220
Captures typical sub-linear scaling of installed costs with capacity for modular/process equipment.
Market range 0.55 to 0.85
Prevents unrealistic low specific costs from scaling extrapolation.
Market range 300 to 1500
Prevents unrealistic high specific costs from scaling extrapolation or small-capacity edge cases.
Market range 3000 to 12000
Represents maintenance/servicing intensity relative to CAPEX for small stations at screening stage.
Market range 0.04 to 0.12
Lower fraction reflects moderate economies of scale and more standardized service contracts for a larger reference station.
Market range 0.03 to 0.1
Allows slight reduction of O&M fraction with increasing size (economies of scale).
Market range -0.2 to 0.05
Prevents unrealistically low O&M fractions after scaling.
Market range 0.01 to 0.04
Prevents unrealistic high O&M fractions after scaling at very small capacities.
Market range 0.08 to 0.2
Captures recurring fixed costs (inspections, basic certification/admin) not well represented by a CAPEX fraction alone.
Market range 1000 to 8000
Reflects hotline/availability service, certification, and payment-system fixed costs mentioned for larger stations.
Market range 5000 to 20000
Represents a single-lane/one-dispenser configuration as a screening default.
Market range 1 to 2
The report example includes a single fueling lane for the agricultural configuration.
Market range 1 to 2
Used to estimate queue-time/throughput feasibility. Actual flow depends on cascade, pressure, and protocol.
Market range 0.5 to 3
Approximates working storage needed to smooth short-term demand peaks relative to daily throughput.
Market range 0.1 to 0.6
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