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Uses
Rural heating
Predominantly in Europe and rural parts of the United States, LPG
can provide an alternative to electricity and heating oil (kerosene).
LPG is most often used where there is no access to piped natural
gas.
LPG can be used as a power source for combined heat and power
technologies (CHP). CHP is the process of generating both
electrical power and useful heat from a single fuel source. This
technology has allowed LPG to be used not just as fuel for heating
and cooking, but also for de-centralised generation of electricity.
LPG can be stored in a variety of ways. LPG, as with other fossil
fuels, can be combined with renewable power sources to provide
greater reliability while still achieving some reduction in CO2
emissions.
Motor fuel
When LPG is used to fuel internal combustion engines, it is often
referred to as autogas or auto propane. In some countries, it has been
used since the 1940s as a petrol alternative for spark ignition engines.
Two recent studies have examined LPG-fuel-oil fuel mixes and found
that smoke emissions and fuel consumption are reduced but
hydrocarbon emissions are increased.[5][6] The studies were split on
CO emissions, with one finding significant increases,[5] and the other
finding slight increases at low engine load but a considerable decrease
at high engine load.[6] Its advantage is that it is non-toxic,
non-corrosive and free of tetra-ethyl lead or any additives, and has a
high octane rating (102-108 RON depending on local specifications). It
burns more cleanly than petrol or fuel-oil and is especially free of the
particulates from the latter.
LPG has a lower energy density than either petrol or fuel-oil, so the
equivalent fuel consumption is higher. Many governments impose less
LPG filling connector on a car
tax on LPG than on petrol or fuel-oil, which helps offset the greater
consumption of LPG than of petrol or fuel-oil. However, in many
European countries this tax break is often compensated by a much higher annual road tax on cars using LPG than on
cars using petrol or fuel-oil. Propane is the third most widely used motor fuel in the world. 2008 estimates are that
over 13 million vehicles are fueled by propane gas worldwide. Over 20 million tonnes (over 7 billion US gallons) are
used annually as a vehicle fuel.
Not all automobile engines are suitable for use with LPG as a fuel. LPG provides less upper cylinder lubrication than
petrol
or
diesel,
as
a
Refrigeration
LPG is instrumental in providing off-the-grid refrigeration, usually by means of a gas absorption refrigerator.
Blended of pure, dry propane (refrigerant designator R-290 ) and isobutane (R-600a) the blend"R-290a"has
negligible ozone depletion potential and very low global warming potential and can serve as a functional
replacement for R-12, R-22, R-134a,and other chlorofluorocarbon or hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants in conventional
stationary refrigeration and air conditioning systems.[7]
Such substitution is widely prohibited or discouraged in motor vehicle air conditioning systems, on the grounds that
using flammable hydrocarbons in systems originally designed to carry non-flammable refrigerant presents a
significant risk of fire or explosion.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]
Vendors and advocates of hydrocarbon refrigerants argue against such bans on the grounds that there have been very
few such incidents relative to the number of vehicle air conditioning systems filled with hydrocarbons.[16][17] One
particular test was conducted by a professor at the University of New South Wales that unintentionally tested the
worst case scenario of a sudden and complete refrigerant loss into the passenger compartment followed by
subsequent ignition. He and several others in the car sustained minor burns to their face, ears, and hands, and several
observers received lacerations from the burst glass of the front passenger window. No one was seriously injured.[18]
Cooking
According to the 2001 Census of India, 17.5% of Indian households or 33.6
million Indian households used LPG as cooking fuel in 2001, which is supplied
to their homes by Indian Oil which is known as Indane.[19] 76.64% of such
households were from urban India making up 48% of urban Indian households as
compared to a usage of 5.7% only in rural Indian households. LPG is subsidised
by the government. Increase in LPG prices has been a politically sensitive matter
in India as it potentially affects the urban middle class voting pattern.
LPG was once a popular cooking fuel in Hong Kong; however, the continued
expansion of town gas to buildings has reduced LPG usage to less than 24% of
residential units.
LPG is the most common cooking fuel in Brazilian urban areas, being used in
virtually all households. Poor families receive a government grant ("Vale Gs")
used exclusively for the acquisition of LPG.
Security of supply
Because of the natural gas and the oil-refining industry, Europe is almost self-sufficient in LPG. Europe's security of
supply is further safeguarded by:
a wide range of sources, both inside and outside Europe;
a flexible supply chain via water, rail and road with numerous routes and entry points into Europe;
As of early 2008, world reserves of natural gas from which most LPG is derived stood at 6,342.411 trillion
cubic feet. Added to the LPG derived from cracking crude oil, this amounts to a major energy source that is virtually
untapped and has massive potential. Production continues to grow at an average annual rate of 2.2%, virtually
assuring that there is no risk of demand outstripping supply for the foreseeable future.
Environmental effects
Commercially available LPG is currently derived from fossil fuels. Burning LPG releases CO2, an important
greenhouse gas, contributing to global warming. LPG does, however, release less CO2 per unit of energy than that of
coal or oil. It emits 81% of the CO2 per kWh produced by oil, 70% of that of coal, and less than 50% of that emitted
by coal-generated electricity distributed via the grid. Being a mix of propane and butane, LPG emits less carbon per
joule than butane but more carbon per joule than propane.
LPG can be considered to burn more cleanly than heavier molecule hydrocarbons, in that it releases very few
particulates.
References
[1] "Liquefied Petroleum Gas Specifications and Test Methods" (https:/ / www. gpaglobal. org/ publications/ view/ id/ 36/ ). Gas Processors
Association. . Retrieved 5/18/2012.
[2] "ASTM D1835 - 11 Standard Specification for Liquefied Petroleum (LP) Gases" (http:/ / www. astm. org/ Standards/ D1835. htm). American
Society for Testing & Materials. .
[3] 49CFR173.315(b)(1)Note 2
[4] Horst Bauer, ed. (1996). Automotive Handbook (4th ed.). Stuttgart: Robert Bosch GmbH. pp.238239. ISBN0-8376-0333-1.
[5] Zhang, Chunhua; Bian, Yaozhang; Si, Lizeng; Liao, Junzhi; Odbileg, N (2005). "A study on an electronically controlled liquefied petroleum
gas-diesel dual-fuel automobile". Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering 219 (2):
207. doi:10.1243/095440705X6470.
[6] Qi, D; Bian, Y; Ma, Z; Zhang, C; Liu, S (2007). "Combustion and exhaust emission characteristics of a compression ignition engine using
liquefied petroleum gasfuel-oil blended fuel". Energy Conversion and Management 48 (2): 500. doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2006.06.013.
[7] "European Commission on retrofit refrigerants for stationary applications" (http:/ / ec. europa. eu/ environment/ ozone/ pdf/
hcfc_technical_meeting_summary. pdf) (PDF). . Retrieved 30 July 2009.
[8] "U.S. EPA hydrocarbon-refrigerants FAQ" (http:/ / www. epa. gov/ ozone/ snap/ refrigerants/ hc12alng. html). United States Environmental
Protection Agency. . Retrieved 30 July 2009.
[9] Compendium of hydrocarbon-refrigerant policy statements, October 2006 (http:/ / www. vasa. org. au/ pdf/ memberlibrary/ hydrocarbons/
hc_white_paper. pdf)
[10] "MACS bulletin: hydrocarbon refrigerant usage in vehicles" (http:/ / www. autoacforum. com/ MACS/ HCwarning. pdf) (PDF). . Retrieved
30 July 2009.
[11] "Society of Automotive Engineers hydrocarbon refrigerant bulletin" (http:/ / www. sae. org/ news/ releases/ 05hydrocarbon_warning. htm).
Sae.org. 27 April 2005. . Retrieved 30 July 2009.
[12] "Shade Tree Mechanic on hydrocarbon refrigerants" (http:/ / www. shadetreemechanic. com/ cc_hydrocarbon_refrigerants. htm).
Electromechanics.com. 27 April 2005. . Retrieved 30 July 2009.
External links
WLPGA (http://www.worldlpgas.com) World LP Gas Association
PERC (http://www.propanecouncil.org) Propane Education & Research Council
NPGA (http://www.npga.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1) National Propane Gas Association, USA
Propane 101 (http://www.propane101.com) Explaining propane and LP Gas fundamentals
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