From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Liquefied petroleum gas
45 kg LPG cylinders
Liquefied petroleum gas (also called
LPG, GPL, LP Gas, or autogas) is a mixture
of hydrocarbon gases used as a fuel in heat-
ing appliances and vehicles, and increasingly
replacing chlorofluorocarbons as an aerosol
propellant and a refrigerant to reduce dam-
age to the ozone layer.
Varieties of LPG bought and sold include
mixes that are primarily propane, mixes that
are primarily butane, and the more common,
mixes including both propane (60%) and bu-
tane (40%), depending on the season—in
winter more propane, in summer more bu-
tane. Propylene and butylenes are usually
also present in small concentration. A power-
ful odorant, ethanethiol, is added so that
leaks can be detected easily. The internation-
al standard is EN 589.
LPG is synthesised by refining petroleum
or ’wet’ natural gas, and is usually derived
from fossil fuel sources, being manufactured
during the refining of crude oil, or extracted
from oil or gas streams as they emerge from
1
Liquefied petroleum gas
the ground. It was first produced in 1910 by
Dr. Walter Snelling, and the first commercial
products appeared in 1912. It currently
provides about 3% of the energy consumed,
and burns cleanly with no soot and very few
sulfur emissions, posing no ground or water
pollution hazards. LPG has a typical specific
calorific value of 46.1 MJ/kg compared to
42.5 MJ/kg for diesel and 43.5 MJ/kg for
premium grade petrol (gasoline).[1] However,
its energy density per unit volume is lower
than either petrol or diesel.
At normal temperatures and pressures,
LPG will evaporate. Because of this, LPG is
supplied in pressurised steel bottles. In order
to allow for thermal expansion of the con-
tained liquid, these bottles are not filled com-
pletely; typically, they are filled to between
80% and 85% of their capacity. The ratio
between the volumes of the vaporised gas
and the liquefied gas varies depending on
composition, pressure and temperature, but
is typically around 250:1. The pressure at
which LPG becomes liquid, called its vapour
pressure, likewise varies depending on com-
position and temperature; for example, it is
approximately 220 kilopascals (2.2 bar) for
pure butane at 20 °C (68 °F), and approxim-
ately 2.2 megapascals (22 bar) for pure pro-
pane at 55 °C (131 °F). LPG is heavier than
air, and thus will flow along floors and tend
to settle in low spots, such as basements.
This can cause ignition or suffocation haz-
ards if not dealt with.
LPG is a low carbon emitting hydrocarbon
fuel available in rural areas, emitting 19 per-
cent less CO2 per kWh than oil, 30 percent
less than coal and more than 50 percent less
than coal-generated electricity distributed via
the grid. Being a mix of propane and butane,
LPG emits more carbon per joule than pro-
pane and LPG emits less carbon per joule
than butane.
Large amounts of LPG can be stored in
bulk tanks and can be buried underground if
required. Alternatively, gas cylinders can be
used.
As motor fuel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 an alternative fuel
for spark ignition engines. More recently, it
has also been used in diesel engines. Its ad-
vantage is that it is non-toxic, non-corrosive
and free of tetra-ethyl lead or any additives,
and has a high octane rating (108 RON). It
burns more cleanly than petrol or diesel and
is especially free of the particulates from the
latter.
LPG has a lower energy density than
either petrol or diesel, so the equivalent fuel
consumption is higher. Many governments
impose less tax on LPG than on petrol or
diesel, which helps offset the greater con-
sumption of LPG than of petrol or diesel.
As refrigerant
LPG is instrumental in providing off-the-grid
refrigeration, usually by means of a gas ab-
sorption refrigerator.
Blends of pure, dry "isopropane" (refriger-
ant designator R-290a ) and isobutane
(R-600a) have negligible Ozone depletion po-
tential and very low Global Warming Poten-
tial and can serve as a functional replace-
ment for R-12, R-22, R-134a, and other
2
Liquefied petroleum gas
chlorofluorocarbon or hydrofluorocarbon re-
frigerants in conventional stationary refriger-
ation and air conditioning systems.[2]
In motor vehicles
Such substitution is widely prohibited or dis-
couraged in motor vehicle air conditioning
systems, on the grounds that using flam-
mable hydrocarbons in systems originally de-
signed to carry non-flammable refrigerant
presents a significant risk of fire or explo-
sion.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Vendors and advocates of hydrocarbon re-
frigerants 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 hydrocar-
bons.[11][12] One particular test was conduc-
ted by a professor at the University of New
South Wales that unintentionaly tested the
worst case scenario of a sudden and com-
plete refrigerant loss into the passenger com-
partment followed by subsequent ignition. He
and several others in the car sustained burns
to their face, ears, and hands, and several ob-
servers received lacerations from the burst
glass of the front passenger window. [13]
As cooking fuel
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.[14] 76.64% of such households were
from urban India making up 48% of urban In-
dian 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 expan-
sion 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 gov-
ernment grant ("Vale Gás") used exclusively
for the acquisition of LPG.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Truck carrying LPG cylinders to residential
consumers in Singapore
Comparison to natural
gas
LPG has a higher calorific value (94 MJ/m3
equivalent to 26.1kWh/m³) than natural gas
(methane) (38 MJ/m3 equivalent to
3
10.6 kWh/m ), which means that LPG cannot
simply be substituted for natural gas. In or-
der to allow the use of the same burner con-
trols and to provide for similar combustion
characteristics, LPG can be mixed with air to
produce a synthetic natural gas (SNG) that
can be easily substituted. LPG/air mixing ra-
tios average 60/40, though this is widely vari-
able based on the gases making up the LPG.
The method for determining the mixing ratios
is by calculating the Wobbe index of the mix.
Gases having the same Wobbe index are held
to be interchangeable.
LPG-based SNG is used in emergency
backup systems for many public, industrial,
and military installations, and many utilities
use LPG peak shaving plants in times of high
demand to make up shortages in natural gas
supplied to their distributions systems. LPG-
SNG installations are also used during initial
gas system introductions, when the distribu-
tion infrastructure is in place before gas
3
Liquefied petroleum gas
supplies can be connected. Developing mar-
kets in India and China (among others) use
LPG-SNG systems to build up customer bases
prior to expanding existing natural gas
systems.
Fire risk and mitigation
A spherical gas container typically found in
refineries
LPG containers that are subjected to fire of
sufficient duration and intensity can undergo
a boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion
(BLEVE). Due to the destructive nature of
LPG explosions, the substance is classified as
a dangerous good.[15] This is typically a con-
cern for large refineries and petrochemical
plants that maintain very large containers.
The remedy is to equip such containers with
a measure to provide a fire-resistance rating.
If the containers are cylindrical and horizont-
al, they are referred to as "cigars" or
"bullets", whereas circular ones are
"spheres". Large, spherical LPG containers
may have up to a 15 cm steel wall thickness.
Ordinarily, they are equipped with an ap-
proved pressure relief valve on the top, in the
centre. One of the main dangers is that acci-
dental spills of hydrocarbons may ignite and
heat an LPG container, which increases its
temperature and pressure, following the ba-
sic gas laws. The relief valve on the top is de-
signed to vent off excess pressure in order to
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
prevent the rupture of the tank itself. Given a
fire of sufficient duration and intensity, the
pressure being generated by the boiling and
expanding gas can exceed the ability of the
valve to vent the excess. When that occurs,
an overexposed tank may rupture violently,
launching pieces at high velocity, while the
released products can ignite as well, poten-
tially causing catastrophic damage to any-
thing nearby, including other tanks. In the
case of "cigars", a midway rupture may send
two "rockets" going off each way, with plenty
of fuel in each to propel each segment at
high speed until the fuel is spent.
Mitigation measures include separating
LPG tanks from potential sources of fire. In
the case of rail transport, for instance, LPG
tanks can be staggered, so that other goods
are put in between them. This is not always
done, but it does represent a low-cost remedy
to the problem. LPG rail cars are easy to spot
from the relief valves on top, typically with
railings all around.
In the case of new LPG containers, one
may simply bury them, only leaving valves
and armatures exposed, for easy mainten-
ance. Great care must be taken there though,
as mechanical damage can occur to the
primers, which can result in hazardous corro-
sion of the containers. For the buried con-
tainer, only the exposed parts need to be
treated with approved fireproofing materials,
such as intumescent and or endothermic
coatings, or even fireproofing plasters. The
rest are amply protected by soil. Speciality
removable covers exist for easy access to the
dials and components that must be accessed
for proper maintenance and operation of the
equipment.
LPG containers are subject to significant
motion due to expansion, contraction, filling
and emptying; even with very thick steel
walls. This operational motion makes the
burial option less attractive in the long run
because it is difficult to detect mechanical
damage to the outer waterproofing of the
vessel through soil. A small stone scraping
back and forth across the epoxy-painted hull
can jeopardise the waterproofing and be the
cause for corrosion.
Whilst one may calculate and justify on pa-
per the use of inorganic plasters to cover en-
tire spheres, it can be difficult to keep
plasters operable for extended periods of
time. Major errors have also been made in
the past in this field, as the presumption was
4
Liquefied petroleum gas
that the steel substrate would be adequately
protected from rusting through the use of al-
kaline plasters. The alkalinity in such plasters
is due to the presence of cement stone. This
alkalinity, however, does not typically have a
permanent character, which means that wa-
terproofing with high quality epoxy primers
is very important. Also, exterior waterproof-
ing of the plaster is required by some fire-
proofing plaster vendors, as reduced alkalin-
ity in exposed plasters can have a deleterious
effect on the cement stone, which binds the
plaster in the first place. By contrast, the in-
tumescent and endothermic coatings are usu-
ally epoxy based to begin with, meaning that
corrosion of the substrate is no problem
whatsoever.
Fireproofing, not unlike all passive fire
protection products, is subject to stringent
Listing and approval use and compliance.
The problem with this is though, that exterior
structures of this nature are not subject to
the building code or the fire code, meaning
that one still sees the majority of LPG con-
tainers without any fireproofing at all, as
there are often no local regulations, let alone
any Authority Having Jurisdiction, apart from
an insurance inspector, to force owners to
use the proper mitigation methods. Insurance
companies are also in a competitive
quandary, where such items are concerned,
as they compete not only on the basis of
rates, but also on the strictness of the de-
mands by their inspectors. LPG vessel fire-
proofing tests are varied. The only realistic
exposure offered is done at the Braunschweig
test facility of "BAM" Berlin. BAM’s proced-
ure is to expose a small LPG container to the
hydrocarbon test curve and to quantify the
results. North American methods are based
on UL1709. While UL1709 uses the correct
time/temperature curve for testing, it is lim-
ited to testing steel columns (not even
beams), whereas BAM actually exposes a real
LPG container that has been fireproofed. No
matter the fireproofing method one uses, it is
very important to pay close attention to list-
ing and approval use and compliance and to
be sure that the product one chooses has un-
dergone product certification, whereby the
original test included the environmental ex-
posures that the product will be exposed to
during operations. Particularly with organic
products, such as the endothermic and intu-
mescent ones, one must closely review the
ageing criteria and be able to quantify how
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
long the product is expected to be operable
for. This is where UL1709 "shines". Anything
that can withstand the full battery of environ-
mental exposures prior to the actual fire test,
is a very tough product indeed. The idea is to
rule out conditions that may render the
product inoperable before it is ever exposed
to a fire. By using products that have re-
ceived the appropriate environmental tests
FIRST, and the fire expose afterwards, using
the very same test sample with all the applic-
able exposures, one can then demonstrate
due diligence, but not otherwise. Likewise,
the DIBt ageing qualifications for intumes-
cents have proven to be very reliable. With
close attention to the bounding and coverage
of ageing and environmental exposures, it is
absolutely possible to buy a lot of time for
firefighting measures to relieve the LPG con-
tainers of the energy exposure from accident-
al fires and thus reduce the likelihood of a
BLEVE to the maximum possible extent.
If a container bursts, the LPG first spreads
out as a supercooled liquid. This freezes any-
thing within range. Then it boils into the at-
mosphere and become an oxygen-displacing
gas, which asphyxiates any creatures in the
affected radius. This gas spreads out to cover
several hundred times more area than the li-
quid from which it comes. A single tank of
LPG can cause oxygen displacement of many
square miles. At some point this gas is di-
luted by the atmosphere. It will then reach a
point of an ignitable mixture. When this hap-
pens, a fireball of many square miles will con-
sume everything in the area. For this reason,
LPG and LNG facilities are monitored closely.
See also
• Listing and approval use and compliance
• Compressed natural gas (CNG)
• Endothermic
• Filling Carousel
• Fireproofing
• Fire-resistance rating
• Gasoline gallon equivalent
• Hybrid vehicles and Hybrid electric
vehicles
• Intumescent
• Liquefied natural gas (LNG)
• Natural gas
• Passive fire protection
• Product certification
• Underwriters Laboratories
• World LP Gas Association
5
Liquefied petroleum gas
• List of CO2 emitted per million Btu of
energy from various fuels
References
[1] Dipl.-Ing(FH) Horst Bauer, ed (1996).
Automotive Handbook (4th ed.).
Stuttgart: Robert Bosch GmbH. ISBN
0837603331.
[2] European Commission on retrofit
refrigerants for stationary applications
[3] U.S. EPA hydrocarbon-refrigerants FAQ
[4] Compendium of hydrocarbon-refrigerant
policy statements, October 2006
[5] MACS bulletin: hydrocarbon refrigerant
usage in vehicles
[6] Society of Automotive Engineers
hydrocarbon refrigerant bulletin
[7] Shade Tree Mechanic on hydrocarbon
refrigerants
[8] Saskatchewan Labour bulletin on
hydrocarbon refrigerants in vehicles
[9] VASA on refrigerant legality &
advisability
[10] Queensland (Australia) government
warning on hydrocarbon refrigerants
[11] New South Wales (Australia)
Parliamentary record, 16 October 1997
[12] New South Wales (Australia)
Parliamentary record, 29 June 2000
[13] VASA news report on hydrocarbon
refrigerant demonstrations
[14] Indian Census
[15] The Dangerous Substances and
Explosive Atmospheres Regulations.
Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
External links
• AEGPL European LPG Association
• WLPGA World LP Gas Association
• PERC Propane Education & Research
Council
• NPGA National Propane Gas Association,
USA
• The LP Gas Distribution Chain Discover
LP Gas, from its source to your home
(graphic animation)
• PGAC Propane Gas Association of Canada
• LPGSASA LP Gas Safety Association of
South Africa
• Propane 101 Explaining propane and LP
Gas fundamentals
• UKLPG LPG in the UK
• LPG consumer forum UK Forum | Price |
Suppliers | Install | Alternatives
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Liquefied petroleum gas

• Poten & Partners Collection of articles
relating to LPG
• LPG Info Independent Autogas/LPG
information site
• Calor Information from Calor, a UK LPG
supplier
• Rural Fuel Calor gas guide to LPG in the
UK
• Flogas Information from Flogas, a UK LPG
supplier

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Categories: Fuels, Fuel gas, Fossil derived gases, Liquefied petroleum gas

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