Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 21:24:24 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET>
Subject: Re: Propane Fueled Turbo Diesel Injection
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Another advantage to propane is that because it burns more cool than gasoline you can run higher compression ratios. I used to run with some guys that had propane carbs on their 4x4's and they could run domestic(American) V-8's at 11.5:1 compression on propane with no problems. The draw back is finding a place to put the fuel tank, and of course putting up with the stench from the additive put in to help identify leaks.
Mark
Dennis Haynes wrote:
>
> So where is propane cheap?
Hi Dennis,
It's cheap in Europe.
Unlike gasoline (petrol) and Diesel fuel, which are both
heavily taxed in the UK, propane carries a very low rate of
tax. Partly this is because there is a glut of the gas that
is an unwanted by-product of oil extraction from the North
Sea oil fields, partly because using this gas instead of
gasoline or Diesel fuel results in lower CO2 emissions**.
The cost advantage is huge. Propane costs about half the
price of unleaded 95 octane fuel. It has a slightly lower
calorific value (an index of its ability to produce heat and
therefore power) so you burn slightly more, say about 15%.
Propane-fuelled vehicles are therefore in demand and several
manufacturers now offer them in the car showrooms, They
will also run on 95 octane gasoline so you needn't worry
about running out of gas - only about a third of UK gas
stations sell propane.
In a Vanagon a storage tank can be fitted under the vehicle,
under the back bench seat or in place of the spare tire.
What you do with the spare tire is a moot point!
To give an idea about prices, 95 octane unleaded costs about
GBP 0.75 per litre or about GBP 3.00 per US gallon. That's
US $4.80 per US gallon, which is the highest gasoline price
in the Western world. So any saving is worthwhile.
Propane costs from GBP 0.35 to 0.38 per litre or about GBP
1.50 per US gallon (US $2.40). Add 15% for the extra fuel
you need because of the lower calorific value, and that
comes to about US $1.72 (US $2.75). So the saving is $4.80
minus $2.75 which is over two bucks a gallon.
In mainland Europe, Diesel fuel costs a lot less than
gasoline so there is less incentive to use propane. It is
used in some city buses (along with LNG) to reduce harmful
exhaust emissions in densely populated areas.
Tony
================
** Lower CO2 emissions help the UK to fulfil its
international obligations under the Kyoto Protocol on global
warming and climate change. Americans have no such
obligations because your esteemed President Bush refused to
ratify the Kyoto Protocol despite the Clinton Administration
having previously signed it. The USA has only 5% of the
world's population but produces over 25% of the world's
greenhouse gas emissions.