Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 21:45:49 -0700
Reply-To: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM>
Subject: Re: Propane power...anyone know about that?
In-Reply-To: <AANLkTi=eyn9oxdDUX8W4FdFK=NVLj14pjDKn0ixXHEQr@mail.gmail.com>
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As I understand it:
LPG can be either propane or butane or a mixture of the two. Difference is
the boiling point, or vaporization temperature. I live in Phx, and if I
purchase LPG, it is going to be mostly butane, which vaporizes at something
above freezing. If it is cold out, you can pretty much toss a lit match in
a puddle of butane and it will not burn, cause there is little or no
flammable vapor.
Propane vaporizes at something below 0'F, and is what you usually get when
you purchase LPG in a colder climate. Other than the vaporization
temperature, the two are pretty much interchangeable. If you are in a warm
climate and heading to a cold climate, purchase "propane" rather than LPG.
I used to use a lot of propane when flying hot air balloons; we tended to
avoid the LPG situation because we really wanted that flame to stay lit if
we were flying in cold weather!
Natural gas is a by product of oil drilling, and is also a petroleum
product, but it not created in a cracking process, but is naturally
occurring. It is what you see burning off at the tops of oil wells (no, I
don't know why they don't capture it). Natural gas has less energy per unit
than does propane or butane, and must use a different size orifice for
proper combustion, at least in a barbecue, and I assume that is also the
case in automobile engines, though I cannot swear to that.
All of the above fuels are petroleum products. They give off carbon dioxide
and carbon monoxide, just as does gasoline. They do tend to burn cleaner
than does gas, though I am not expert enough to tell you why or how much
cleaner.
You now know what I know.
Karl Wolz
|-----Original Message-----
|From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
|Don Hanson
|Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 9:12 PM
|To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
|Subject: Re: Propane power...anyone know about that?
|
| So there are two kinds of gas...as Propane type stuff is called in other
|countries... There is LPG and Natural Gas? Different stuff? And you can
|use these two interchangably? Or not? The Canadian fellow who's site was
|posted by another responder to this question...his vanagon's sound really
|interesting...Flip of the switch on the dash and go onto non-gasoline
|fuel...LPG or Natural Gas, I don't know which he talks about, but it's more
|economical in Canada for him..I think.
|
| He also says his vanagons run about the same on either fuel.
|Interesting. I'd like to hear more about all this..can we?
|
| Don Hanson
|
|On Tue, Aug 17, 2010 at 7:59 PM, <mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:
|
|> ---- Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
|> It's probably cleaner and it doesn't
|> > come from import or get drilled out of our oceans, leaving a big
|> mess..Just
|> > curious..
|>
|> Don, the other name for this product is LPG, or Liquefied Petroleum Gas.
|> It is from petroleum. Natural gas is cleaner than gasoline or diesel.
|LPG
|> probably burns cleaner than gasoline and diesel, but it does come from
|the
|> same sources as gasoline and diesel. I think there is not a lot of
|interest
|> in LPG vehicles now, but natural gas vehicles are being built and driven.
|A
|> company here in Oklahoma has its whole fleet converted -- guess who?
|> Chesapeake Natural Gas. DMc
|>
|> > Don Hanson
|>
|> --
|> David McNeely
|>
| 
