Liquefied Petroleum Gas | Advantages, Disadvantages of LPG

Liquefied Petroleum Gas

All of you must be knowing Liquefied Petroleum Gas (also known as LPG), for cooking food.

Do you know it is also used as a automotive fuel in many parts of the world. As like any other fuel it also has some advantages and limitations.

Here, in this article we will try to understand all the pros and cons of Liquefied Petroleum Gas as a automotive fuel. At will also compare it as a fuel with Petrol.

Advantages of LPG

1. It contains very less amount of carbon in it, hence LPG powered vehicles produce almost 50% less CO2 than petrol. However, Nitrogen compounds are comparable to Petrol.
2. It mixes with air at all temperatures.
3. It provides a uniform charge for combustion, in case of multi cylinder engine.
4. It has very high compression ratios.
5. It has very high antiknock characteristics.
6. Its calorific value is almost 80%, compared to that of gasoline. however, its very high octane number compensates the thermal efficiency.
7. Researches prove that Using It saves almost 50% of cost than petrol.
8. The engine may have 50% longer life.
9. Due to absence of carbon deposits, life of spark plug increases.

Disadvantages of LPG

1. It produces 10% less power, compared to petrol, on the same engine.
2.  Its Ignition temperature is higher than that of petrol, it leads to 5% less lifetime of valves.
3. An efficient cooling system is required, since same is used to provide the heat to the LPG vaporizer (convert liquid into Gas).
4. Due to heavy cylinders, used to store LPG, weight of the engine gets increased considerably.
5. A special fuel feed system is required for it.
6. It reduces volumetric efficiency due to high heat of vaporization.
7. Its handling is done under high pressure.
8. Detecting LPG leak is difficult.

Comparison of LPG with Petrol

Apart from above discussion on advantages and disadvantages of LPG, let us also discuss advantages and disadvantages of liquid fuels over solid fuels. Examples of liquid fuel are Petrol (also known as Gasoline), Diesel, LPG etc. Examples of solid fuel is coal, wood etc.

Advantages of Liquid fuels over solid fuels

• It has high efficiency for combustion
• It requires less storage
• Its energy density is high
• It is easy to handle and transport
• Not prone to deterioration under storage
• No presence of ash
• Better control over consumption

Disadvantages of Liquid fuels over solid fuels

• It requires costly containers for transportation and storage
• Its cost is comparatively high

Featured Image: By Kriplozoik – Self-photographed, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4046776