LPG Gas Uses
The world consumption of LP Gas is currently around 180 million tonnes a year. By the year 2001, demand is expected to be approximately 200 million tonnes a year.
LP Gas stands for Liquefied Petroleum Gas and is a mixture of light hydrocarbons which are gaseous at atmospheric temperature and pressure. LP Gas occurs naturally in crude oil and natural gas production fields and is also produced in the oil refining process.
LP Gas's main components are Propane (C3H8) and Butane (C4H10) which interestingly have a different boiling point : -45°C for propane and 0°C for butane. It is not difficult to pinpoint why LP Gas is a popular fuel. It can be readily liquefied for storage and transportation by a modest increase in pressure or by a reduction in temperature. It can thus be moved around like a liquid, but burned like a gas.
Liquefied LP Gas packs a lot of energy into a small space and its vaporisation and therefore, its combustion is efficient. Each kilogramme contains around 12000 kcal of energy.
LP Gas is also today's fuel for a cleaner tomorrow. The absence of sulphur and the remarkably low production of NOx, air toxics and particles during combustion make LP Gas one of the world's most environmentally friendly sources of energy.
LP Gas is the portable fuel. It can bring to users all the benefits of gas as a fuel without any costly infrastructure. Consumers in even the remotest areas can benefit as can mobile users. This 'go anywhere' image of propane and butane developed from the 1930's as bottled gas became increasingly available.
Last but not least, uses for LP Gas are legion. Basically, one can distinguish three main use categories for LP Gas :
* LP Gas as a fuel
* LP Gas as a motor fuel
* LP Gas as chemical feedstock.