Propane: Your thoughts?

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FlyingAGasoline
I read this interesting article about a propane powered hotrod, and with gas prices here in KS at 2.40 for regular, I thought for a minute that in the future it might be an idea to power my thirsty Biscayne with, because America has large amounts, so it would also lessen dependence on the middle east. I am aware that it is being used in places like london for taxis, and in the USA for company fleet cars. Is propane really more dangerous than gasoline, and where, besides Uhaul or a hardware store would one fill up? What are some more ups and downs of using it as a fuel source?
 
"If installed and maintained correctly, propane no more dangerous than the gasoline in your car, or for that matter, the electricity and natural gas in your house. In fact, in some ways propane is safer than gasoline. Various crash tests have proven that in a car accident your current gasoline tank is much more likely to rupture and catch fire than a propane tank. This is because propane tanks need to be incredibly strong in order to keep the propane in its compressed, liquefied state for storage. These are burly tanks. If you fired a .22 caliber gun at a propane tank at point blank range you might dent it, but it wouldn't break. Gasoline tanks, on the other hand, are made of thin gauge steel or plastic that can be easily punctured and ripped by hand with a screwdriver. Don't ask me how I know this."
 
In Australia we have PLENTY of propane powered cars in Australia, you can even buy new Ford Falcons Gas (Propane) only. The only problems we have with them is when the the cars are stolen and set alight, the bottle makes quite an explosion.

Regualar unleaded roughly $1.15 /litre
Gas (propane) roughly 0.40-0.45 /litre
our petrol stations sell it at the pump.

The gas is consumed quicker but the large price difference makes it worth it.

From experience many people have valve problems from running gas only for long periods of time which has resulted in cylinder head rebuilds. It is recommended to run petrol through the engine from time to time if the engine wasnt specially designed for Gas only.

BTW how come you have a chevy firing order in your sig?
 
Only thing I know about propane is that diesels can also run propane injection systems. I'm not really sure what the benefits are though.
 
VIPERGTSR01
BTW how come you have a chevy firing order in your sig?
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Guess he was waiting for someone to notice. Wasn't that firing order the old hot-rodder's mantra?

Back on topic, excuse me for being a dumbass, but does Propane equal CNG (Compressed Natural Gas)? Because if it does, we've got a couple of buses running on it out here, and people are hoping they'll expand the usage of it, as CNG is available as a local resource (not like Arabian Oil) and is thus easier and cheaper to acquire.
 
menglan
...so it would also lessen dependence on the middle east.
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I think most of your petroleum imports come from Canada, actually.

VIPERGTSR01
Gas (propane) roughly 0.40-0.45 /litre
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In Mexico, propane is so cheap that it's illigal to operate a vehicle on it. (because then everybody would and the government would get no tax money)

VIPERGTSR01
BTW how come you have a chevy firing order in your sig?
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'cause he has a Biscayne?

xcsti
Only thing I know about propane is that diesels can also run propane injection systems. I'm not really sure what the benefits are though.
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It's a catalyst. Some diesels run both propane and nitrous oxide injection.

Takumi Fujiwara
Propane is a clean burning fuel, ah tell ya hwhat. Taste the meat, not the heat.
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I always wonder why Hank doesn't drive a propane powered truck.

niky
Back on topic, excuse me for being a dumbass, but does Propane equal CNG (Compressed Natural Gas)? Because if it does, we've got a couple of buses running on it out here, and people are hoping they'll expand the usage of it, as CNG is available as a local resource (not like Arabian Oil) and is thus easier and cheaper to acquire.
Click to expand...
Nope, natural gas is 90% methane. Propane = LPG (liquified petroleum gas). LPG is a family of light hydrocarbons that also includes butane. I believe when you're driving a propane car, what you want to look for in a gas station is 'autogas'.
The United States does indeed produce about 85% of it's natural gas requirements locally, and the small portion it does import is 95% Canadian.
Again, I think most of your gasoline imports come from here as well, but mostly all I can find is natural gas statistics.
 
Emohawk
In Mexico, propane is so cheap that it's illigal to operate a vehicle on it. (because then everybody would and the government would get no tax money)
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Gas (Propane, LPG) is taxed heavly in Australia (aswell as other fuels, the government doesnt want to lose money) thats why its 45cents/litre.
 
Oh... okay. IF it's LPG, then we have both CNG AND LPG-driven vehicles here. One bonus is you can actually buy LPG from the pump almost anywhere, as gas stations here sell cooking LPG in the tank and by pump, but LPG powered vehicles are very rare.
 
VIPERGTSR01
BTW how come you have a chevy firing order in your sig?
Click to expand...



Well, uh... Because I now have a Chevy firing order telling my car what to do. :)

Thanks for the Input, guys. I was gone a few days to Las Vegas, and noticed that many taxicabs had little blue "propane" stickers on the trunk, so I'll assume they are propane powered. (duh) Also, I found out the hard way when I got breakfast with my dad that a cup of regular coffee on the Las Vegas strip is 3.25. That's even more than gas (in KC), but you do get refills. The coffee wasn't that good either.

So... Propane and natural gas are different, or are both mostly methane?
 
We sell propane at work, yesterday I filled up a guy's truck that was setup to run on gas or propane. He said the fuel mileage isn't quite as good, but he saves about 15% on fuel thanks to propane being $1.99/gallon.
 
The only thing that I've ever driven set up to run on Propane is a Zamboni.
One of the benefits was that it could be driven indoors to re-surface the rink, without the massive carbon monoxide emissions of a gasoline engine.
However, the Zamboni would empty a 20 lb bottle of gas with 2-3 resurfacings.
It used enough gas that we had a tank on the premises to refill the bottles.
 
Oh yeah, Propane can also be used in gas-powered airsoft guns. (The famous "green gas" sold in cans is just propane with some silicone oil (for lubrication) added.)
 

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