Here is an essay on ‘Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)’ for class 9, 10, 11 and 12. Find paragraphs, long and short essays on ‘Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)’ especially written for school and college students.
Essay on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)
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Essay Contents:
- Essay on the Introduction to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)
- Essay on the Characteristics of LPG
- Essay on the Emissions from LPG Cars
- Essay on the Emissions from LPG Two/Three Wheelers
- Essay on the Fuel Price and Supply of LPG
Essay # 1. Introduction to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG):
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), at present the most wide spread of gaseous fuels, powers an estimated six million vehicles in several countries, notably Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Thailand and the United States. LPG as an auto fuel was launched in Europe and Japan about 40 years ago. The largest number of LPG vehicles, over 1.2 million are in Italy.
As a fuel for gasoline engines, it has many of the same advantages as natural gas with the additional advantage of being easier to carry aboard the vehicle. Its major disadvantage is the limited supply, which rules out any large-scale conversion to LPG fuel in many countries.
Countries which use natural gas for residential heating and domestic cooking tend to have lower LPG demand for these purposes. For example, 38 percent of natural gas in Italy is consumed by the commercial and residential sector. Domestically produced LPG is then available for use as auto fuel. This is one of the reasons for large number of LPG vehicles in Italy.
LPG is very popular in Asian countries, including Japan, Thailand and the Republic of Korea. Many three-wheeler autos in Asian countries were converted to LPG. Most of the LPG fueled 2 and 3 wheelers and cars in India are gasoline fueled vehicles retrofitted with LPG kits, although there are few LPG fueled original vehicles. Maruti has been making LPG-fueled vans in India. Nissan and Toyota in Japan, Hyundai in Korea and Ford in U.S.A manufacture original LPG-fueled vehicles.
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Essay # 2. Characteristics of L
PG:
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LPG is typically a mixture of several gases in varying proportions. Major constituent gases are propane (C3H8) and butane (C4H10), with minor quantities of propene (C3H6) and butene (C4H8), iso-butane and small amounts of ethane (C2H6). The composition of commercial LPG is quite variable. Since propane has superior knock resistance (with an octane number of 112), it is preferred over butane for use as transportation fuel.
In colder climates, LPG has a higher proportion of propane and propene (as high as 100 percent) in order to provide adequate vapour pressure in winter, while in warmer countries LPG consists of mostly butane and butenes. Being a gas at normal temperature and pressure, LPG mixes readily with air in any proportion. Cold starting is not a problem and therefore cold start enrichment is not necessary with LPG as a transport fuel.
At moderate pressure (100 psi to 300 psi), propane and butane condense to liquids, making it easier to store and transport. Hence LPG has many of the storage and transport advantages of liquid fuels viz., gasoline and diesel along with the fuel characteristic advantages of natural gas viz., higher octane value and lower carbon atoms in its molecule.
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Essay # 3. Emissions from LPG Cars
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The benefit of using LPG as an automotive fuel is its much lower emissions when compared to gasoline and diesel. On energy basis, LPG has a lower carbon content than gasoline or diesel fuel. Hence LPG fueled vehicles have lower CO, CO2 and PM emissions than gasoline fueled vehicles. CO emissions are 25 to 80 percent lower. NOx emissions are slightly higher than gasoline fueled vehicles due to higher flame temperatures, but significantly less than diesel vehicles. HC emission may be the same as gasoline-fueled vehicles.
LPG vehicles do not emit SO2. Due to gas-tight seals required on the fuel system, evaporative emissions are negligible in LPG fueled vehicles. The emission results observed during a study conducted by South West Research Institute in U.S.A on a gasoline car with gasoline and three different conversion kits are indicated in Table 7.4.
The above results show that different LPG kits could result in different emission values from the same car. However the above study indicates that the NOx emissions increased in LPG vehicles fitted with all kits compared to gasoline vehicles. Modern spark ignition LPG-fueled engines equipped with a three-way catalyst can easily meet Euro-3 standards.
Essay # 4. Emissions from LPG Two/Three Wheelers
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Most of the two wheelers in India are powered by two- stroke gasoline engines. The inherent design of two-stroke engines are responsible for higher HC and PM emissions. Mashelkar Committee reported the exhaust emissions from small 2-stroke gasoline and LPG two wheelers. The details are indicated in Table 7.5.
It can be seen from Table 7.5, that particulates are high in two stroke two wheelers irrespective of the fuel used basically on account of the combustion of engine oil along with the fuel. Only NOx emissions are less in LPG vehicles compared to gasoline vehicles.
Essay # 5. Fuel Price and Supply
of LPG:
LPG is produced in the extraction of heavier liquids from natural gas and as a by-product in petroleum refining. LPG supply exceeds the demand in many petroleum refining countries, so the price is low compared with other hydrocarbons. Depending on the locale, the additional costs of storing and transporting LPG may more than offset this advantage.
Because the supply of LPG is limited (about 5-10 percent of the amount of petroleum products produced and about 3 percent of the natural gas extracted), and small in relation to other hydro carbon fuels, any large scale conversion of vehicles to LPG use causes LPG prices to rise. For this reason, LPG conversions makes sense only for vehicles operating in congested city centers like three wheeler autos, taxis and city buses.
A review of the countries using LPG as alternative fuel reveals that the driving force behind the LPG vehicle commercialisation, (except in the case of South Korea), has been the easy availability of LPG either within the country or from a major export market located next door along with natural gas being an established domestic fuel.
LPG costs less where it is produced, but becomes substantially costlier than gasoline and diesel fuels when it is required to be transported over long distances, overseas or inland, requiring high cost storage and transportation infrastructure.
For this reason, in countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Iran which are net exporters of the fuel or in countries like Italy, Turkey, Netherlands and Poland which are located in the close vicinity of the major export markets, cost effectiveness of LPG makes it a normal fuel rather than an alternative fuel.
India is neither an LPG exporting country, nor located in the vicinity of major LPG exporting countries. In India, LPG is the main domestic fuel. The indigenous availability of LPG is expected to fall much short of the house hold demand alone. LPG is not a competitive auto fuel in India. If LPG is to be made competitive as an auto fuel in India, it will be necessary to have government support by way of substantially lower taxation and subsidies.
Even though India will continue to be substantially dependent on imported crude oil, it has built sufficient refining capacity so as to be marginally surplus in all petroleum products, except LPG. On the basis of the current usage pattern, this position is unlikely to change.
According to Mashelkar Committee, the FOB cost of LPG is almost equal to that of gasoline at the producer’s/suppliers end but when overseas and inland transportation costs, multi point storage costs etc., are added, LPG becomes substantially costlier. In India, switching over to auto LPG would entail additional costs to the economy.
Mashelkar Committee concluded that “the cost of upgrading gasoline to Euro-3 equivalent specifications for the entire country would be substantially lower than the cost that would need to be incurred to meet the auto LPG demand of about 25 metropolitan cities having population of over one million”.
At 2001-2002 average international prices, a kg of gasoline costs Rs 17.70, while LPG costs Rs 27.70 in Delhi. Today, in Delhi, LPG is costing Rs 33.30 per kg and gasoline Rs41.20 per kg due to substantially lower customs and excise duty and sales tax.
For Auto LPG to be competitive with gasoline, the Central and State governments would need to forego substantial excise and sales tax revenues. Hence to make the use of LPG competitive and sustainable, support of the Central and State governments by way of lower duties and taxes would be necessary.