PROPANE Technical Advantage:

2 (a) SELECTING A FUEL

The Case For PROPANE

In India, industrial customers have a choice of several types of available fuels. These choices include:

These energy sources all have their strong points and weaknesses. Some are not adequate for all energy-related jobs such as fueling water heaters, furnaces, cooking appliances, cooling equipment and cogeneration systems. From a practical standpoint, only Propane Gas, LPG, Natural Gas and Electricity are viable options to satisfy all the applications. But in areas not served by natural gas, only clean-burning Propane Gas can combine Economy, Efficiency and Versatility while meeting all the load-shaping objectives for any business.

COMPARING ENERGY SOURCES

COAL
COAL is abundant and inexpensive, but it is inefficient as an energy source because of the amounts needed to produce energy from it. It is also dirty, hard to handle and highly impractical for any use other than boiler feedstock. Burning coal contributes to the acid rain and “greenhouse effect” problems. It is the least environmentally compatible energy source available today.

ELECTRICITY
ELECTRICITY is a good source of energy, but it has its own limitations. Today, one of its most critical drawbacks is its inability to provide cost-effective energy when it’s needed most. When peak demand for electrical power exceeds the producing capability of an electric generation facility, a load imbalance occurs resulting in either a “brownout” or a “blackout”. The million of tons of coal burned at coal-fired steam plants in the production of electricity emit toxic sulphur and nitrogen oxides- contributors to the greenhouse effect and acid rain.

FUEL OIL
This is a good source of energy, but it does have some drawbacks. Although it can be used fairly efficiently for space heating, Fuel Oil is impractical in just about any other application, such as water heating, drying or air conditioning. Even though some impurities are removed in the refining process, burning fuel oil releases significant amounts of harmful greenhouse gases into the air and contributes to the production of acid rain.

NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS is Propane’s closest relative in the family of hydrocarbon fuels and is an excellent fuel for almost any application. It is economical and efficient to use. It is also clean-burning, and its emissions pose very little environmental threat. However, it is not portable from practical standpoint. Its energy can only be utilized in areas that have a natural gas pipeline system.

LPG
LPG (Propane-Butane combination) is a close relative of Propane. However in terms of vapour pressure, calorific value, dew point, burner-tip costs propane scores much better than LPG. LPG does require the burning of another fuel to generate its energy.

PROPANE
PROPANE gas is also an excellent fuel. One of the most outstanding advantages propane gas has over electricity and even natural gas, is that it can be used Anytime, Anywhere and at the Same Rate no matter what time of the day. Propane is also environmentally safer than the other energy sources. Propane gas is also a “hot” energy source, meaning it does not require the burning of another fuel to generate its energy.

2 (b) Advantages of Propane over LPG

Why does Propane continue to gain popularity as an industrial fuel? Because Propane is more versatile than the other energy sources, even LPG, and can do all the jobs required by the industry.

MORE VAPOUR PRESSURE: There is a higher availability of vapour pressure of Propane at the same temperature compared to LPG to feed the consumption point:

Click here to see the graph table

HIGHER CALORIFIC VALUE: Where the gas consumption is more, the 2% higher calorific value means a lot:

NO CONDENSATION IN WINTER/COLD NIGHTS: Condensation of Propane in Indian weather conditions is totally avoided since the dew point of Propane is much lower and –26 degree centigrade is never reached in almost all places. While in the case of LPG, condensation takes place whenever temperature goes below 14 degree C. This results in choking of pipelines thereby leading to wastage of process time.

Click here to see the graph table

SAVINGS IN VAPORISER COST: Propane being a lighter fuel it's vapour recovery from the storage tank by way of natural vaporisation is almost twice than LPG. e.g at 30% level of a bullet if LPG vapours available by way of natural vaporisation are 30 to 40 Kg/Hr, but in case of Propane at the same conditions one can withdraw as high as 70-80 Kg per Hr.

In view of the above additional energy to vaporise LPG is saved if Propane is used as follows,

1. Latent heat of vaporisation for 1 Kg of LPG = 92 Kcal per Kg.
2. 1 KWH = 840 Kcal per Hr.
3. Sensible heat required is for increase in temperature by 25 dec C. (Cp= 0.544) is 
   15KW
4. at 85% efficiency a vaporiser will consume 145 KW per MT for LPG vaporisation.
5. at Rs.4.50 per KWH vaporisation cost works out to Rs. 650 per MT.

Click here to compare the vaporisation from the Bullet

FREE FROM IMPURITIES: As Propane presently produced in India is from Natural Gas Processing plants there are absolutely no impurities. While in the case of LPG from the oil refineries the presence of high degree of oils, black sludge, heavier have been reported.

NO PRODUCTION LOSS: As Propane is a cleaner fuel there is no production loss due to unnecessary interruption because of impurities choking or condensation taking place in the pipelines and the burners.

FLEXIBILITY: With the system designed for Propane, the flexibility of changeover to LPG is always there. The reverse of using a LPG system for Propane is unfortunately not possible.

THE PROPANE SYSTEM: The system for Propane differs from that of LPG, amongst others, in terms of higher pressure design and lower temperature suitability.