<VV> Re: Alternate fuels-corvair conversion

[FrankCB at aol.com]

John,
       My figures included density correction since they were based on energy 
content per GALLON.  The problem comes from the fact that thanks to 
governmental interference (like the EPA and CARB et al.) there are DOZENS of different 
gasoline compositions throughout the USA so gasoline has varying energy 
content, depending on the exact composition you are dealing with.  Even propane as 
commercially sold is not pure C3H8 but also includes small quantities of other 
hydrocarbons (such as butane) which affect the heating value.  Anyway, 
according to "High Performance Automotive Fuels & Fluids", "Propane contains 91,500 
BTU per gallon; gasoline ranges from 113,000 to 147,000 BTU per gallon."   
Therefore, depending on the specific gasoline being considered, a gallon of liquid 
propane has anywhere from 81% to 62% of the heating value of the equivalent 
volume of gasoline.  So I'd say that liquid propane has about 3/4 of the 
heating value of gasoline on a VOLUME basis.
       The same book cited above states that "The majority of propane and LP 
gas in the US comes from natural gas wells and processing plants......"  
"Another one third of US propane is a byproduct of gasoline refining."  So 1/3 DOES 
come from petroleum processing.  Having personally started up a number of 
natural gas wells, I can assure you that the raw gas from these wells is a far 
cry from the purified natural gas delivered to our homes and industries.  One of 
these wells even had 65% carbon dioxide in the raw gas leaving the well.  
Another one had 70,000 ppm of hydrogen sulfide, so dangerous that we had to carry 
gas masks at all times.  But virtually ALL these gas wells contain heavier 
hydrocarbons than the methane (CH4) that is the main product in the gas entering 
our homes.  And that's where the bulk of our propane comes from.
       So propane is a fine fuel for possible conversion IF the economics 
justify its use to replace gasoline.
       Regards,
       Frank "chemically speaking" Burkhard       

In a message dated 8/19/05 9:58:02 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
JVHRoberts at aol.com writes:

> Frank, you need to correct for density. Gasoline is 6.6 pounds per gallon.  
> 
> Propane is only  3.5 pounds per gallon. Meaning, on a weight basis, you  
> only 
> get about half as much fuel per gallon with propane, and about half as much  
> 
> energy per gallon as well. 
> Furthermore, nearly all propane comes from petroleum. Natural gas comes  
> from 
> gas wells. 
>