10/06/2015

CNGvsLPGDifferenceandComparison|Diffen

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CNGvs.LPG

Diffen Science Chemistry

CNGisCompressedNaturalGas,whichismainlymethanecompressedata
pressureof200to248bars.LPGisLiquefiedPetroleumGas,amixtureof
propaneandbutaneliquefiedat15Candapressureof1.77.5bar.Some
variantsofLPGareprimarilypropanesoLPGisoftencolloquiallycalled
propane.CNGischeaperandcleaner,butLPGhasahighercalorificvalue.
Distributioniseasierfornaturalgasoverlongdistancesviapipelines.

Comparison chart
CNG

LPG

Constituents Methane

PropaneandButane

Obtainedfromnaturalgasand

Automaticallygeneratedfromgas

condensatewells,oilwells,coal
Source bedmethanewells.

fieldswhennaturalgasis
extractedfromthereservoir.By
productofcrackingprocess
Ifyoufindthisinformationuseful,pleaseconsiderdisablingyouradblockerforDiffenordonate.
duringcrudeoilrefining.

Uses

Environmental
effects

Substituteforgasolinein
automobiles.

Heatingandcookinginhomes,
refrigeration,industrial,
agricultural,cateringand
automobilefuel.

Releaseslessergreenhousegas.

ReleasesCO2whichisa
greenhousegasbutiscleaner
whencomparedtogasoline.

Itislighterthanairandhence
dispersesquicklyintheeventof
Properties
spillage.

Safety

Easilydisperses,henceriskof
ignitionisminimized.

Highlyinflammable.Itisheavier
thanairandonleakagewillsettle
togroundandaccumulateinlow
lyingareas.
Sinceitisdifficulttodisperserisk
offireismore.

Contents: CNG vs LPG

1Production
2Cost
3Availability
4EnergyProduced
5SafetyandEnvironmentalImpact
6SubstitutingLPGforCNG

http://www.diffen.com/difference/CNG_vs_LPG

8Uses
8.1CNG
8.2LPG
9AdvantagesofusingCNGandLPG
invehicles
9.1CNG
9.2LPG

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7Odorant

CNGvsLPGDifferenceandComparison|Diffen
10DisadvantagesofusingCNGand
LPGinvehicles
10.1CNG
10.2LPG
11References

Production
Naturalgasiscreatedoverhundredsofyearsdeep
withintheearth.Ithastobeextracted(pumpedtothe
surface)andcleanedtoremoveimpuritiesincluding
watertobemarketable.Thebyproductsofnaturalgas
processingareethane,propane,butane,pentaneand
highermolecularweighthydrocarbons.
CloseupofanLPGnozzleusing

LPGismanufacturedduringtherefiningofpetroleum whichLPGisbeingpumpedintoa
(crudeoil),orextractedfrompetroleumornaturalgas car
streamsastheyemergefromtheground.

Cost
CNGisgenerallycheaperthanLPG.However,propaneproducesovertwicetheamount
ofenergythannaturalgas.SoLPGcouldbemorecosteffectivethannaturalgas
dependinguponlocalprices(whichtendtofluctuate).
Here'sanNBCnewsstoryonhowcosteffectiveandconvenientCNGisovergasoline:

Availability
ThereisanextensivedistributionnetworkforbothCNGandLPG.Buttheretail
availabilityofLPGismorecomparedtothatofCNG.CNGdistributionismainlyvia
pipelinenetworksthatrunfromnaturalgasproductionwellstovariousdistribution
centersandfinallyintoresidentialneighborhoodsandcommercialareas.

Energy Produced
LPG,vaporizedandatatmosphericpressure,hasahighercalorificvalue(94MJ/m3or
26.1kWh/m3)thannaturalgas(38MJ/m3or10.6kWh/m3).ThisLPGproducesmore
energythantheequivalentamountofnaturalgas.

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CNGvsLPGDifferenceandComparison|Diffen

Safety and Environmental Impact

AlthoughCNGdoesproducegreenhousegasesuponcombustion,itisamore
environmentallycleanalternativetootherfossilfuelslikegasolineorLPG.CNGisalso
saferthanotherfuelsintheeventofaspillbecausenaturalgas,beinglighterthanair,
dispersesquicklywhenreleased.

Substituting LPG for CNG

BecauseLPGproducesmoreenergythanCNG,itcannotsimplybesubstitutedfor
naturalgas.OnlygasesthathavethesameWobbeindexareinterchangeable.ForLPG
tohavethesameWobbeindexasCNG,ithastobemixedwithair.A60:40ratiofor
LPG:airmixingiscommonbutitdependsuponthecompositionofLPGbecauseLPG
itselfisamixtureofpropaneandbutane.ThismixtureofLPGandairtosubstitute
naturalgasiscalledsyntheticnaturalgas(SNG).UseofSNGiscommonbeforethe
CNGdistributionnetworkisfullyoperational.

Odorant
EthanethiolorethylmercaptaniscommonlyaddedtobothLPGandCNG.Mercaptan
hasafoul,rotteneggsmellthatmakesiteasytodetectgasleaks.

Uses
CNG
Automobiles:Anyvehiclerunningongasolinecanbeconvertedtoabifuel
vehicle(gasoline/CNG).ItinvolvesinstallingaCNGcylinderinthetrunk,
installingtheplumbingsystem,installingCNGinjunctionsystemandthe
electronics.IntheUS,CNGvehicleshavebeenintroducedinawidevarietyof
commercialvehicles,fromlightdutytrucksandsedansliketaxicabstomedium
dutytruckslikeUPSdeliveryvansandpostalvehiclestoheavydutyvehicleslike
transitbuses,streetsweepersandschoolbuses.InCalifornia,transitagencybuses
runonCNG.CocoColaEnterprisesdelivereditsbeveragestoLondonOlympics
Games2012inbiomethanefueledlorries.
Locomotives:NapaWineValleyTrainhasbeenconvertedtoberunwithCNG.
FerroCarrilCentralAndinoinPeruhasbeenrunningafreightlineonCNGrun
locomotivesince2005.Iran,Pakistan,Argentina,BrazilandIndiahavethe
highestnumberofCNGvehiclesrun.

LPG
Heating:LPGisusedanalternativetoheatingoilandelectricityinplaceswhere
thereisnonaturalgaspipeline.
Cooking:LPGisthemostcommoncookingfuelinIndiaandurbanBrazil.
Refrigeration:Gasabsorptionrefrigeratorsandairconditioningsystemsuse
LPG.Butitsuseinmotorvehiclesforairconditioninghasbeendiscourageddue
totheriskoffire.
Automobiles:Alargenumberofvehicles,light,mediumandheavyduty,around
theworldarefueledbyLPG.Thereabout1,600bifuelFordF150pickuptrucks
intheCaliforniastatefleet.Propanefueledforkliftsareusedbothinsideand
outsidewarehousesandatconstructionsites.
ThefollowingvideoshowshowtoconvertacartouseLPGalongwithgasoline.

Advantages of using CNG and LPG in vehicles

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CNGvsLPGDifferenceandComparison|Diffen

CNG
Leadorbenzeneisnotused.Henceleadfoulingofspark
plugsiseliminated.
Naturalgasvehicleshavelowermaintenancecosts
whencomparedwithotherfossilfuelpoweredvehicles.
Thefuelsystemsaresealed.Thispreventsanyspillor
ACNGtankonthetrunk
evaporationlosses.
ofaCNGandgasoline
CNGdoesnotcontaminateordilutethecrankcaseoil
poweredChevyCavalier
thusincreasingthelifeoflubricatingoil.
Theemissionofgreenhousegasesisreduced80%when
comparedtogasolinevehicles.
Naturalgasdisperseseasilyinairandisnotflammable.HenceCNGvehiclesare
saferthangasolinevehicles.
CNGischeaperthangasolineordiesel.

LPG
LPGischeaperthandieselorgasoline.
LPGvehicleshavelowermaintenancecosts.
Ithasloweremissionthangasolineordiesel.
Itisnontoxicandnoncorrosive.
ItrequireslesserspacethanCNGforstorage.

Disadvantages of using CNG and LPG in vehicles

CNG
CNGoccupiesmorespacethangasoline.Additionalspaceinthetrunkofacarorthe
bedofapickuptruckisusedtostoretheCNGtanks.Thisproblemhasbeenmitigated
infactorybuiltCNGvehiclesbyinstallingthetanksunderthevehiclebody,e.g.Fiat
Multipla,FiatPanda,VolkswagenTouranEcofuel,VolkswagenCaddyEcofuel,and
ChevvyTaxi.

LPG
LPGhaslowerenergydensitythangasolineordieselandhencetheequivalent
fuelconsumptionismore.
LPGprovideslessuppercylindervalvelubrication.IfaLPGfueledengineisnot
suitablemodified,itwillleadtovalvewear.
Itdoesnotdisperseeasilyandisreadilyinflammable.

References
WhatisLPG?
wikipedia:Liquefiedpetroleumgas
wikipedia:Compressednaturalgas
NaturalGasSupply

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