COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BETWEEN LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS (LPG) AND

GASOLINE

Introduction
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG or LP-gas)
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG or LP-gas) consists of propane, propylene, butane, and
butylenes; the product used for domestic heating is composed primarily of propane. This gas,
obtained mostly from gas wells (but also, to a lesser extent, as a refinery by-product) is stored as
a liquid under moderate pressures. There are three grades of LPG available as heating fuels:
commercial-grade propane, engine fuel-grade propane (also known as HD-5 propane), and
commercial-grade butane. LPG is obtained during natural gas and oil extraction, or as a by-
product of being manufactured during the refining of petroleum. Propane, butane, and other
small amounts of other substances are combined to form LPG. Propane and butane mixtures
can be compressed or cooled to a low temperature in order to liquefy them.
The mixture of propane and butane is colorless and odorless (Kapusta, Kalašová, 2015).
There are additional components required in order to detect the LPG leakage. The octane
number of LPG is crucial because it is used as fuel. This number ranges from 106 to 110, making
it higher than an octane number of petrol and, thus, a higher resistance to detonation is
guaranteed, since the ignition moment can be moved closer to the front of the piston’s top
dead center.
Characteristics of LPG
 LPG has higher octane number of about 112, which enables higher compression ratio to be
employed and gives more thermal efficiency
 Due to gaseous nature of LPG fuel distribution between cylinders is improved and smoother
acceleration and idling performance is achieved. Fuel consumption is also better
 Relative fuel combustion of LPG is about ninety percent of that of gasoline by volume
 As LPG is stored under pressure, the LPG tank is heavier and requires more space than gasoline
tank
 LPG system requires more safety. In case of leakage, LPG has tendency to accumulate near
ground as it is heavier than air. This is hazardous as it may catch fire
 LPG has lower carbon content than gasoline or diesel and produces less CO2 which plays a major
role in global warming during combustion
 Volume of LPG required is more by 15 to 20 percent as compared to gasoline
Gasoline

Petroleum is refined into gasoline, which is made up of a blend of hydrocarbons, additives, and blending
agents. The crude oils used, the refinery processes available, the overall balance of product demand, and
the product specifications all have a significant impact on the composition of gasolines. The typical
composition of gasoline hydrocarbons (% volume) is as follows: 4-8% alkanes; 2-5% alkenes; 25-40% iso-
alkanes; 3-7% cycloalkanes; l-4% cycloalkenes; and 20-50% total aromatics (0.5-2.5% benzene) (IARC
1989). Additives and blending agents are added to the hydrocarbon mixture to improve the performance
and stability of gasoline (IARC 1989; Lane 1980). These compounds include anti-knock agents, anti-
oxidants, metal deactivators, lead scavengers, anti-rust agents, anti-icing agents, upper-cylinder
lubricants, detergents, and dyes (IARC 1989; Lane 1980).

Engine classifications

Internal combustion engines can be classified in a number of different ways:

a. Spark Ignition (SI) - An SI engine starts the combustion process in each cycle by use of a spark
plug. The spark plug gives a high-voltage electrical discharge between two electrodes which
ignites the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber surrounding the plug. In early engine
development, before the invention of the electric spark plug, many forms of torch holes were
used to initiate combustion from an external flame.
b. Compression Ignition (CI) - The combustion process in a CI engine starts when the air-fuel
mixture self-ignites due to high temperature in the combustion chamber caused by high
compression.
c. Four-stroke cycle - Four-stroke cycle experiences four piston movements over two engine
revolutions for each cycle.
d. Two-stroke cycle - A two-stroke cycle has two piston movements over one revolution for each
cycle. Three stroke cycles and six-stroke cycles were also tried in early engine development
Assessment in gasoline: