Gas

Sheal · Dec 12, 2012

For all you chemistry buffs I have a question please.

We've recently been switched from LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) to Natural gas on the island, can anyone tell me if one actually burns better than the other? The reason I'm asking is my boiler doesn't seem to be giving the same heat output. A friend of mine says she thinks her gas cooker doesn't either.

clueless1 · Dec 12, 2012

Don't know, but cars and vans can be modified to run on LPG with no loss of performance, but you never hear of them being made to run of natural gas (which is methane by the way).

ARMANDII · Dec 12, 2012

Here's some info, Sheal

Marshall Brain

Hi, I’m Marshall Brain with today’s question. When you’re buying gas appliances, why do you always have to specify whether you’re using LPG or natural gas? If you’ve ever shopped for a gas grill, gas fireplace logs, a gas stove or a gas dryer, you know that you’re always asked to specify whether you plan to use it with natural gas or LPG, also known as liquefied petroleum gas. The reason you have to get it right is because LPG and natural gas have very different properties. Natural gas is just that – it’s natural. If you sink a well in the right spot, natural gas flows out of the ground. It’s mostly methane, or CH4.
Liquefied petroleum gas, on the other hand, is a product of crude oil distillation. It contains mostly propane, or C3H8. Propane has a very nice property that when you compress it, it easily condenses into a liquid. This means that it’s much easier to store in a tank than natural gas, which doesn’t compress easily. You can see the difference between natural gas and LPG most easily when you buy a gas stove. Normally, you’re supplied with two sets of jets: one set for natural gas and one set for LPG. You install one jet in each burner. The jet is simply a little screwing cap with a hole drilled in it.
The difference is that the hole in the jet for natural gas is bigger, about twice as big as the hole in the jet for LPG. The reason for this difference is because LPG contains much more energy than natural gas does. A cubic foot of natural gas contains something like 1,000 BTU of energy. A cubit foot of propane contains maybe 2,500 BTU. You can see that if you take a gas appliance set up for natural gas and you run it on LPG, the appliance is gonna run hot. In some appliances, that extra heat is a fire hazard. In others, like a gas grill, it means that the grill is either gonna be way too hot or way too cold if you use the wrong jet.
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Sheal · Dec 12, 2012

Thanks Armandii. It looks like I'll have to turn my boiler up a notch then. The Gas company here said it would be cheaper, but if I have to adjust the boiler I don't think I'll gain anything.

Jack McHammocklashing · Dec 14, 2012

As Armandii posted LPG burns hotter
Now the gas company can charge you the same per cubic meter, but only provide half the heat :-) or 40% to be truthfull

Jack McH

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Gas

Sheal Total Gardener

clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

Sheal Total Gardener

Jack McHammocklashing Sludgemariner

Floppy Agastache

gas price too high

Gasteria in flower or not

wings of Pegasus with fil YouTube videos

Agastachw blackadder changed colour

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Gas

Sheal Total Gardener

clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

Sheal Total Gardener

Jack McHammocklashing Sludgemariner

Floppy Agastache

gas price too high

Gasteria in flower or not

wings of Pegasus with fil YouTube videos

Agastachw blackadder changed colour

Share This Page

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