What is LPG | Liquified Petroleum Gas | What is LPG Gas – LP Gas

What is LPG – What is Liquified Petroleum Gas LPG – LP Gas

What is LPG? Liquefied Petroleum Gas – LPG (LP gas) describes flammable hydrocarbon gases including propane, butane and mixtures of these gases. Liquefied through pressurization, it comes from natural gas processing, where it is LPG in gas, and oil refining. It is used as heating, cooking and auto fuel.

It is also used indoors in homes and outdoors for BBQs, camp stoves and many other applications.

There are a number of fuel gases that fall under the LPG products label, including propane, butane (n-butane) and isobutane (i-butane), as well as mixtures of these gases. LPG+gas describes this combination of constituent gases. They are also referred to as natural gas liquids or NGLs.

The gas is colourless and odourless until an odorant is added for safety reasons. When compressed, it takes liquid form, and when burnt it has a high energy content. It can be conveniently stored and transported and is an excellent fuel for heating, cooking, and many other applications.

In different countries, the gases supplied can be propane, butane or propane-butane blends.
In Australia, it is just propane. To explain, propane is LPG but not all LPG is propane.

What is LPG Gas? LP Gas

LPG gas (LP gas) is liquified petroleum gas and the most common terminology used in Australia. The gas constituents include either propane, butane or a mixture of the two, as it is a hydrocarbon fuel gas. It is stored in gas tanks and delivered in gas bottles or by tanker truck.

LPG Compound

LPG consists of flammable hydrocarbons containing either three or four carbon atoms combined with hydrogen atoms. The typical constituents are propane (C₃H₈) and/or butane (C₄H₁₀). Isobutane may also be present.

It combusts easily in air and has a higher energy content than natural gas (methane).

LPG Gas Fuel – LPG Fuel – Constituent Gases in LPG

LPG fuel is not just a single gas. LPG gas fuel (LPG fuel) is a mixture of flammable hydrocarbon gases, typically propane, butane and or isobutane. LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas) is typically used as gas fuel for heating, cooking, hot water and various commercial applications.

There are a number of gases that fall under this category.

The most common of these include propane, butane (n-butane) and isobutane (i-butane), as well as mixtures of these gases.

Other gases that also fall under the “LPG” label, including ethane, ethylene, propylene, butylene and isobutylene, as well as mixtures of these gases.

In Australia, it is propane.

In the USA it is also propane and they just call it “propane”.

In New Zealand, it is a mixture of propane and butane.

In the UK, consumers have choices.  It is referred to as either propane, butane or a blend, depending on what gas is present in the customer’s choice.

What is LPG – Define LPG – Summary:

LPG – Liquefied petroleum gas or liquid petroleum gas (LP gas) – is primarily the flammable hydrocarbon gases propane and butane used as fuel for gas heaters, cookers and vehicles. It is also referred to as “bottled gas”.

To explain, there are a number of fuel gases that fall under the category label, including propane, butane (n-butane) and isobutane (i-butane), as well as mixtures of these gases and are also referred to as natural gas liquids – NGL.

Liquified Petroleum Gas – LPG in Summary:

1. LPG (or LP Gas) is the acronym for Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Liquid Petroleum Gas.
2. It is made up of a group of flammable hydrocarbon gases that are liquefied through pressurisation and commonly used as fuel.
3. It is LPG in gas as it comes from natural gas processing and petroleum refining.
4. The gases can all be compressed into liquid at relatively low pressures.
5. It is frequently used for fuel as heating gases, cooking, hot water and vehicles, as well as for refrigerants, aerosol propellants and petrochemical feedstock.
6. It is generally stored, as a liquid, in steel vessels ranging from small BBQ gas bottles to larger gas cylinders and gas storage tanks.
7. It is mixture of flammable hydrocarbon gases that include propane, butane, isobutane and mixtures of the three gases.

The following short video (8:29) explains all of the basics…

LPG Attributes Table

Note: Some numbers have been rounded.

LPG Meaning – Liquified Petroleum Gas – LPG – What Does LPG stand for?

LPG meaning is liquefied petroleum gas, as it is the acronym for Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Liquid Petroleum Gas.

Other names include bottled gas, LP gas, Autogas (when used as vehicle fuel), BBQ gas or camping gas.

LPG – LPG Gas – LP Gas – LPG Gas Meaning

LPG, LPG Gas and LP Gas all have the same meaning and describe one in the same product.

LPG Gas is the RAS syndrome equivalent, where RAS stands for redundant acronym syndrome, as the ‘G’ in LPG already stands for ‘Gas’.

LPG and LP Gas just remove the redundancy.

LPG Gas – Propane – Terminology Can Depend on the Country

Propane is an LPG gas but not all LPG gas is propane.

LPG is probably the most common term used worldwide.

In Australia, it is frequently called “LPG gas”.

In the USA it is just called Propane.

In the UK, it is referred to as either propane, butane or LPG, depending on what you choose.

In other countries, they call it “GPL” or “GLP” instead of “LPG”, as the acronyms are based on different languages and different language syntax.

For example, in French it is “gaz de pétrole liquéfié” or in Spanish it is “gas licuado de petróleo”.

How is LPG Made?  LPG in Gas

LPG is made during natural gas processing and crude oil refining. It is separated from unprocessed natural gas using refrigeration, where it is LPG in gas. It is extracted from heated crude oil using a distillation tower. It can be used as is or further separated into its three primary parts: propane, butane and isobutane.

It is stored pressurised, as a liquid, in cylinders or tanks.

What is LPG Made Of?

LPG – Liquefied petroleum gas or liquid petroleum gas constituents include propane or butane, both flammable hydrocarbon gases used as fuel for heating gases, cooking and vehicular fuel. Propane and butane are made up of multiple carbon and hydrogen atoms whilst natural gas is made up of lighter methane, the simplest carbon and hydrogen molecule.

LPG is comprised primarily of propane and butane heating gases, whilst the natural gas primary constituent is methane. It is made up of a group of flammable hydrocarbon gases that are liquefied through pressurisation and commonly used as fuel. Natural gas is liquefied cryogenically.

It is made up of a number of gases under the LPG label, including propane, butane, isobutane and mixtures of these gases and are also referred to as natural gas liquids – NGL.

How is LPG Stored?

LPG (LP gas) is stored in pressure vessels. It is stored in steel vessels ranging from small BBQ gas bottles to larger gas cylinders and tanks. As such, it is almost always stored in its liquid form.

These can range from small camping cannisters to BBQ gas bottles to larger gas cylinders and much larger LPG tanks or bullets.

Storage depots may consist of very large storage spheres, known as Horton Spheres (see accompanying image).

It can also be stored underground in specially built or prepared caverns.

LPG in Gas – Where Does LPG Come From?

LPG in gas is a good description of it, being a constituent of natural gas. It is stripped from in raw natural gas, during natural gas processing, using refrigeration. It is also sourced from crude oil refining using a distillation tower.

It initially comes from drilling oil and gas wells, where it is LPG in gas.

LPG (LP gas) products are found naturally in combination with other hydrocarbon fuels, typically crude oil and natural gas.

It is produced into its final form during natural gas processing and crude oil refining.

It is a fossil fuel that does not occur in isolation.

It is isolated, liquefied through pressurisation and stored in pressure vessels, like gas bottles.

Refining LPG from Oil and Gas

LPG is produced during natural gas processing and petroleum refining. Propane does not occur naturally in isolation.

Its processing involves separation and collection of the gas from its natural gas and crude oil base. It is isolated from the hydrocarbon mixtures by separation from the natural gas or by refining of the crude oil.

Both processes begin by drilling oil wells. The gas/oil mixture is piped out of the well and into a gas trap, which separates the stream into crude oil and “wet” gas, which contains LPG (LP gas) and natural gas.

The heavier crude oil sinks to the bottom of the trap and is then pumped into an oil storage tank for refining. Crude oil undergoes a variety of refining processes, including the use of distillation towers (see image), catalytic cracking, crude distillation, and others.

The “wet” gas, off the top of the gas trap, is processed to separate the gasoline (petrol) from the natural gas and LPG.

The natural gas, which is mostly methane, is piped to towns and cities for distribution by gas utility companies. The petrol is shipped to service stations.

The gas is stored, under pressure, in various sized cylinders and storage tanks. The LPG fuel also enters the distribution network, where it eventually finds its way to end users, including home and commercial LPG users all around Australia and the world.

At the point of use it once again becomes a gas.

LPG & Natural Gas Liquids – NGLs

The typical constituent gases – propane and butane – are regarded as Natural Gas Liquids – NGLs.

However, not all NGLs are LPG.

Natural gas liquids, also called Condensate, include other hydrocarbons, too.

Interestingly, LNG – liquefied natural gas – is NOT a natural gas liquid.

What are Natural Gas Liquids – NGLs?

Raw natural gas, as it comes out of the ground, contains a number of gases and compounds, as well as impurities.

However, it is predominantly methane (CH₄) gas, which is more commonly known as natural gas.

The raw natural gas must be processed to obtain pipeline quality clean, dry natural gas (methane), including the removal of impurities.

NGLs – Natural Gas Liquids – or condensate are the heavier hydrocarbons that remain after the methane (natural gas) and impurities are removed.

NGLs include isobutane, ethane, ethene, propene, isobutene, butadiene, pentane, pentene and pentanes plus, as well as propane and butane, where it is LPG in gas liquids.

Natural gas liquids (NGL) range from 1% to 10% of the raw natural gas flow.

What is LPG Used For?

LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) is used in your home, including cooking, heating, hot water, Autogas, aerosol propellant, air conditioning refrigerant and back-up generator applications. When used in your home it is typically supplied in 45kg LPG gas bottles.

LPG – Liquefied Petroleum Gas – has hundreds, if not thousands, of uses including hot air balloons
It is used in leisure time activities including caravans, boats, recreational vehicles and camping.

Business and industry use LPG fuel for a multitude of processes including steam boilers, kilns, ovens and gas forklifts.

It is also employed as a propellant, refrigerant, vehicle fuel and petrochemical feedstock.

Crop and produce drying, heating greenhouses, hot water for dairies, irrigation pumps and heating animal enclosures are just some of the agricultural applications.

LPG fuel for transport is also a big user as Autogas. Autogas can be either propane or propane mixed with butane to fuel various vehicle types.

There are also many, many more applications, including power generation and the hospitality industry.

Transporting LPG Gas

LPG (LP gas) is a versatile, transportable, low carbon fuel.

Using it requires very little infrastructure, which makes it an excellent choice for developing countries, as well as developed countries.

It is easy to transport, in cylinders or tankers, making it available virtually everywhere.

Delivery methods can range from very sophisticated to extremely basic.

From requiring considerable capital investment to virtually no investment at all.

Regardless of how it’s delivered, it is there when people need it.

Clean, safe and reliable energy for everyone everywhere.

LPG to Gas – Vaporisation

The process of turning LPG to gas is called vaporisation. Every time you turn on one of your gas appliances, the LPG in your gas bottles starts to boil, turning to gas. This is liquid LPG changing to gas vapour.

If you could see though the steel, you would also notice that it looks just like water boiling.

The big difference is that it happens at -42°C or -44°F.

Liquid changing to gas vapour is called vaporisation.

To boil, the liquid LPG draws heat from the steel walls of the gas bottle which, in turn, get heat from the ambient air.

The liquid boils and turns back into gas vapour when you release some of the pressure in the gas bottle by turning on your gas appliance.

As with water, the more heat that is applied, the more rapidly it boils, vaporising at a faster rate. The vapour pressure in the bottle also increases with temperature.

Given that the steel of the bottle draws heat from the ambient air heat, cold weather will slow down the rate of vaporisation.

Vaporisation also makes the gas bottle feel colder than the ambient temperature.

The gas bottle gets even colder when you are actually using the gas.

The gas vapour is held in the top of the bottle and the liquid LPG at the bottom, as shown in the image above.

Almost all of the uses involve the use of the gas vapour, not the liquefied gas

Chemical Formulas

There are a number of LPG gas chemical formulas (formulae). Propane chemical formula is C₃H₈. Butane and Isobutane both have the same chemical formula, C₄H₁₀, as isobutane is an isomer of butane.

Starting with the lowest carbon LPG chemical formula, the Ethane chemical formula is C₂H_6. 

The highest carbon gas is Pentane (n-pentane), with a chemical formula of C₅H₁₂, but it is only a gas over 36.1°C. 

Heavier hydrocarbons (pentanes plus) are liquids or waxy solids.

Pressure Varies with Temperature

As previously mentioned, when stored in a gas bottle, it is under pressure.

The term “pressure” refers to the average force per unit of area that the gas exerts on the inside walls of the gas bottle.

Pressure is measured in kilopascals (kPa) or pounds per square inch (psi).

LPG pressure can vary greatly based on temperature.

The level of fill in the gas bottle comes into play when the gas is being used, as it affects the rate of vapourisation.

As it is a liquefied gas, the pressure inside the cylinder will remain the same from full until the last of the liquid LPG is vapourised.

Then the pressure will fall quickly as the last of the gas vapour is used, as well.

How Much Pressure is in a Gas Cylinder?

The pressure inside of a gas bottle is dependent upon the temperature of the vessel.

The higher the temperature, the higher the pressure of the gas within the cylinder.

The pressure range for propane is from 152 kPa (24 PSIG) at 0ºC to 1794 kPa (257 PSIG) at 54ºC.

The propane exists as both liquid and vapour (gas) within the cylinder.

The term “pressure” refers to the average force per unit of area that the gas exerts on the inside walls of the cylinder.

The pressure drops to zero at -43ºC (which is just below the boiling point for propane) and the pressure becomes greater at even higher temperatures.

LPG is Heavier Than Air

In answer to the frequently asked question “Is LPG heavier than air”, the answer is “YES”.

For example, if the density of air is equal to 1.00, the density of propane is 1.53.

Butane is even heavier, at 2.00.  Isobutane is heavier still, at 2.07.

On the other hand, natural gas – methane – is lighter than air, at about 60% of the density of air.

Eco-Friendly Clean Burning

As heating gas, it is an eco-friendly choice, as it is a low carbon, low Sulphur fuel.

Its use results in lower CO2 emissions than other energy sources, such as coal fired electricity.

For example, with coal fired electricity, replacing your electric hot water system with a 6-Star continuous flow hot water system may reduce the greenhouse gas emissions produced from your hot water use by about 75%.

It also can help lower greenhouse emissions during the transition to renewable energy sources.

Make the Switch to ELGAS

If you are looking for an Australian alternative to electricity, ELGAS could be the perfect energy source for you.

Contact ELGAS for home and or business.

Our experts are on hand to answer any questions you have and will help you sort out the most cost-effective and energy-efficient solution for your home or business.