No pain propane

At the Work Truck Show 2011 held in Indianapolis, IN, there was a lot of excitement about gaseous fuels, with propane autogas in the forefront. The prevalence of propane is of no surprise considering propane autogas vehicles have been around since the 1920s. It is also the third most commonly used fuel for internal combustion purposes in the world after gasoline and diesel.

“What’s really transformed the market recently has been the evolution of technology, especially in the last 5 years,” says Brian Feehan, vice president, the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC).

Who is PERC?

The mission of PERC is to promote the safe and efficient use of odorized propane gas through programs supporting safety, training, research and development, and commercialization of promising technologies. “We’re an industry funded organization. We invest funds into establishing partnerships and manufacturers to bring new products to market,” says Feehan.

Currently there are more than 15 million propane autogas vehicles on the road worldwide with more than 270,000 in the U.S. according to the Dept. of Energy. Propane is also the most common alternative fuel globally. “It’s all across the world,” says Feehan. “The number one driver of the use of propane autogas is the higher price of conventional fuels, with the second being the increased importance on environmental concerns.”

Economic advantages

Propane autogas is an environmentally friendly fuel considered to be one of the lowest-cost strategies of introducing an alternative fuel to help mitigate increased emissions from conventional fuels in the transportation sector.

“From an economic standpoint, propane is a very advantageous fuel for a couple of reasons,” begins Feehan. “Primarily, the cost of the fuel itself is less than gasoline. For example, in the U.S., the cost of a gallon of propane is about 30% less than the cost of gasoline on a national average.

“The demand of propane supply is met 90% by U.S. sources, so it’s a domestic product.” The fuel is transported and stored as a liquid making it easy to move from supply point to end-user through common and established transport infrastructures such as rail, shipping and transport trucks.

Environmental benefits

Propane is a recognized alternative fuel by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). When used in on-road applications, vehicles using propane autogas emit 12% less CO2, about 20% less NOx, and up to 60% less CO than gasoline-powered vehicles. “It’s a 17% to 24% reduction in greenhouse gases compared to gasoline,” adds Feehan.

“Two years ago, when conventional fuel prices escalated like they have today, we saw a huge push for investigation into propane autogas. People wanted more understanding of how propane could play a role in their business from a transportation standpoint, both on- and off-road.”

Propane also is nontoxic, so it’s not harmful to soil or water.

PERC-funded research provides life-cycle analysis of emissions of pollutants from propane-fueled systems. These studies respond to demand for environmentally friendly fuels and commercialized propane-fueled equipment by quantifying propane emissions.

Machine gains

The use of propane autogas on a vehicle does add approximately 12 lbs. to the overall weight of the vehicle, potentially negligible depending on the application. The advantage is the low pressure at which the liquid propane is stored—under 250 psi, whereas a fuel such as compressed natural gas is around 3,500 psi. “With a little pressure, we are able to liquefy propane for storage and transport, making it extremely portable,” says Feehan.

There is no extra wear and tear on other components in the vehicle due to the insignificant weight addition from the fuel system. “When you look at other gaseous fuels, they can add a couple hundred extra pounds. With that much additional weight you can see increased component wear, such as on brakes,” explains Feehan.

Considering propane fuel