LPG

Liquified petroleum gas

LPG, Liquified petroleum gas also called liquefied petroleum gas, liquid petroleum gas, LP Gas, or Autogas.

LPG is the abbreviation or short form for liquefied petroleum gas. Like all fossil fuels, it is a non-renewable source of energy. It is extracted from crude oil and natural gas. The main composition of LPG are hydrocarbons containing three or four carbon atoms. The normal components of LPG thus, are propane (C3H8) and butane (C4H10). Small concentrations of other hydrocarbons may also be present. Depending on the source of the LPG and how it has been produced, components other than hydrocarbons may also be present.

More than 150 companies active in LPG in one way or another around the world (production, consumption, trading, marketing, storage, or shipping) are profiled

SK Gas, the Korean LPG industry leader, supplied 2.297million tons of LPG to the domestic market in 2004, which is more than 32%of the total Korea national demand, Petrochemical companies as well as Large refineries such as SK Corp., Hyundai Oil Refinery and S-Oil are our major LPG buyers. SK Gas also supplies to the automobile filling stations around the country, pulp and paper mills, ceramics makers, other industrial operations and city gas companies

SHV Gas operates Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) companies in 23 countries on 3 continents and is one of the largest players in the global LPG distribution market. LPG is an environment-friendly source of energy with a wide range of applications: domestic (heating, cooking, warm water production), industrial, agricultural, catering and automotive fuel. LPG is supplied in cylinders and in tanks of various sizes, according to the consumption and use. The SHV Gas head office is located in Hoofddorp, the . Total sales of all LPG activities was € 4.9 billion in 2005.

Calor is the UK's leading supplier of LPG with over 70 years experience in this flexible and environmentally sensitive energy market. Around 4 million homes and businesses rely on Calor for an enormous variety of applications

Largo Vista has operations through a contract agreement with Shilin Xinmao Petrochemical Industry Co. Ltd (registered under the Chinese laws in the Peoples Republic of China, Yunan Province). Though this agreement, Largo Vista is licensed to purchase and resell liquid petroleum gas ("LPG") in the retail and wholesale markets to both residential and commercial consumers in Guizhou Province of China. Largo Vista operates a storage depot and has an office in the City of Zunyi.

LPG is used environment-friendly in advanced countries in such way as lighting street lamps, powering snow removal equipment and running photosynthesis accelerators to promote vegetation growth. LPG is both safe and clean and widely recognized as an environment friendly resource. Thus, the more advanced nations occupy the greater portions of the LPG market. LPG is the cleanest petroleum by-product and air pollution would be lessened if more LPG vehicles were used

Convert your car to LPG

LPG is extracted from either natural gas or by-products of petroleum and in its regular state is a vapour. However when compressed it becomes a liquid, enabling a vehicle with a full LPG tank to travel almost as far as a petrol-powered car. Normally it requires roughly 1.2 litres of LPG to travel the same distance as a litre of petrol.

LPG is roughly 50% cheaper than unleaded petrol from most service station pumps. But whether these savings are enough to cover the costs of an LPG conversion depends on your vehicle’s fuel consumption and the distance you travel each year. Look, if you can’t cover conversion costs before you upgrade to a new vehicle, I’d have to question the value of using LPG.

But as a rule of thumb LPG normally proves most economical if you own a vehicle with high fuel consumption (a four-wheel-drive or larger family sedan like a Falcon) and travel long distances (20,000km or more annually). However, if your vehicle has good fuel economy (generally smaller cars) and you expect to clock up fewer kilometres annually, then LPG might not prove economical overall.

Also don’t forget the cost of an LPG conversion can set you back between $1600 and $2400, so it’s a significant investment – and choosing the right installer is critical. There might be installers who tell you they can complete a conversion for less. But if they are not authorised by the ALPGA accreditation, then it’s a case of caveat emptor (buyer beware). Choose a cheap, unauthorised installer and you run the risk of increased running costs and poor overall performance that will quickly eat up any potential savings.