The Relative Efficiency of Gasoline, Natural Gas, and Propane Fuels For Back-Up Generators

When purchasing a generator as a back-up power supply for your home, one thing to consider is which type of fuel you will be using.  While there are several other important factors when buying a generator, this article is only concerned with the method of comparing the relative efficiency between gasoline, natural gas and propane.

The first thing to understand is the equivalent ratio of energy output for the three fuels as expressed in BTUs, the commonly used unit of energy.  The following table will demonstrate:

Gasoline 1 gallon = 125,000 BTUs Natural Gas 1 CCF = 100,015 BTUs (CCF=100 cubic feet) Propane 1 gallon = 91,700 BTUsYou can see from above that 1 gallon of gasoline is more efficient than 100 cubic feet of natural gas or 1 gallon or propane.  In fact, the ratio is approximately:

1 gasoline = 1.25 CCF natural gas = 1.36 gallons propaneIn other words, you would need 1.36 gallons of propane to produce the equivalent BTUs of 1 gallon of gasoline; or, 1.25 CCF of natural gas.

As a practical example let's say that gasoline is currently .85 a gallon, natural gas $.95 per CCF, and propane .00 a gallon (these are today's prices where I live). Next, my generator uses 10 gallons of gasoline a day if run continuously for 24 hours.  Therefore, for one day's usage I need:

10 gallons of gasoline, or 10 x 1.25 CCF of gas, or 10 x 1.36 gallons of propane
10 gallons of gasoline, or 12.5 CCF of gas, or 13.6 gallons of propaneIf we then enter the prices:

(.65) x (10) for gasoline; ($.95) x (12.5) for natural gas; or, (.00) x (13.6) for propaneThe cost for running the generator 24 hours is:

.50 for gasoline; .88 for natural gas; or, .40 for propaneAs you can see, once you know the relative efficiency of the three fuels you can just plug in the current prices of the fuels to calculate the daily cost of running your generator for each fuel. However, in the case of propane, the cost per gallon can vary widely depending on the number of gallons purchased.  In the example above, .00 a gallon was for filling up a small 4-5 gallon container; for larger purchases the price can decrease substantially.

If you are thinking of buying a generator it is best to consider more than just the initial purchase price.  If you will be using it for extended periods of time it could be cheaper in the long run to buy a generator capable of running on alternative fuels.

The Relative Efficiency of Gasoline, Natural Gas, and Propane Fuels For Back-Up Generators

Gasoline

The Relative Efficiency of Gasoline, Natural Gas, and Propane Fuels For Back-Up Generators

The Relative Efficiency of Gasoline, Natural Gas, and Propane Fuels For Back-Up Generators
The Relative Efficiency of Gasoline, Natural Gas, and Propane Fuels For Back-Up Generators

Gasoline

Does Gasoline to Diesel Conversion Work? Convert Your Car From Gas to Diesel

Have you ever thought that gasoline to diesel conversion is indeed possible? Yes, this conversion is possible. It maybe complicated but with enough money and time, anything is possible. To give you an idea, below are some helpful facts at the same time problems you may be faced with once you attempted to convert your gasoline engine to diesel engine:

1. Gas and Engine fuels have fundamentally diverse properties. Diesel sparks off quickly whereas gasoline is made not to.
2. When it comes to volatility, gas can be said to be more volatile compared to diesel.
3. As a result of points 1 and 2, apparently these two engines are of different ignition systems, diesel making use of thermodynamic ignition and gas with spark ignition.
4. As a result of point 3, both engines need different valve and injection timings.
5. Diesel engines have greater energy density which means to say that minimal amount of fuel is required to do the same work.
6. More torque is produced by diesel engines which results to a far heavily built engine being required. Even a reasonably sized diesel engine can stand the good opportunity of converting your gas powered tyranny into shredded wheat.

So how do we resolve this? This would lead us to do three things:

a. ) Injection System: Diesel Injection Pump
b. ) Ignition System: Injection line heating to above auto-ignition
c. ) High Torque: Change injection pump to lessen injection duration at all speeds.

It is possible to do gasoline to diesel conversion but we cannot comment on its practicality. You can run gas in a diesel engine though expect it to not sound so good and long lasting but still, it can be done. For one reason, gas engines are built with too little compression. So most probably what you have to do is to re-design and rebuild it to meet this goal. Just take it one step at a time, have someone with relevant mechanical skills to do this, and check you budget as you may need to spend more than you have expected.

There are other options available if you want to convert your gasoline let say to another engine. However, you must keep in mind that a conversion from gasoline to diesel engine is far simpler than a conversion for instance to a propane, even if propane makes a good supplemental fuel. Now, will you still go for gasoline to diesel conversion?

Does Gasoline to Diesel Conversion Work? Convert Your Car From Gas to Diesel

Gasoline

Does Gasoline to Diesel Conversion Work? Convert Your Car From Gas to Diesel

Does Gasoline to Diesel Conversion Work? Convert Your Car From Gas to Diesel
Does Gasoline to Diesel Conversion Work? Convert Your Car From Gas to Diesel

Gasoline