Re: [Amc-list] Jumpin Jack Flash - it's the Natural Gas

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

NG and LPG are totally different beasts when it comes to fuel handling.

LP is a liquid, within 20% comparable to gasoline in BTU/lb. It's under 
pressure, but it's just pumped in, fillup is otherwise the same as a 
gasoline car. Max. operating pressure is like 150psi on a very hot day, 
so tanks are manageable. Thick and heavy, but dealable, and quite safe. 
Carrying 20 - 30 gallons in a car is doable, 100 in a pickup easy. LP 
boils to a gas around 250:1 ratio. The infrastructure is old and loose, 
and the tech simple enoguh you can do it yourself (I did) but it's not 
quite legal in any state I've lived in; there's no legal place for 
non-factory LP conversion any more (there used to be in CA).

Natural gas is a gas, not liquid. Pressures are in thousands of PSI, 
like welding gases, and similar tank. Tanks are heavy, and a big deal. 
Filling is slow and technically more difficult. I dunno how many CFM jam 
into a tank. NG Civics get 200 - 250 miles/fillup, not too bad. I am 
sure there is zero chance for a home conversion due to legal and 
practical restrictions.

Tank capacity would probably be a factor for nationwide fleets, but 
hardly an issue for intra-urban ones, like municipal busses where it's a 
great match (and LA has the world's largest NG bus fleet).

Both are still a fossil fuel with all the carbon issues though, which is 
gonna be a factor in long-term planning.

_______________________________________________
Amc-list mailing list
Amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx
http://splatter.wps.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/amc-list