Anyone on Propane?

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pishta

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Thinking about a propane mixer for a motor. One of those common carbs that looks like a carb hat with a gas inlet. Anyone run one or have knowledge of them from a forklift? Saw the hot bench pic of all the Chrysler motors getting run in on propane(?) and it intrigued me for a test stand running a wideband so as to get the A/F right off the bat.
 
I don't have "much." In the 80's I worked for a small HVAC/R company who had 3 service vehicles with dual fuel, 2 of them 318 Dodge vans. LP does not get as good mileage as gasoline, and believe it or not may not give very good cold weather performance. And it doesn't deliver the power gasoline does. I might ask "why do you want this?" The "big advantage" to LP seemed to be cleaner engine guts, at the time. With modern EFI I'm not sure that advantage exists, or at least "is as great."
 
I don't have "much." In the 80's I worked for a small HVAC/R company who had 3 service vehicles with dual fuel, 2 of them 318 Dodge vans. LP does not get as good mileage as gasoline, and believe it or not may not give very good cold weather performance. And it doesn't deliver the power gasoline does. I might ask "why do you want this?" The "big advantage" to LP seemed to be cleaner engine guts, at the time. With modern EFI I'm not sure that advantage exists, or at least "is as great."


The power loss is pretty sizable for sure.
 
Propane & LPG was all the rage in the late 70's & 80's, I drove a few service vehicles that were dual fuel & they were gutless wonders. I don't know if any of the companies doing the conversions have delved any further into it. But if the Feds & the environmentalists have anything to do with it, our gasoline powered vehicles will be like the dinosaurs & become extinct.
 
Thinking about a propane mixer for a motor. One of those common carbs that looks like a carb hat with a gas inlet. Anyone run one or have knowledge of them from a forklift? Saw the hot bench pic of all the Chrysler motors getting run in on propane(?) and it intrigued me for a test stand running a wideband so as to get the A/F right off the bat.


Chrysler "dry tests' the engines on propane so they don't have to scrap out as many parts when they tear down the test engines...

If they used gas, the fuel system would be 'wet' with residual gas and they would have to treat any component that touched gas as a hazard... By using propane, the fuel systems are dry and they can recycle the parts on another engine...
 
Propane has 1/3 less BTU's per pound than gasoline . which means you need more to go the same distance . The big advantage of propane is that it burns a lot cleaner , less imessions , longer engine life and extended oil changes . Propane is under much higher pressures so there is a danger of explosion . Another alternative is compressed natural gas . Same benefits and dangers . Propane is a by-product of oil refining and is almost cost free . Compressed natural gas comes out of the ground ready to use . The only cost is pumping . Which begs the question : why aren't more vehicles using it ? Politics !
 
Propane has 1/3 less BTU's per pound than gasoline . which means you need more to go the same distance . The big advantage of propane is that it burns a lot cleaner , less imessions , longer engine life and extended oil changes . Propane is under much higher pressures so there is a danger of explosion . Another alternative is compressed natural gas . Same benefits and dangers . Propane is a by-product of oil refining and is almost cost free . Compressed natural gas comes out of the ground ready to use . The only cost is pumping . Which begs the question : why aren't more vehicles using it ? Politics !

Lot’s more to it than just pumping as you say. I drive a CNG powered vehicle and have for years. None of the Vehicle manufacturers build CNG systems currently and the cost to retrofit one like the Silverado I drive is over 20K. Then you have to maintain it. Expensive. The cost to maintain the compressor stations is expensive. The main drawback for the mass population is the infrastructure. You would need these compressors located everywhere with Adequate storage capacity. Again not cheap. It’s really not feasible now with the cost of gas as low as it is today.
 
Would work great on a test stand in the garage as planned. Just to run in a motor/cam/etc. I started an empty lawn mower with a propane torch flowing into the air inlet. Most dedicated cng/propane motor have like 12:1 pistons to recoup some of the lost HP.
 
Propane has 1/3 less BTU's per pound than gasoline . which means you need more to go the same distance . The big advantage of propane is that it burns a lot cleaner , less imessions , longer engine life and extended oil changes . Propane is under much higher pressures so there is a danger of explosion . Another alternative is compressed natural gas . Same benefits and dangers . Propane is a by-product of oil refining and is almost cost free . Compressed natural gas comes out of the ground ready to use . The only cost is pumping . Which begs the question : why aren't more vehicles using it ? Politics !

Compressed nat gas has to be cleaned , it aint ready to use , also treated for the rotten egg smell. !
 
Lot’s more to it than just pumping as you say. I drive a CNG powered vehicle and have for years. None of the Vehicle manufacturers build CNG systems currently and the cost to retrofit one like the Silverado I drive is over 20K. Then you have to maintain it. Expensive. The cost to maintain the compressor stations is expensive. The main drawback for the mass population is the infrastructure. You would need these compressors located everywhere with Adequate storage capacity. Again not cheap. It’s really not feasible now with the cost of gas as low as it is today.

We had a 1953 super M farmall tractor on propane from the factory , was probly the best tractor we ever had . Only problem was driving it back to the storage tank to fill it , which I liked , it got me out of the field for a bit . It was as powerful as the other gas powered super M`s ------------
 
Propane has 1/3 less BTU's per pound than gasoline . which means you need more to go the same distance . The big advantage of propane is that it burns a lot cleaner , less imessions , longer engine life and extended oil changes . Propane is under much higher pressures so there is a danger of explosion . Another alternative is compressed natural gas . Same benefits and dangers . Propane is a by-product of oil refining and is almost cost free . Compressed natural gas comes out of the ground ready to use . The only cost is pumping . Which begs the question : why aren't more vehicles using it ? Politics !

One of the last big projects that I had a hand in while still working was the Navistar- PSI 8.8L propane engine project.
PSI has a really slick propane fuel injector that atomizes liquid propane directly into the cylinder. Same principal as a gas or diesel common rail FI system. The propane injected 8.8L engine was tuned to have a torque curve similar to a diesel engine. At 1000 RPM the 8.8L propane engine only has 103 HP, but at the same 1000 RPM it puts out a whopping 540 Ft Lbs of torque. PSI has much experience converting gasoline engines into propane powered engines for everything from fork lifts to Zamboni machines. The 8.8L is a new - clean sheet of paper motor. It has had much success and is in use in Navistar School Bus chassis and other Navistar medium duty short haul transports. The 8.8L propane powered Navistar / IC school buses have a 'Powered by Propane' label on the right side just aft of the entrance door. Recently a gasoline powered version of the 8.8L engine was released for production.
Nice thing about the 8.8L is it is cast-machined-assembled in the USA.
Both Navistar and PSI are located in the Chicago area Western suburbs. Two good companies.

PSI, Navistar showcase propane-powered bus engine

Five Reasons why the PSI 8.8L is the best in its class | IC Bus
 
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Propane can be great with 12-1 compression or better. Kim
or BOOSTED
I have a slant six I started building some years ago, that keeps getting put on the back burner. Rajay turbo, and Impco propane system. Supposed to go in a altered wheelbase 64 Valiant. At my age and being down on the project list, I don't know if it will ever get done. I'm the worlds biggest procrastinator. Stared that project back about 1985.
 
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IIRC a normal injector has been found to work fine flowing a gas instead of a liquid out the same common rail. Duty cycle may be a bit longer but the pressure can be regulate to provide a workable duty cycle without overheating the injector.
 
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