Production of natural gases is possible over the time period of hundreds of years, very deep inside the earth. Through the pumping process, its extraction is possible till the surface. After its extraction, it goes for the cleaning and refining process to remove the. There are many byproducts of natural gas processing like ethane, propane, butane, pentane, and other hydrocarbons with higher weights. These gases are used in our day to day life in many forms like CNG, LPG, etc. The facts about CNG, LPG as well as the difference between CNG and LPG is very interesting to know.
What is the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)?
CNG is actually a compressed form of pure Methane gas. It is useful to create clean fuel without doing any pollution and also it is almost clean to the atmosphere. Therefore CNG is also popular as “clean fuel”. Here compression is done at less than 1% of the volume at the standard atmospheric pressure. Its storage and distribution are being done in hard containers. Normally such containers are cylindrical or spherical in shapes.
What is the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)?
LPG is referring to Liquefied Petroleum Gas. It is a mixture of light gaseous hydrocarbons like propane, butane, and some other light petroleum products. It is further converted into a liquid by applying much high pressure. Its bulk production is being done during the oil refining. This gas is filled in cylinders at high pressure. Then further its transportation, as well as storage, is easy and safe. To identify any leakage from the pressurized cylinders, a slight quantity of mercaptans is being added to it. This is because it has a foul smell.
Difference between CNG and LPG
Difference between CNG and LPG
The important difference between CNG and LPG
| Sr No. | Parameter | CNG | LPG |
| 1. | Component | The primary component in CNG is methane. | The primary components in LPG are propane and butane. |
| 2. | Usages | Its primary use is as an alternative for fuel in automobiles. | It has various uses such as heating and cooking in homes. They also have many other uses such as industrial and agricultural uses as well. |
| 3. | Cost | It is cheaper comparatively. | It is costlier comparatively. |
| 4. | Calorific Value | CNG has a much lesser calorific value. | LPG has a much greater calorific value, so it burns at a much higher rate comparatively. |
| 5. | Greenhouse effect | It has very less greenhouse effect. | It produces Carbon Dioxide as a greenhouse gas, but it is much cleaner compared to gasoline. |
| 6. | Safety Measure | Due to its rapid dispersal into the air, it is very safe for use in vehicles. | It is highly flammable because it is much heavier than air. It is much suitable for cooking and not for vehicles. |
| 7. | Sources | Mainly CNG is obtained from the oil wells, methane wells, and coal wells and also from natural gas wells. | Its main source is through the extraction process of natural gas from the reservoir. |
Some important points:
1. Cost-Effectiveness: CNG is cheaper than LPG. But propane produces almost two times energy than the natural gas. Therefore, LPG can be considered more cost-effective than natural gas.
2. Availability: Both CNG and LPG are having an extensive distribution network. But the LPG availability for retail consumers is more in comparison to CNG.
3. Safety and Environmental Impact: CNG produces greenhouse gases upon combustion, but still it is more environmentally friendly in comparison to other fuels like gasoline or LPG. Similarly, CNG is safer too due to the fact that being lighter than air, it disperses quickly when released.
4. Uses of CNG and LPG: CNG is used as fuel in Automobiles and Locomotive sectors. LPG is used as fuel for Heating oil alternative, Cooking, Refrigeration purposes, and Automobiles too.
Conclusion:
Besides the fact that both are safe and popular fuel, still there is difference between CNG and LPG. During earlier days LPG was considered as only one clean fuel. But later CNG has replaced most of the petrol and diesel running vehicles. Besides the fact that CNG is a very clean fuel, due to its volatile nature it is not suitable for cooking. Thus LPG is still suitable for cooking. Undoubtedly, CNG and LPG both are very useful fuels, with some unavoidable drawbacks.
FAQs about CNG and LPG:
Q.1: Which fuel is better CNG or LPG?
Solution: CNG is better than LPG in terms of mileage, but its conversion cost is more than that for LPG. If we see the performance, then LPG is affecting the engine performance at a minimum level while CNG reduces the power of the engine approximately 10%.
Q.2: Specify some common disadvantages of both CNG and LPG.
Solution: In both the gas fuels, the consumption is more if we compare it with liquid fuels like petrol and diesel. Also, some modification of the engine in vehicles is needed to install CNG cylinders. Also, due to the presence of methane gas both gas fuels easily burn in air with the risk of catching fire due to the carelessness of handling or storage.
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