Design And Constuction Of LPG (Liquidified Petroleum Gas) Alarming System

ABTRACT

One of the most common types of energy source used in domestic is propane in which liquefied gas contains. Though the safety issues are considered by the company, inability to differentiate between gas and other liquid  has become very common accident which can cause damage to human lives and property. This paper presents a low cost, power efficient centralized LP gal alarm system. The system has two main devices: the gas detector and the centralized alarm unit. The gas detector that is located close to the gas usage point (gas cylinder) is a battery operated device that is designed. There can be more than one detector in the systems, which can be separately identified in the system. The centralized alarm unit detects the alerts sent by the detectors and releases the alarm. It has an indication of which detector has released the alert. The alarm unit is ac mains powered and has a battery backup to cater power failures. The components of the device have been chosen considering the power consumption and the time intervals have been calculated concerning the current consumption of each component.

CHAPTER ONE

1.1                                                        INTRODUCTION

Liquefied petroleum gas is a flammable mixture of hydrocarbon gases used as a fuel in heating appliances and vehicles. Varieties of LPG bought and sold include mixtures that are primarily propane (C3H8), primarily butane (C4H10) and, most commonly, includes both propane and butane, depending on the application [1].

Unlike natural gas, LPG is heavier than air, unlike natural gas, and thus will flow along floors & tend to settle in lower spots, such as basements. There are two main dangers from this:

• Possible explosion if mixture of LPG & air is right & if there is an ignition source.
• Suffocation due to LPG displacing air, causing a decrease in oxygen concentration.

This work deals with  LP Gas Alarm which detects the presence of a LPG our Home, car or in a service station, storage tank environment. This unit can be easily incorporated into an alarm unit, to sound an alarm or give a visual indication of the Combustible Gas / LPG concentration. The sensor has excellent sensitivity combined with a quick response time

1.2                           USE OF LIQUIDIFIED PETROLEUM GAS

• According to the 2011 Census of India, 28.5% of Indian households or 33.6 million Indian households used LPG as cooking fuel in 2011, which is supplied to their homes either in pressurized cylinders or through pipes [3].
• LPG can be used as a power source for combined heat and power technologies (CHP). CHP is the process of generating both electrical power and useful heat from a single fuel source. This technology has allowed LPG to be used not just as fuel for heating and cooking, but also for de-centralized generation of electricity.
• LPG can be stored in a variety of ways. LPG as with other fossil fuel can be combined with renewable power sources to provide greater reliability while still achieving some reduction in Carbon dioxide emissions.

1.3                                             OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

Some liquid such as water has the same colour with liquidified petroleum gas to the extent that if proper can is not taken one can use gas or water in the name of the other. The main objective of this work is to design and construct a device that will detect liquidified petroleum gas.

1.4                   PROPERTIES OF LIQUIDIFIED PETROLEUM GAS

Table 1: Properties of LPG

• The properties of LP Gas are shown in Table 1. The explosion happens when the below three conditions are fulfilled,
• The concentration of gas is between LEL.
• A sufficient amount of Oxygen exists.
• There is a source of ignition.

1.5                                  THE ADVANTAGES OF LPG

• Because LPG vaporizes when released from the tank and is not water soluble, LPG does not pollute underground water sources.
• Power, acceleration, payload and cruise speed are comparable to those of an equivalent vehicle fueled on gasoline. Propane has a high octane rating of 104, in-between Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) (130) and regular unleaded gasoline (87).
• Refueling a propane vehicle is similar to filling a gas grill tank; the time it takes is comparable with that needed to fill a CNG, gasoline or diesel fuel tank.
• Its high octane rating enables it to mix better with air and to burn more completely than does gasoline, generating less carbon. With less carbon buildup, spark plugs often last longer and oil changes are needed less frequently.
• Because it burns in the engine in the gaseous phase, propane results in less corrosion and engine wear than does gasoline.

1.6                                                   DRAWBACKS OF LPG

In cold conditions, below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, starting could be a problem because of the low vapor pressure of propane at low temperatures.

• One gallon of LPG contains less energy than a gallon of gasoline. The driving range of a propane vehicle is about 14 percent lower than a comparable gasoline-powered vehicle.
• LPG is generally higher priced than other fuel alternatives such as CNG and gasoline.
• There are over 4,000 LPG refueling sites in the US, more than all of the other alternative fuels combined. Most of these stations, however, are not readily available to consumers on a 24/7 basis. This is one of the reasons why most on-road applications are bi-fuel vehicles, which burn LPG and gasoline.