Liquefied Petroleum Gas Cylinder Research Articles

The utilization of waste cooking oil (wco) in simple stove as an alternative fuel for household scale

The use of LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) fuel as a substitute for kerosene fuel on the stove has advantages in its excellent combustion process, but there are several weaknesses in its use, namely the risk of gas leakage in the LPG cylinder, and of course the high price of LPG cause increasing the community burden. The purpose of this study was to produce a waste cooking oil simple stove on a household scale. This research used an experimental method which was conducted for 6 (six) months, began from February 2020 to July 2020. The stages of the research were data collection, making waste cooking oil stove design, preparing tools and materials, making waste cooking oil stoves and testing it. The results showed that the flame produced on the waste cooking oil stove was stable, but the resulting fire was still red due to the incomplete combustion process caused by the lack of air/oxygen pumped into the stove. The advantage of this waste cooking oil stove is the simple installation, portable to use, inexpensive manufacturing cost and more safety than using LPG stove.

Incentivizing Elimination of Biomass Cooking Fuels with a Reversible Commitment and a Spare LPG Cylinder.

In India, approximately 480,000 deaths occur annually from exposure to household air pollution from the use of biomass cooking fuels. Displacing biomass use with clean fuels, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), can help reduce these deaths. Through government initiatives, most Indian households now own an LPG stove and one LPG cylinder. Many households, however, continue to regularly use indoor biomass-fueled mud stoves (chulhas) alongside LPG. Focusing on this population in rural Maharashtra, India, this study (N = 186) tests the effects of conditioning a sales offer for a spare LPG cylinder on a reversible commitment requiring initially disabling indoor chulhas. We find that almost all relevant households (>98%) were willing to accept this commitment. Indoor chulha use decreased by 90% (95% CI = 80% to 101%) when the sales offer included the commitment, compared to a 23% decrease (95% CI = 14% to 32%) without it. For both treatment groups, we find that 80% purchased the spare cylinder at the end of the study.

Cleaner cooking with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in Northern Ghana: Interdisciplinary experiment measuring willingness to pay, behavior change, and impacts on personal exposure

Introduction: Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is promoted as a clean cooking fuel to replace biomass in many low- and middle-income countries, but LPG use is low in many regions. An experimental study was conducted (Jan 2017-Dec 2018) in the Kassena-Nankana Districts of northern Ghana to examine demand for LPG, stove use patterns, and impacts on personal exposure to air pollution.Methods: To measure willingness to pay (WTP) for LPG stoves and fuel, we conducted a Becker-Degroot-Marshack auction with 262 randomly selected urban participants. Participants bid on 6 stove-fuel packages that included a 1-burner stove, a 2-burner stove, or no stove; all packages included an LPG cylinder and fuel refill vouchers, and some included home delivery of fuel refills. To investigate effects of LPG package purchases on cooking behaviour, stove use monitoring with temperature loggers and surveys was conducted in 56 study households. Forty of these were also enrolled in personal exposure sampling, capturing time-resolved carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter exposure over multiple 48-hour periods for primary cooks.Results: Of 262 participants, 182 (69%) won an LPG package. The highest-valued package included a 2-burner stove with home delivery of fuel refills. WTP for 1- and 2-burner LPG stoves was close to their market value, while average WTP for the fuel package (an LPG cylinder plus 4 fuel refills) was about $29 compared to its market value of $110. LPG stove purchases resulted in decreased use of charcoal stoves and increased use of LPG; further analysis of adoption and disadoption trends using stove use monitoring and assessment of impacts on exposure are underway.Conclusion: Affordability of LPG fuel may need to be addressed to increase sustained use of LPG in the study area. In addition, cylinder recirculation and LPG home delivery strategies should be explored to increase LPG access.

Health awareness and the transition towards clean cooking fuels: Evidence from Rajasthan

Ensuring affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030 is part of the internationally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDG7). With roughly 3 billion people still lacking access to clean cooking solutions in 2017, this remains an ambitious task. The use of solid biomass such as wood and cow dung for cooking causes household air pollution resulting in severe health hazards. In this context, the Indian government has set up a large program promoting the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in rural areas. While this has led millions of households to adopt LPG, a major fraction of them continues to rely heavily on solid biomass for their daily cooking. In this paper, we evaluate the effect of simple health messaging on the propensity of these households to use LPG more regularly. Our results from rural Rajasthan are encouraging. They show that health messaging increases the reported willingness to pay for LPG, and substantially increases actual consumption. We measure this based on a voucher, which can only be used if LPG consumption is doubled until a certain deadline. Households exposed to health messaging use the voucher about 30% more often than households exposed to a placebo treatment. We further show that the impact of our very brief, but concrete health messaging is close to the effect of a 10% price reduction for a new LPG cylinder. Finally, our study raises some interesting questions about gender-related effects that would be worth consideration in future research.

Inventory models with reverse logistics for assets acquisition in a liquefied petroleum gas company

This paper addresses a case study regarding inventory models for acquiring liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders. This is an industrial challenge that was proposed at an European Study Group with Industry, by a Portuguese energy company, for which the LPG cylinder is the main asset of its LPG business. Due to the importance of this asset, an acquisition plan must be defined in order to determine the amount of LPG cylinders to acquire, and when to acquire them, in order to optimize the investment. As cylinders are returned and refilled, the reverse logistic flows of these assets must be considered. As the classical inventory models are not suitable for this case study, three new inventory models, which account for the return of LPG cylinders, are proposed in this work. The first proposed model considers deterministic constant demand and continuous returns of LPG cylinders, with discrete replenishment from the supplier. The second model is similar, but for the case when the returned cylinders cover for the demand. A third model is also proposed considering that both the demand and the returns are stochastic in nature and the replenishment from the supplier is discrete. The three models address different scenarios that the company is either currently facing or is expecting to occur in the near future.

A multi-model methodology for forecasting sales and returns of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders

In the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder business, one of the most important assets is the LPG cylinder. This work addresses the asset acquisition planning for the LPG cylinder business of a company from the energy sector which has recently started this activity. In order to make the acquisition plan, it was necessary to forecast the sales and the LPG cylinder return rate. For that purpose, an ensemble method using time series techniques, multiple linear regression models and artificial neural networks was employed. Sales forecast was obtained using time series techniques, in particular, moving averages and exponential smoothing. Then, forecast of bottled propane gas sales and return rate was also addressed through multiple linear regression and artificial neural networks. A probability density function was defined for each of the different approaches. Afterward, using Monte Carlo simulation, the forecast values are obtained by a linear combination of the probability density functions, thus producing the final forecast. Results show that the company’s expectation of growth is larger than that predicted by the proposed methodology, which means the company should reflect on its current asset acquisition strategy. By combining different approaches, the proposed multi-model methodology allowed to obtain an accurate forecasting, without requiring a lot of historical data.

Fatigue Analysis of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Cylinders for Safety Risk Assessment

With the widespread application of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the safety of LPG cylinder has received more and more attention. For the safety of LPG cylinder, we conduct a safety risk assessment of cylinder using the failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) method. Taking the most influential inflatable fatigue under normal conditions as the research object, we use FE-safe software to analyze the fatigue failure. The risk compliance coefficients of various failure modes are calculated and classified according to the risk level. In this way, the service life of the LPG cylinder weld is determined. The presented method improves the safety risk assessment process of LPG cylinder and provides a good theoretical and practical basis for similar pressure vessel risk assessment.

Qualitative insights from evaluating the first micro-finance initiative in Cameroon to support households switching to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking

PDS 64: Health impact assessment and environmental justice, Johan Friso Foyer, Floor 1, August 26, 2019, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Background: Purchasing start-up equipment for cooking with LPG represents a key barrier to adoption in resource-poor settings. To address this barrier, a micro-finance package for LPG (double burner, cylinder and accessories) was introduced in Cameroon, and offered to 150 households on a first-come, first served basis, repayable over 6 months at no interest. We evaluated the perceived impact on LPG adoption by a peri-urban community in South-West Cameroon. Methods: One to 2 months after receiving the equipment, semi-structured interviews (SSIs) were conducted with 10 purposively selected participants: 5 households that took the loan (beneficiaries) and 5 households that had not taken the loan (non-beneficiaries), investigating the decision-making process surrounding the loan and cooking practices. After 6 months, we conducted SSIs with 10 additional beneficiaries, exploring experiences of loan repayments and how LPG use impacted on daily life. To generate discussion around the micro-loan and cooking patterns, we conducted a focus group with participants (n=8) sampled from the above groups. Transcripts were analysed thematically. Results: Beneficiaries reported that the loan allowed them to purchase the start-up equipment, which they would not have been able to afford otherwise. Monthly payments made the loan more affordable to beneficiaries and attractive to non-beneficiaries. Beneficiaries described that cooking with LPG improved their lives, through reduced smoke, better health and time savings. They reported cooking most dishes with LPG almost daily, including traditional meals, and LPG use increased during the rainy season. Conserving LPG was the main reason for continued use of biomass. Although 94% of beneficiaries (n=141) repaid the loan, some struggled to pay on time. Suggestions for improvement included a three/four-burner stove to accommodate multiple dishes. Conclusions: Through qualitative methods, we gained unique insights into the facilitators/inhibitors surrounding the loan, and benefits of LPG. Findings are informing further LPG microloan initiatives across Cameroon.

Household LPG cylinder fracture and a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders are designed as thin-wall pressure vessels consisting of a cylindrical body and two almost hemispherical bottoms made of low carbon steel and welded together. LPG cylinders design, manufacturing, inspection and testing follow specific rules, Norms and Regulations. Pressure vessel design theory along with National Regulations and Product Specifications in force provide the initial design parameters and safety margin assumptions. A serious accident occurred on April 2, 2015 at Loutron village, close to the city of Amfilochia, in western Greece, explosion of an LPG bottle at a local restaurant. Five fatalities were reported at the time of the accident and three more injured were pronounced dead some months later. The accident gained extended publicity from the media arising concerns about safety in LPG distribution and operation. The local police requested an expert’s appraisement from the Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics Department of the University of Patras, for the evaluation of the accident’s contributing factors. The accident investigated was a «boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion», and revealed potential threats from the operation of aged LPG bottles, and marginal inspection and testing procedures followed. A detailed analysis of the LPG cylinder operational characteristics along with a systematic design approach, fatigue, and failure analysis is presented here. The legislation in force, Regulations and Norms are also reviewed.

Evaluation of explosion pressure of portable small liquefied petroleum gas cylinder

AbstractThis study aims to estimate the explosive pressures and permanent volume expansion of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) portable small LPG cylinder fuel tanks using experimental and finite element analysis (FEA) approaches. Experimental explosion testing was carried out by means of a hydrostatic device in which the cylinders were pressurized with water. LPG tanks are subjected to increased internal equal pressure in FEA modeling. Three‐dimensional nonlinear models were developed and evaluated under irregular boundary conditions. For analysis, the required real shell properties including the source region and thickness variations were investigated. Therefore, the results of burst pressures and volume expansions are predicted and compared with the experimental ones. The results of finite element method showed similar results with the results obtained from the experiments. The results provide a description of the stages of the explosion and the hazards arising from the damage to the tanks.

Household LPG Cylinder: Effects of different heads and Impact analysis using ANSYS

The aim of this paper is to study the behaviour of a gas-filled LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinder having dissimilar heads (hemispherical, semi-ellipsoidal and tori-spherical) and its responses subjected to vertical (at the top) and horizontal (side) normal impacts by a solid spherical steel ball of mass 4 kg at different velocities 5, 25 and 50 m/sec using ANSYS. The technical specifications of the gas cylinder necessary for its design calculations are referred from Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL). The conventional steel is considered as the material for both the cylinder and the impacting ball under the critical gas pressure of 2.5 MPa as per Indian standard, IS 6240. Effects of the critical gas pressure on the cylinders are studied based on the thickness as well as the strength for above heads. The simulated results of ANSYS have good agreement with the theoretical results.

Failure investigation of liquefied petroleum gas cylinder using FAD and XFEM

To assess the reliability and performance of household liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder is important for safety standard. Such crack-like flaws in material of cylinder might lead to many serious catastrophes like fluid leakage and gas explosion. In this work, the failure assessment diagram (FAD) was determined according to the standard API 579 for inland produced LPG cylinders. A brand-new and used LPG cylinder of the same steel grade were investigated. Metallographic analyses, tensile tests and fracture mechanics tests using a single-edge tension SE(T) specimen were carried out. The direct current potential drop (DCPD) method was applied by the SE(T) test and the critical contour J-Integral for crack initiation was identified. Then, FE simulations of the cylinders afflicted with different crack configurations were performed under varying internal pressures. The corresponding critical pressure loads were determined and the level 3 FAD for a crack onset could be generated. It was found that the mechanical properties of used cylinder were obviously deteriorated that could therefore lead to an earlier failure when an unexpected certain pressure is given. In addition, FE simulations coupled with extended finite element method (XFEM) were conducted in order to describe the crack propagation in both cylinders. The results were firstly verified by comparing the load vs. crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) curves. It was shown that the crack propagation in the aged LPG cylinder would become considerably stronger when unintended crack is present.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Bottling Process and Required Safety During Bottling: A Case Study

Energy security is very important in the current world. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is one of the significant energy sources. LPG can be produced from natural gas processing as well as crude oil refining. Now LPG is available in different sizes of cylinder. The bottling system of LPG in the cylinder is the main discussion topic of this paper. Safety requirement during bottling work is also explained in this research article. LPG cylinder can be filled in both automatically and manually. The automatic filling system is more secure and effective. A visible check of the cylinder is needed before refilling. Washing and drying are also conducted before filling if necessary. To avoid gas leakage from cylinder valve “O” ring must be checked before gas filling, if it is missing in valve must put it. After putting the cylinder body weight, modern machine carousel runs to fill the LP gas in the cylinder. The automatic carousel machine can fill several cylinders at a time. Cylinder checked by automatic weight checking scale to be ensured filling the stipulated value. After this to check the valve leak of LPG filled cylinder for security and safety. If all the process is positive, it is needed to put a safety cap on the cylinder valve and attach the thermo-sleeve for more safety. Then the filled cylinders are kept in the storage for distribution. The Personal Protection Equipment’s (PPEs) is must to wear during filling the cylinder.

Performance and Emission Analysis of a Novel Porous Radiant Burner for Domestic Cooking Application

ABSTRACTPresent study focuses on the performance and emission analysis of a novel porous radiant burner for domestic cooking application using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as fuel. The porous radiant burner (PRB) used here is a novel ceramic porous radiant burner which is designed and developed in the University laboratory for this present study. Two kinds of PRBs as circular porous radiant burner and square porous radiant burner have been developed and hence the thermal efficiency and emission analysis of these burners are tested for their performance. The test results are very encouraging as the thermal efficiency of the circular porous radiant burner and square porous radiant burner are much higher as compared to the conventional metallic burners or other types of burners. The emission characteristic also shows that the emission of CO and NOx values are much lesser than the conventional burner and are well within the world health organization standard. The experimental setup used here is a flexible one that contains PRBs, LPG cylinder, K- type thermocouple, data acquisition system, flue gas analyzer, Infrared camera and a computer. The maximum thermal efficiency obtained in that test for the PRB is about 72% which indicates its bright future prospect.

Application of Quality Function Deployment to Design a Liquefied Petroleum Gas Trolley

In Malaysia, the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is widely used for domestic purposes. The delivery men who are in charge of delivering the LPG cylinders to the customers are exposed to the ergonomic risk factors associated with excessive force due to the heavy steel cylinders. There are devices used to assist the delivery task, however, the devices are not efficient to be used in non-elevated apartments. Due to this reason, this study aims to design an LPG cylinder trolley. Quality Function Deployment was integrated to design the LPG cylinder trolley, so that it can fulfill the delivery man's requirements, thus, an effective device to assist the delivery task is produced. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the integration of QFD is an effective solution in designing an effective LPG cylinder trolley.

DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF LPG CYLINDER

– LPG cylinder is a kind of pressure vessel that requires high tensile and compressive strength to store pressurised gases. This study aims at reduction of weight of Liquid petroleum gas cylinder. The commonly used material for the manufacturing of LPG cylinder is steel. But the steel is heavier and has got some safety problems. In addition to this the steel progressively corrodes. So there arises a need to rectify these problems using some other alternatives. In this journal different alternatives are examined and an appropriate material is selected. The finite element analysis of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders made of Steel, Aluminium 6061T6 alloy, Aluminium 5052-H38 alloy has been carried out. The models are made in CATIA V5 R20 and are imported to ANSYS. Finite element analysis of cylinder subjected to internal pressure is performed. The analysis done in ANSYS is compared with classical mathematical formulations. Calculations are performed to determine the weight of the cylinders and the least weighed material is chosen for the new LPG cylinder. The cost estimation is also performed to check the economic viability of the new LPG cylinder

Development of Questionnaire for Assistive Device Design in LPG Cylinder Handling

In Malaysia, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is filled in a heavy steel cylinder and it is widely used for cooking purpose. Due to its dimensions and mass, the delivery men exposed to ergonomics risk factors associated with excessive force that can lead to injury to the back and the shoulders. There are assistive devices can be used to aid the delivery men; however, those devices are not efficient to transport the LPG cylinder to non-elevator apartments. Based on this reason, this study develops a questionnaire to determine design requirements of the assistive device for LPG cylinder handling. Structured interview using questionnaire survey was conducted among 25 delivery men. Based on the questionnaire survey, 76% of the delivery men required an assistive device that is safe, motorized, and push oriented for LPG cylinder handling. This study concluded that the developed questionnaire is reliable to determine design requirements of the assistive device for LPG cylinder handling.

Nutritional and organoleptic properties of three common Nigerian foods cooked with three different energy sources

This study investigates the nutritional and organoleptic properties of rice, beans and yam cooked with firewood, biogas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) that is, each of these foods was cooked with these energy sources. The biogas was generated from cow dung using a 10 m3 digester at the National Center for Energy Research and Development, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The substrate (cow dung) used for generating the biogas was procured from Nsukka main market central abattoir. The firewood, LPG cylinder (together with the gas), pots, rice, beans, yam, among other materials, were purchased from Ogige main market, Nsukka. Standard analytical methods were used to determine moisture content, ash, carbohydrate, protein, crude fibre, fat, thiamine, ascorbic acid, phosphorus and calcium contents of the food samples. The cooking time of these foods were noted using the three energy sources. Results obtained showed that LPG retained more nutrients than the other two energy sources used while firewood cooked faster than biogas and LPG, that is, firewood cooked rice, beans and yam faster than biogas and LPG. Key words: Energy, organoleptic, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), firewood, biogas.

A comparative analysis of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and kerosene related burns

Previous studies from our department reflected a trend of decreasing incidence of burns culminating from rising income levels, which were bringing about a change in the cooking fuel in many urban households [1,2]. These studies also indicated a changing scenario of increased incidence of burns from LPG mishaps [2]. In the absence of much information on the subject we felt it rather imperative to comparatively study the pattern of burn injuries resulting from LPG and kerosene. This prospective study was conducted on the clinical database of consecutive patients admitted with burns sustained due to LPG and kerosene from 1st January 2009 to 31st May 2010 (17 months). Data recorded for each patient included; age, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, literacy level, type of family unit, marital status, type of dwelling unit, mode of injury and its exact mechanism, place of incident, level of cooking stove, extent of burns (%TBSA), presence of features of inhalation injury, number of patients affected in a single mishap, size of LPG cylinder used, length of hospital stay and mortality. Of 731 flame burn patients in this study, 395 (54%) were due to kerosene burns and 200 (27.4%) from LPG mishaps. Significantly, the majority of injuries, in both the groups, occurred in lower middle class families living as nuclear units, in a single room dwelling, without a separate kitchen. Majority of LPG burns (70.5%, 141 patients) resulted from a gas leak and 25.5% were from cooking negligence (51 patients). 50.5% of kerosene accidents were from ‘stove mishaps’ and 49% due to cooking negligence. In all kerosene accidents the stove was kept at floor level but in LPG group 20.6% had the stove placed on a platform. There was a slight difference in mean TBSA burns; 51% in kerosene group compared to 41.5% TBSA in LPG group. There were nine episodes in LPG group in which there were more than three burn victims admitted for treatment. Very importantly, 77% patients in LPG group were from a large cylinder (14.2 kg), which uses a rubber connecting tube. Mortality in kerosene group (50.6%) was far higher than in LPG group (33.5%). This study, from 200 LPG burn admissions, for the first time details the profile from LPG mishaps. It is very interesting to note that of all burns in the world the inequitable distribution bias towards LMICs (low and middle income countries) extends further towards low middle class families within the LMIC. A major risk factor is constrained living condition of a single room dwelling unit. Almost all burns from LPG mishaps were potentially preventable if more care had been practiced to ensure safety. Since majority of LPG mishaps were from gas leaks, either from the rubber tube ( Fig. 1) or the stove valve, the observation of floor level cooking in 79.4% of LPG cases may be an economic compulsion of a single room dwelling unit without much impact on the injury pattern. The small LPG cylinder (5 kg) in which the burner is placed directly over the cylinder, as one unit without a connecting tube, is safer because it reduces the chances of a gas leak from an ill-fitting or a cracked rubber connecting tube ( Fig. 2).

Risks of Fire and Explosion Associated With the Increasing Use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has been in use as household fuel all over the world for several decades. Until the late 1980s, its use in the developing world was largely confined to the economically well-off strata of the society but it has since spread over a much larger catchment. The increasing use of LPG has enhanced and generalized the risk of a “boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion” (BLEVE). This is evidenced from the reports which appear now and then of a LPG cylinder having exploded in a household, some workshop, or on a bus or a train. In fact some very major tragedies have been triggered by such explosions which also set off fires and cause secondary accidents. This paper describes what BLEVEs are and how can they be controlled. The paper focuses on hazards of BLEVE in large installations which deal with LPG, and other pressure-liquefied gases and discusses the nature, mechanism, and means of control of BLEVEs.