Idea for cold weather propane operation-is it safe?

Getting the propane to flow in the very cold weather has always been an issue for propane powered vehicles. Heating the tank with oil or coolant would work but I just had another idea.

Why not pressurize the tank with a little methane, or natural gas? Since it is effectively incondensible it will pressurize the tank. It will eventually be absorbed into the propane so it will be gone by summer, or one could just bleed off the vapor side of the tank before it warms up. You could flare it off but if you do it in a couple of short bursts on flat ground even that would be unnecessary.

Only a small precharge would be needed, I think.

Reply to
Bret Ludwig
Loading thread data ...

Methane, or the less specific 'natural gas', is of course totally soluble in propane. I don't think your idea would present any problem at all, assuming it were done such that no pressure ratings were exceeded.

No difference, in fact, with respect to compatibility with elastomers.

A small precharge might not even be noticeable enough to help the situation. You could easily start the vehicle with natural gas and then switch over to propane when you were up to operating conditions.

Reply to
<HLS

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.