Jasper has propane for Jeeps

I've been looking into running LPG butI would want to be able to switch back to gasoline on the fly. I also think it would be especially nice to have the liquid expand in some air-conditioner coils so I could stay cool from the liquid to vapor stage.

I've never had a chance to destroy a fancy high-volume propane regulator, but earlier this summer I was fooling around with this very simple RV appliance type that I really liked. It was just a diaphram that closed as a function of the output pressure. The input went directly to the tank but there semmed to be no mechanical policy requiring a liquid source to function as long as the connection from the tank to the input of the regulator was not forcefully heated. Since then I've been curious as to why the input side shouldn't flow through a passive radiator/blower and be used to recover the phase change cooling before going to a regulator? With a water heated type of regulator fed by the high pressure side of liquified fuel into an inadequate exchanger I would think it should get very cold - enough for an air conditioner without necessarily having to even function, like in the winter, for the fuel to simply flow through an iced block of 'let the water exchanger work full time when necessary'. If that makes sense. The last article I read

propane conversioning used 'demand' regulator (I don't know what, ifany, difference that is from the simple RV regulator) to a jet drilled andtapped into the throat of a carburator. I did see something about thesevaccuum adjustable diaphrams in some regulators for forklifts, etc. What kind of regulator does it take to supply a large engine - I assumethe delivery capacity is more a function of keeping it from freezing thanany limitations of the orifices in the regulator casting as it isessentially a fuel line but I couldn't figure out what kind of jet thisguy was using in the carburetor body. I would think that since it issupplying vapor from that point then you would need somethingsubstantially larger than a carb jet but I can't get past the idea ofventing that much vapor during engine startup as what the engine wouldneed while running. Maybe that's what this 'spud-jet' he was using is -some kind of normally closed but on/off ball & spring type deal like abackwards PCV valve sort of thing. Most of what I can find now about propane conversions are very expensive 'kits', you can't even seem to find one that isn't application specific (make/model/year). I suppose due to all the fuel-injected vehicles with engine management and the legal issues of supplying carburator based solutions while still being able to advertise a solution for vehicles made during the last 20 years. If anybody has any links to pre-engineered universal type conversions I'd like to look them over.

Like this: tank --> inefficient finned radiator style excanger --> water heated regulator ---> carburetor.

I say 'inefficient' because of the complications of having it completely replace the function of the water heated regulator but enough to provide some cooling effect. I don't really want to be the guniea pig though. :)

about propane conversioning used 'demand' regulator (I don't know what, if> any, difference that is from the simple RV regulator) to a jet drilled and> tapped into the throat of a carburator. I did see something about these> vaccuum adjustable diaphrams in some regulators for forklifts, etc. > What kind of regulator does it take to supply a large engine - I assume> the delivery capacity is more a function of keeping it from freezing than> any limitations of the orifices in the regulator casting as it is> essentially a fuel line but I couldn't figure out what kind of jet this> guy was using in the carburetor body. I would think that since it is> supplying vapor from that point then you would need something> substantially larger than a carb jet but I can't get past the idea of> venting that much vapor during engine startup as what the engine would> need while running. Maybe that's what this 'spud-jet' he was using is -> some kind of normally closed but on/off ball & spring type deal like a> backwards PCV valve sort of thing.>

Ah hell, I guess the damned tank pressure will prevent the fuel from doing any kind of pre-reg vaporising. That's too bad, it's gets awful hot crawling around at 5mph through the woods.

You need to evaporate a significant amount of propane per unit time to make this work. That would be much more than could be used by any vehicle carburetor, especially crawling around at 5 mph and using minimal fuel. If you put the heat-absorbing part of your LPG plumbing inside the cab, you would receive some benefit, but hardly enough to make it worth your while.

An air conditioning system, which you could install instead, uses a recycling, compressible fluid, and inputs a significant amount of horsepower. If you do the heat transfer equations, this translates to gallons and gallons of propane, or whatever fluid you want to use, per hour. There is really no free lunch here.

You can fix the safety issues, but "I canna' change the laws of physics, Cap'n".

Earle

That's not how propane systems work, they never did, and you know it. No one ever died from a propane freeze up and you admitted you lied about it before. I think you are really Bill Clinton maybe.

Good information on Propane is hard to find in the US right now. Nolff's put out a good book but they were bought by Woodward. They may have some left. Larry Carley wrote a book, Jay Storer wrote another. Use interlibrary loan or eBay.

Bret,

What a disgusting thing to say.

I wouldn't even say something that nasty to Bill Clinton himself!

Hmmmmm, maybe if I had a 1500hp monster truck.....

I was reading that, at least, propane could be used to replace the AC refrigerant.

there was an interesting gas-absorption refridgerator with no movingparts that can cool directly from heat energy.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_absorption_refrigerator

It's an open secret propane works fine in R12 systems with only minor tweaking of the TXV-in fact, under most circumstances, even without it. Thousands of vehicles are driving around with propane in the AC system, cooling fine, in fact as we speak, usually unbeknownst to the owners.

Two problems: the "heavy ends" and fuel additives in most propane will foul things up eventually, unless reagent grade propane is used. More significantly: if the evaporator, particularly, or really any part of the system leaks...especially the evaporator, because the fumes will get into the interior..when (not if) it hits a spark, you will have an explosion. If it's inside the sealed car, the occupants will probably blow up like VC in the tunnels of Vietnam when the ethane gas was injected by Special Forces. The only reason strict laws were never passed against it is because they figured it would only publicize the practice, and more people would do it. Other than that propane makes a fine refrigerant.

Servel was the main maker of gas fridges, but now there is a bounty on them. Their lives are in danger. Save the Servels!

'Reagent' propane, that would be the odorless stuff.... :)