Fuel Gas and Heating Values

Related Resources: heat transfer

Fuel Gas and Heating Values

Types of Fuel Gas and Heating Values

Natural gas, LPG, and propane are commonly used fuel gases. LPG is a mixture of propane and butane. It is generally transported and stored in liquid form. Other gases may also be used as fuel, but cost and availability may dictate the use of a specific gas over another. Table 1 lists commonly available fuel gases and their properties such as heating value and density.

LPG is the commercial term for a liquid under pressure that contains varying proportions of propane (C₃H₈) and butane (C₄H₁₀). It is generally transported and stored as a liquid under pressure ranging from 200 to 300 pounds per square inch (lb/in² or psi). As a liquid it is approximately half as heavy as water. When the pressure is reduced, LPG vaporizes to form a gas with a specific gravity of approximately 1.52 (air = 1.00).

Gas name	Heating value				Speciﬁc gravity	Density, lb/ft³	Speciﬁc volume, ft³/lb
	Btu/ft³		Btu/lb
	Gross	Net	Gross	Net
Acetylene	1,498	1,447	21,569	21,837	0.91	0.070	14.4
Blast furnace gas	92	92	1,178	1,178	1.02	0.078	12.8
Butane	3,225	2,977	21,640	19,976	1.95	0.149	6.71
Butylene	3,077	2,876	20,780	19,420	1.94	0.148	6.74
Carbon monoxide	323	323	4,368	4,368	0.97	0.074	13.5
Carbureted gas	550	508	11,440	10,566	0.63	0.048	20.8
Coke oven gas	574	514	17,048	15,266	0.44	0.034	29.7
Sewage gas	690	621	11,316	10,184	0.80	0.062	16.3
Ethane	1,783	1,630	22,198	20,295	1.06	0.060	12.5
Hydrogen	325	275	61,084	51,628	0.07	0.0054	186.9
Methane	1,011	910	23,811	21,433	0.55	0.042	23.8
Natural gas,	1,073	971	20,065	18,158	0.70	0.054	18.4
California, U.S.
Propane	2,572	2,365	21,500	19,770	1.52	0.116	8.61
Propylene	2,332	2,181	20,990	19,630	1.45	0.111	9.02
Water gas (bituminous)	261	239	4,881	4,469	0.71	0.054	18.7

Reference:

Piping Calculations Manual,
E. Shashi Menon
SYSTEK Technologies, Inc