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Monday August 09, 2010

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Here we explain propane consumption, cylinder vaporization, and the size cylinder required to run a certain horsepower generator.

Propane Consumption Rate

Using some basic factors, round numbers and some good estimates, this is how run time values of propane cylinders can be worked out:

BASIC FACTORS

	It requires 2 horsepower to produce 1000 watts of energy per hour
	Under load, each horsepower consumes 10,000 BTU per hour
	Propane contains 92,000 BTU per gallon
	Propane weighs 4.2 pounds per gallon
	Cylinders are rated by their weight capacity of propane

Cylinder Capacities in Gallons and BTU's

Size	Gallon Capacity	Total BTU Capacity
20#	4.8	441,600
30#	7.1	653,200
40#	9.5	874,000
60#	14.3	1,315,600
100#	23.8	2,189,600
200#	47.2	4,342,400
420#	99.1	9,117,200

Using these factors we can arrive at run times based on average load for any generator.

For instance:

How long would a 5000 Watt Generator with a 10 HP engine at 50% load run on a 20# propane cylinder?

10hp at 50% load would be using 5 horse power to generate 2500 watts of energy.

5hp x 10,000 btu would consume 50,000 btu per hour.

Using a 20# cylinder that produces 441,600 total btu, the engine consuming 50,000 btu per hour would run for about 8.8 hours.

BTU consumption chart based on generator/engine size and load

Generator Wattage	Engine Horsepower	Full Load	75% Load	50% Load
1850	3.5	35,000	26,250	17,500
4000	8	80,000	60,000	40,000
5000	10	100,000	75,000	50,000
7500	15.5	155,000	116,250	77,500
8000	16	160,000	120,000	80,000
10,000	20	200,000	150,000	100,000
12,000	24	240,000	180,000	120,000

Many people want to know what size cylinders they need based on their engine size. Here are some real conservative estimates of the vaporization rate of various size cylinders based on the outside temperature.

Vaporization Rates of Cylinders

Output in BTU's per hour - Vertical Cylinder 25% full - Minimum Cylinder Pressure 10 PSI

Cylinder Size

Outside Temperature	20	30	40	100	200	420
+60F	24,000	32,000	40,100	79,700	125,900	185,500
+50F	21,200	28,300	35,500	70,600	111,500	164,300
+40F	18,450	24,700	31,000	61,500	97,200	143,100
+30F	15,700	21,000	26,400	52,400	82,800	122,000
+20F	13,000	17,300	21,800	43,300	68,400	100,700
+10F	10,250	13,700	17,200	34,200	54,000	79,500
0	7,500	10,000	12,600	25,000	39,500	58,300
-10F	4,780	6,400	8,000	16,000	25,300	37,100
-20F	2,050	2,700	3,400	6,800	10,700	15,900

For the physical properties of each cylinder, click on the "Cylinder Size" above.

What does all this mean?

Well, if you went exactly by the chart, you would need a 420# cylinder to run a 14hp engine if it was 25% full and 40 degrees outside and keep a minimum of 10 psi in the cylinder. This is a worse case scenario. For instance, when a 20# cylinder is full it can run a 16hp engine for quite some time in 40 degree weather before there will be any freezing problem. But if you wanted to use up all the gas in a cylinder, it would have to be sized according to the chart.

Here is why. Propane is stored as a liquid under pressure and boils to produce a vapor that is drawn off at the top for the engine to use as the fuel. Because propane boils at -44° (below zero), the gas will freeze if it can not absorb enough ambient heat to compensate for the boiling process. The bigger the cylinder is compared to the amount of load, the warmer it is outside, the warmer the cylinder is kept, all are a determining factor in the likelihood of a cylinder freezing up.

If a sweat or frost line forms around the cylinder at the level of the fuel, this is a telltale sign that the cylinder over worked and is in the process of freeze up. If the gas does freeze, it will stop producing vapor and the pressure inside the cylinder will drop to as low as zero psi which will cause the engine to stop running.

To compensate for an undersize cylinder, two cylinders can be tied together using a tee check and pigtails. Some customers set the cylinder near the exhaust of the engine to help keep the cylinder warm and have no problem using smaller tanks on bigger engines. This practice needs to be carefully monitored so that the cylinder does not overheat and cause the relief valve to check off.