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Propane Injection. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Propane is a three-carbon alkane, normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. It is derived from other petroleum products during oil or natural gas processing. It is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves and residential central heating. A mixture of propane and butane, used mainly as vehicle fuel, is commonly known as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG or LP gas). It may also contain small amounts of propylene and/or butylene. An odorant such as ethanethiol or thiophene is added so that people can easily smell the gas in case of a leak. Energy content The energy density of propane is 46.44 megajoules per kilogram (91,690 BTU per gallon). Weight per gallon The density of propane at 25 degrees C is .493 grams per cubic centimeter. Converting gives 4.11 pounds per gallon. Thus, Propane weighs approximately 4.2 (+/- 0.1) pounds per US liquid gallon, at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Propane expands 1.5% per 10 degrees F. Price per gallon (from an internet search) 10/18/2010 Prices range from a North Dakota average of $1.62 to a Rode Island average of 3.26 Marketing description from ParleysDieselPerformance.com “Diesel Propane Injection – Propane injection for diesel engines is a time tested way to safely improve your horsepower and increase your diesel fuel mileage. When used properly, propane injection will keep your engine cleaner with less carbon buildup and cleaner oil. Propane is a high octane fuel. The slower and longer burn of propane helps your diesel fuel burn more thoroughly, increasing power, torque and fuel mileage. This is one of the best performance modifications for towing, since the use of some performance chips can lead to excessive exhaust gas temperatures when hauling large loads at high speeds, especially up significant grades. With a diesel propane injection system burning propane at approximately a 1:4 ratio to diesel fuel (1 gallon propane per 4 gallons diesel) the increase in exhaust gas temperatures will be minimal and the fuel economy gains will typically pay for the cost of the propane. Propane injection will work for all diesel engines including older mechanical systems.” Marketing claims Adds up to 100 Horsepower & 100+ Ft. Lbs. Torque Substantial fuel economy gains (notice the subjective wording) Excerpt http://moparmuscle.automotive.com/67354/mopp-0604-2001-dodge-ram-propane-injection/index.html (without permission) Propane Injection For Dodge Ram Cummins Turbo Diesel - Propane - It's Not Just For Grilling Anymore Installing MSD's Digital Propane Injection On Your Cummins-Powered Truck By Dave Young “We tested the system with the truck both loaded and unloaded and were impressed with the improvement in acceleration. We initially programmed the system to give us 100-percent capacity at 5 pounds of boost and expected to feel the system's "hit" when the propane was added. The system operated seamlessly, however, and the only indication that it was working was the speedometer's rapid acceleration to not-quite-legal speeds. Even when only programmed to 50-percent capacity while towing our 10,000-pound, enclosed car trailer, we found we had power to spare. No matter what incline we climbed, simply rolling into the throttle produced not just sustained speed, but acceleration, with transmission downshifts now a thing of the past. Exhaust temperature was also noted to be some 50 degrees cooler for a given driving parameter. A quick trip down the eighth-mile showed an improvement of six-tenths of a second and 5 mph when using the propane, with traction now limiting how hard we could launch the truck. Amazingly, it also makes economical sense to use the system when driving daily. As a function of the extra power on tap, the economy of our truck improved drastically. In a controlled test at 65 mph, our highway mileage in an unloaded truck with the propane shut off was 24 mpg, not bad for a heavy dualie. With the propane injection on and set to initiate at five pounds of boost and give 50 percent of the systems capacity, our mileage increased to an amazing 44 mpg (factoring the diesel fuel used only)! Over a 100-mile test, we used 6 pounds of propane from our 30-pound tank, which cost $18 to fill at the local propane supplier, so the propane used for the test cost $3.60. Diesel fuel for the 100 miles was 2.27 gallons at $3 per gallon for a total of $6.82 in diesel fuel. Added together we get a total of $10.42 for the 100-mile test using propane. Without propane, we used 4.17 gallons of diesel at $3 per gallon for a total of $12.50, so we saved over $2 on a 100-mile test using propane. In addition to the cost savings, the use of propane provided us added range, which allowed us to shop for fuel, saving additional money because we now could go to the next exit or even the next state to find cheaper fuel. Even better results were obtained when towing-we saw mileage increase from 14 mpg without propane to 24 mpg when using propane injection. Our truck's range now had no problem exceeding the endurance of our bladder, even while towing our car trailer. We can derive mathematically that it doesn't take too long for the system to pay for itself, especially when diesel fuel in our area is hovering around the $3-per-gallon mark.” Wow, that’s a 55% fuel economy increase with an unloaded truck, and a 58.3% increase with a 10,000 lb trailer. Hmm… If all this can be taken at face value, the $800.00+ cost of the system could be worth the effort financially. Water/Methane Injection Marketing description from ParleysDieselPerformance.com “Provides better fuel economy (1-3 MPG), more power (50-100 HP), and lower Ehaust Gas Temperatures (150°-300° F)” Cost of Methane $33.80 + shipping for 5 gal. http://www.worldwideracingfuels.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=790072 Marketing description (FAQ) from snowperformance.com http://www.snowperformance.net/faqs_type.php?type=diesel 1. What are the benefits of Water/Methanol injection? 1. Greatly reduced EGTs - Decreases of 250 degrees F are common using a 50/50 water/methanol mix. Increased EGTs are an engine killer in today's performance diesel world. 2. Low cost power - Where else can you get 50-100 HP for as low as $549? What other modification does all these things with one system? 3. Greatly increased air charge densities - 3-5 psi boost increases are common with liquid intercooling. 4. Decreased emissions - increased combustion efficiency means less particulate matter and NOX emissions. 5. Fuel economy increase - increase your fuel economy up to 10%-15% (1-3 mpg). 6. Great for towing - more power/cooler EGT's to haul the heaviest loads. 2. Why is Water/Methanol injection so effective on Diesels? Unlike gasoline engines, the power in a turbo diesel is largely a function of fuel. The problem with continually adding fuel is that you create an over-fueling condition and reach a point where the exhaust gas temperatures become prohibitive (over 1300 degrees F). A 50/50 water/methanol mix will decrease EGT's approximately 200-300 degrees F while increasing power 50-100HP. Power is increased through: • Air charge cooling - Water/methanol usually lowers air charge temps over 200 degrees F. Low air temps makes denser air charge which provides more molecules of oxygen for combustion. • Combustion conditioning - the methanol acts as a combustion catalyst as well as a cooling agent. Water vaporization inside the combustion chamber increases torque and power output through "the steam engine" effect. Where else can you get this kind of power with cooler EGT's, reduced emissions, and more fuel economy? 3. Is this technology new with Turbo Diesel? Water/methanol injection has been used extensively for years in high performance truck/tractor pullers. With the elevated boost levels required for peak power, water/methanol is a common means of cooling the intake charge and reducing exhaust gas temps. Also, truckers have used water injection for years to increase fuel mileage. 4. What power gains can I expect? In diesel applications, no additional tuning is needed to maximize the benefits. • A cooler, denser air charge is now delivered to the combustion chamber – this allows more diesel fuel to be burned than before. • The methanol in the injection fluid burns as a fuel. This directly impacts power production. • The water vaporizes in the combustion chamber, creating rapidly expanding steam which pushes down on the piston to create additional torque. The extra power produced depends heavily on the concentration of methanol used and the volume injected. Typical power gains in 5.9L and larger applications with a 50% mixture of water/methanol are 50-100 WHP and a 100-150ft lb-ft increase in torque. 5. Can the Snow Performance system improve my fuel economy? Yes. The MPG-MAX™ systems are designed to do just that. Both the diesel and gasoline MPG-MAX™ systems are specifically designed to inject a very small and precise amount of water/methanol under normal driving conditions such as accelerating away from a stop light or driving up a slight grade. • Diesel MPG-MAX systems benefit from the methanol directly due to the fact that it combusts as a fuel, allowing for brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) to be reduced. Typical gains are 10-15% better fuel economy or 1-3 MPG. In some cases and in independent testing, gains of up to 30% have been observed in diesels. 6. What fluid can I use in my system? • Boost Juice®: This is the best fluid to use and is Snow Performance’s 49% methanol, 51% water mixture that can be shipped to your door or picked up at a local dealer. (If you are using your washer reservoir as the injection tank, Boost Juice® is a great washer fluid – works as a de-icer!) • Windshield Washer fluid: Only if it is blue in color and rated for -20 deg F. This means it is safe to use and made of about 30% methanol, 70% water. If it is another color or another temperature rating, do not use it. It should NOT have any extra additives or features. • You can “spike” your Blue -20 Washer fluid to a 50% mixture by adding 3 12OZ yellow bottles of Heet® gas-line-antifreeze to every gallon of washer fluid. • Mix your own: You just need to make sure the methanol is “neat” and contains no lubricants or other additives. We recommend a 50% mixture. • Ethanol: It is not as good as methanol, but it can be used as a 2nd best option if you can’t find methanol. It can also be mixed with water up to 50%. • Do NOT use E85 or any other fluid with gasoline mixed in. It will destroy the fluid delivery part of your Boost Cooler® and instantly void the warranty. • Isopropyl/Denatured Alcohols: These can be used, but are not as good as methanol. They have a lower BTU, or energy content, and a lower latent heat of vaporization (fancy way of saying how much heat they absorb) as well as a lower octane rating compared to methanol. 7. Why Methanol? Methanol is an extremely clean fuel with an excellent cost/benefit ratio. Its high latent heat of vaporization also makes it an excellent air charge cooler which means a denser mixture and more horsepower. Because of these characteristics, it is a better fuel than ethanol or isopropanol although they will work in a pinch. It is extremely toxic and should be handled with rubber gloves in well ventilated areas only. Care should be taken to avoid skin contact. 8. Is Methanol Safe for my Diesel? Methanol makes an excellent adjunct fuel. Because it has a cetane number of 4CN, it makes safe power without spiking cylinder pressures. 50/50 water/methanol is also very resistant to detonation. It is in fact used as a detonation suppresant in our gasoline systems. This allows for injection without worries about pre-ignition even in very high boost applications such as sled pulling and drag racing. "combustion of neat methanol alone results in a cetane number of 4CN with reduced PM (smoke) and NOx. " see SAE Technical Paper #940326 "Combustion and Emissions Characteristics of Minimally Processed Methanol in a Diesel Engine" 9. Where can I purchase methanol? • Snow Performance sells a 51/49 water/methanol mix as Boost Juice™ (see products). If this is used exclusively, Snow Performance can lifetime warranty a system so long as the free registration card is sent in soon after purchase. • Methanol can generally be purchased where racing fuels are sold. Also, most gas line dryers like "Heet" are simply methanol. Suppliers of industrial chemicals can also supply methanol for a very reasonable price. • -20 degree F rated, blue windsheild washer fluid is acceptable for use as well, and is availble at most service stations. Although some fluids rated to under -20 degrees F contain glycol and other copolymers, most windshield washer fluids are up to 40% methanol. Try to find one that displays "contains methanol" on the label and is good to -20 degrees F, with no additives or special ingredients and is blue in color. • Methanol can be purchased on the web at www.worldwideracingfuels.com and www.hiperfuels.com. • Additionally, many sprint car drivers and circle track and drag racers use methanol as a primary fuel. They often have methanol on hand and will even sell methanol that has been un-sealed for a long time at a very low price. Just be sure that the methanol has NO additives or lubricants (such as top lube), as they are not needed and can damage the pump. 10. Can I use pure methanol? While all components of Snow Performance systems are designed to be able to handle pure methanol, it is not recommended for a number of reasons. • Safety: Straight methanol is easy to ignite and burns with an almost invisible flame. • Performance: Water absorbs twice as much heat as methanol in the intake and inside the combustion chamber. Water cannot be flash-ignited, so has almost an infinite octane number. In the government studies for WWII piston-powered aircraft, 50/50 water-methanol was found to be the best fluid to use for auxiliary fluid injection. • Tuning and Engine reliability: Injecting 50/50 water-methanol will prevent over-injection. If too much is injected, it will quench the flame front and the engine will bog and lose power. If too much straight methanol is injected, this will not happen, as methanol is very forgiving of rich mixtures. This could instead lead to explosive backfires, cylinder wash, etc. which will not happen when 50% or more water is in the mixture. 11. How much range will a tank of Water/Methanol provide? Diesels use more fluid than a gasoline application, and are in heavier load states more often. • On a Stage 1 or 2 system, the factory washer fluid tank on a pickup truck (usually 1-1.5 gallons) will last a tank of fuel. This is for normal mixed driving with no towing and some aggressive acceleration. • On a Stage 3 MPG MAX™ used for towing, the 7 gallon reservoir (included with the MPG MAX™) usually lasts 1-2 tanks of diesel fuel. In an un-loaded state, the 7 gallon reservoir will provide about 1000 miles of range. When towing, the 7 gallon usually lasts about 500 miles. • A standard Stage 3 system will use about 1 gallon of liquid for every 75 miles of towing. Many Stage 3 users take advantage of their stock washer tank or the special universal fitting included in Stage 3 Snow Performance diesel kits with a custom large capacity tank. Be sure to use a solenoid upgrade for any reservoir mounted in the rear of the vehicle.” So they say 3.5 gal of methane will last about 500 miles (towing) will keep the EGTs down and provide about 1-3 MPG increase for a cost of about $23.66 and unknown shipping costs in Methane. That’s right around $.05 per mile or around $.66 per gal of fuel used based on 14 mpg towing. Questions I have. First what are your (if any) experiences with either Propane or Water/Methane injection. Is it cost effective? Has anyone used both at the same time to both add power and keep cooler EGTs? Is either one practical for everyday use with the added hassle of monitoring the reservoir tanks? Jim