Home and Industrial Heating Fuels

This category comprises conventional LPG (commercial propane and butane), home-heating oil and heavy fuels. All these materials are used to produce thermal energy in equipment whose size varies widely from small heaters or gas stoves to refinery furnaces. Without describing the requirements in detail for each combustion system, we will give the main specifications for each of the different petroleum fuels. 

LPG is divided into two types of products commercial propane and commercial butane, each stored as liquid at ambient temperature and corresponding vapor pressure. 

Their satisfactory combustion requires no particular characteristics and the specifications are solely concerned with safety considerations (vapor pressure) and the C3 and C4 hydrocarbon distribution. 

Commercial propane is defined as a mixture containing about 90% C3. Its density should be equal to or greater than 0.502 kg/1 at 15°C (i.e., 0.443 kg/1 at 50°C). The vapor pressure at 37.8°C is between 8.3 bar and 14.4 bar, which corresponds to a range of 11.5-19.3 bar at 50°C. Finally, sulfur is limited to 50 ppm by weight. The evaporation test, NF M 41-012, must result in an end point less than or equal to — 15°C. 

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