Cooking with LPG

 In a country where loadshedding has become a daily reality, South Africans are forced to find new ways to adapt to life without electricity.

As with most challenges in life, we always work towards improving and solving the problem but in South Africa loadshedding is only getting worse by the year. At the time this blogpost is written, loadshedding has been a daily constant for almost 3 weeks and stages have been alternating between stage 3 to 6.

The timing of loadshedding usually falls during the hours when a person wants to bath or cook meals. Its become a challenge to live and just do basic things such as cook a meal, wash washing and also impacts businesses.

Luckily, we are not entirely dependent on electricity. With Eskom's continued failure at providing the country with electricity, energy sources such as solar power and LPG gas are slowly making their way into the spotlight and into people's homes.

Our business is focused on promoting the use of LP gas which is the perfect energy source to use in conjunction with solar power. Installing a solar power system can be quite costly whereas LPG is easily accessible, affordable and portable giving you a lot more versatility than solar or electricity.

Cooking with LPG has many benefits. 

Here are some of the reasons why you should consider making the switch:

• Your cooking time is faster: When it comes to gas stoves, there's no need to first wait for your stove plates to heat up like electricity. Your stove plates reach the desired temperature instantly meaning you can cook your meals faster.
• Better temperature control: Any baker will know that temperature control is extremely important when baking, the same applies to cooking. When you change the temperature on an electric stove, it usually takes some time for the oven or stove plate to adjust accordingly. With a gas stove the temperate adjustment is almost immediate and remains constant.
• Cooking with LPG is the most eco-friendly solution: LPG is a clean-burning fuel and emits very low carbon emissions making it a better option than electricity and even wood.
• It is cost effective:  Because gas stoves reach their temperatures faster and the heat remains at a constant temperature, you are able to cook meals much faster. Spending less time cooking means you use less energy than you would with an electric stove which means your gas lasts longer and you save on the electricity expense.
• Gas cooking is versatile:  As mentioned, LPG is an easily accessible and portable energy source. The sizes of gas canisters and cylinders vary meaning that you are spoiled for choice when it comes to cooking with gas. You can use gas in your home or outdoors at a braai. Are you going camping or hiking? There are cooking solutions for these activities as well. 

Cooking safely with LP gas:

When we were young and electricity was the main source of energy in every home and business, we were educated on how to use electricity safely. Now that we are considering other options of energy sources within our home, it is important to educate ourselves on their safety hazards.

Dangers of CO (Carbon Monoxide) and the Effects of CO in the Air

                             Carbon Monoxide

What is Carbon Monoxide?..

Carbon monoxide, or “CO,” is an odourless, colourless gas that can kill you. CO in the environment can have a devastating effect on human health. For most of us it would be the most dangerous gas we might ever experience. It is often referred to as the ‘hidden gas’ because it is very hard to detect. However, the effects of CO are quite dramatic and in high concentrations it will kill within a few minutes.

When we breathe, our lungs absorb oxygen. However, CO is absorbed more readily into the blood stream than oxygen and when our haemoglobin, or red blood cells, become saturated with CO, no oxygen can be absorbed. One of the functions of oxygen is to remove waste matter from our tissues, so without oxygen our blood rapidly become poisoned. 

What percentage of CO can be harmful and what percentage can kill us?

CO in air  -  0.01%

Saturation of CO in blood  - 0–15%

Effects of CO in adults - Slight headache after 2–3 hours  

 

CO in air  -  0.15% - 0.3%

Saturation of CO in blood - 50–55%- 55-65%

Effects of CO in adults - Severe headache, nausea, and dizziness within 10 minutes; increased breathing and convulsions, leading to collapse, possible death after 15 minutes.

Yellow flames coming out from gas appliances is a sign that your appliance isn't burning correctly and efficiently. Thus, its important to keep your appliance in good health by servicing it regularly. 

What distinguishes LPG from other members of the family of petroleum hydrocarbons is.. Part 4

 Diesel

Types of Hydrocarbons in Diesel:

Unlike gas fossil fuels that are composed primarily of a single hydrocarbon isomer type, liquid fossil fuels like gasoline, kerosene (jet fuel, diesel),  are a compilation of hydrocarbon isomers. They are melodies of more than one hydrocarbon isomer type. 

Of the fossil fuels, diesel has one of the highest energy densities. “The average chemical formula for common diesel fuel is C12H24, ranging approximately from C10H20 to C15H28.” That means diesel has a carbon-to-hydrogen ratio of 1-to-2 or greater. 

There is a direct correlation between the carbon to hydrogen ratio and fuel density. There is a direct correlation between the size of molecule chains in a fuel and fuel density. So, while there is a strict definition of fuel density, a simple explanation of fuel density is the size of the hydrocarbon molecules in a fuel in conjunction with the carbon-to-hydrogen ratio. 

The carbon to hydrogen ratio of diesel — the fuel density — is significantly higher than all gas fossil fuels as well as liquid fossil fuels. Only the highest quality coal in the world, anthracite, has an energy density that exceeds that of diesel. 

What distinguishes LPG from other members of the family of petroleum hydrocarbons is.. Part 3

                                   Kerosene

Kerosene oil is a flammable liquid which is used in many industries and homes around the world as a fuel for light, heat and power. It is generally non-viscous and clear, however viscous substances such as wax and other thicker substances can be made from kerosene.

The chemical composition of kerosene is fairly complex, and it is a complex mixture of paraffins (55.2%), naphthene's (40.9%), and aromatic hydrocarbons (3.9%). Kerosene tends to contain hydrocarbons that have anywhere from 11 to 13 carbons in the chains. Liquid kerosene fuels contain potentially harmful compounds, including hexane and benzene.

Kerosene is widely used to power jet engines of aircraft (jet fuel), as well as some rocket engines in a highly refined form called RP-1. It is also commonly used as a cooking and lighting fuel, and for fire toys such as poi. In parts of Asia, kerosene is sometimes used as fuel for small outboard motors or even motorcycles.

In developing countries, the widespread use of kerosene comes with numerous different issues. Hazards of kerosene use include poisoning, fires, and explosions. As well, some kerosene lamps emit fine particulates, carbon monoxide, nitric oxides (NOx), and sulfur dioxide when burned. These by-products may reduce lung function and increase risks of asthma and cancer. Taking into account the risks of using kerosene, cleaner alternatives to kerosene technologies for lighting and cooking should be investigated - although kerosene is still a safer option in many cases than using solid fuels.

What distinguishes LPG from other members of the family of petroleum hydrocarbons is.. Part 2

               Boiling (or vaporization)Gasoline

Gasoline, kerosene, diesel oil and other similar hydrocarbons are normally liquids at atmospheric pressure and temperature. To make them boil and vaporize requires the application of considerable heat.

                                                                 Gasoline:

Gasoline is a hydrocarbon. When you put gas in your car, the gas enters the combustion chamber and is combined with air. The air molecule will collide with the gasoline molecule, causing it to split into one hydrogen atom and one carbon atom. The combination of these two elements creates water vapor, which has a much lower boiling point than gasoline so it quickly evaporates.

Rudolf Diesel 

Rudolf Diesel invented the compression ignition engine in 1897. Shortly thereafter, advances in the refining industry produced gasoline. But not in its modern form. Back then, gasoline was basically a derivative of kerosene, a waste byproduct of early oil refining. It was considered a nuisance and was disposed of by being dumped onto the ground or into rivers.

Soon, however, inventors recognized that gasoline's high energy potential made it an ideal fuel, something that could advance engine development. There was a problem, though: Gasoline does not burn in liquid form. It needs to be atomized, emulsified and vaporized to ignite. This means it must be broken down into small particles, be mixed with air, and undergo a phase change through heat. The carburetor's job is to accomplish the first two steps, while a process called the latent heat of vaporization takes credit for the last step.

One property of gasoline is that the more heat it is exposed to, the more volatile its vapors become. In order to use gasoline as a fuel for an internal combustion engine, something had to heat it, forcing it into a vapor phase. That something is the carburetor.

Gasoline vaporizes at 140 degrees.

The fumes are capable of ignition up to12 feet away from a pooled source. It can float on water and may spread long distances, making ignition and flash back possible. Gasoline may ignite from a nearby spark, flame, or even static electricity.

What distinguishes LPG from other members of the family of petroleum hydrocarbons - Part 1

                     Liquified Petroleum Gas

 LPG: is a petroleum hydrocarbon which is a liquid when stored under moderate pressures and a gas when released at normal ambient temperatures. It is inherently safe, and is generally only dangerous if it is escaping. Its vapor pressure increases rapidly as the temperature increases. When the gas is released to atmosphere at ordinary temperatures, it expands rapidly.

It is heavier than air and care needs to be taken not to allow leaks where significant amounts of gas is going to accumulate. Within the flammable limits of LP-gases, a single spark can easily ignite the product. Because it is odourless, approved odorants must be added. Finally, LP-gases are considered non-toxic. However, in confined spaces LP-gases can displace oxygen. Due to decreased levels of oxygen, this condition can cause unconsciousness or death.