Homemade gas filling station for cars. How to fill a disposable gas cartridge? Making an adapter
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The desire of motorists to switch to gas from the usual gasoline is easy to explain. In this way, it is possible to reduce fuel costs and even extend the life of the car's power unit.
But for some motorists, this is not enough - they invent unique ways refueling with household gas.
Is it possible? What are the preferred methods? When should you expect cost recovery? Let's analyze these questions in detail.
Advantages and disadvantages of refueling a car with gas
In the domestic market, motorists choose between two options - equipment for methane or propane (propane-butane). These technologies have a lot of fundamental differences.
In the first case, the fuel is cheaper and is in the form of gas. In the case of propane, the cost of fuel is higher and the gas itself has a liquid form. All that is required for the transition is to supply gas equipment.
The question is whether it's worth it.
Benefits of converting your car to gas
Availability.
The main reason why motorists switch to gas fuel is the desire to save money.
On average, the cost of gas is two times lower, which guarantees the benefits and payback of the system in case of long trips.
The price of equipment installation may vary and ranges from 15-50 thousand rubles.
Many experts have calculated and come to the conclusion that after 15-20 thousand kilometers, equipment in the middle price category pays for itself.
In practice, 9 out of 10 motorists when buying new car and on her.
Increasing the resource of the motor.
Gas has an octane rating that is higher than that of gasoline, which guarantees its combustion without residue, no detonation and minimal load on the engine.
In addition, HBO guarantees a more even mixing of gas with the air flow, which prevents the lubricant from being washed off the inside of the cylinders. That's why the motor lasts longer.
Salvation for the environment.
Due to the fact that the gas is almost completely burned, the amount of harmful vapors in the exhaust is minimal. If we draw parallels with "diesel" gases from the exhaust pipe, then the level of nitrogen oxide is lower by 60-65 percent, and particulate matter by 80 percent.
Multifunctionality.
The installation of HBO does not mean that the driver must give up the main fuel. Moreover, he has access to gasoline (diesel oil) or gas at any time. All that is required is to move a special toggle switch to the desired position.
Safety for life.
There are many stereotypes on the net that HBO explodes on impact or even spontaneously. In practice, such situations are known, but they are rare. The main thing is to entrust the installation to professionals and periodically undergo maintenance.
In addition, safety valves are provided in the HBO to prevent spontaneous explosion. But that's not all.
Cylinders are mounted in such a way as to reduce the risk of contact and explosion in case of a collision on the road with another object.
At the same time, a lot of experiments were carried out that proved the minimum risk for the car.
If a leak appears, it is easy to recognize with the help of smelling elements - mercaptans.
Disadvantages of switching to gas
Service problems.
Despite the popularity of HBO, there are not so many specialists in setting up and installing such equipment.
The reason is that the maintenance of LPG requires expensive equipment, which not all stations are ready to purchase.
When problems arise with the system, you have to spend a lot of time looking for an intelligent master.
A small number of gas stations.
The main reason for the small number of gas filling stations is the difficulty in obtaining permits to fill cars with such fuel, as well as the high cost of equipment.
On a long trip, you have to suffer to find a suitable gas station. The only thing that saves is the ability to quickly switch to gasoline.
Reduced power and dynamics.
The results of the experiments showed that after refueling the car with gas (methane or propane), the power drops by 12-15 percent. Accordingly, the maximum speed is also reduced by 6-7 percent.
Problems with starting the engine at low temperatures.
When the ambient temperature drops below 10 degrees below zero, the gas turns into liquid state, does not enter the system.
In addition, the ignition temperature also increases, which leads to a number of starting problems.
In such situation only decision Start on petrol and then switch to LPG.
Danger of depressurization due to rising temperatures.
Cars with HBO are afraid of engine overheating due to the risk of system depressurization. For the same reason, direct sunlight should be avoided.
Increasing the weight of the car and reducing the volume of the trunk.
It's no secret that HBO is installed in the luggage compartment, which often leads to a lack of space when loading.
On average, 65-70 kilograms are added to the weight of the car and 40 liters of luggage compartment are taken away.
There are situations when HBO is mounted directly behind the rear seats. In this case, the possibility of their folding and transportation of rangefinder cargoes is excluded.
Is it possible to fill a car with household gas: the main ways
In recent years, in the US and the EU, it has been popular natural gas methane.
In Italy, for example, almost fifty thousand cars have been converted to this type of blue fuel, and in Germany, dozens of methane gas stations open every month.
For this reason, motorists are increasingly switching to more affordable fuel.
The difficulty is that to fill the car with methane, a pressure of 210-220 atmospheres is required, which is not always possible to achieve. So, about 20-25 cubic meters can fit in a hundred-liter cylinder. meters of natural gas.
The highest pressure that cylinders can hold is 240-260 atmospheres (at a test pressure of 300 atmospheres).
In the United States, Canada and Italy, thousands of motorists fill up with gas in their garage. Gradually, this trend reaches the CIS countries. All that is required is the presence of a compressor costing 5-10 thousand dollars.
The overall performance of the devices is 20 "cubes" in 5-10 hours. By the way, the performance depends on two parameters - the inlet pressure level and the compressor itself.
But there are risks here. If a car enthusiast made a mistake with pressure or installation, then a whole area remains without gas.
In addition, the use of a compressor leads to the exhaustion of gas from the system until the hydraulic fracturing protection operates.
According to the rules, the excess pressure should be up to 2 kPa. If the gas is collected above the established rate, then the gas supply is turned off.
So, in order to fill a cylinder with 20 "cubes" of blue fuel, it is worth pumping out gas from almost one and a half kilometers of a pipe with a diameter of 140 mm.
If the gas supply is carried out with a pressure of 3-12 atmospheres (average level), then refueling a car with gas at home is real.
With this pressure, it is easier for the compressor to catch up with the level required for refueling.
Among the problems described above, it is worth noting one more - bureaucratic. To certify such equipment in the CIS countries is akin to science fiction.
One of the alternatives is the use of the AK-150S compressor, which is used in the military industry and is mounted on various vehicles - infantry fighting vehicles, tanks, aircraft and other equipment.
How does it work (filling station with high pressure pump)?
Now let's take a closer look at how the system works, what are its features. Unfortunately, for Russia it looks fantastic so far.
Everything is easy here. Each motorist has access to a high-pressure pump (HPV). It is enough to connect the device to the home gas pipeline and refuel the car.
As for some requirements, here it is worth being guided by the current safety rules regarding gas supply systems. It is also worth noting that the device is connected to electricity, so grounding is required.
If the compressor capacity is 9-10 "cubes" of gas per hour, then full charging is achieved in 1-1.5 hours. In this case, it is not necessary to stand near the car while refueling is in progress.
The system is safe, so after turning it off, you are allowed to go to bed to rest, and turn everything off in the morning.
Advantages and disadvantages of refueling gas at home
Refueling your car with gas at home has several advantages:
- Convenience. There is no need to go anywhere to fill the tank;
- Benefit. Refueling with domestic gas is cheaper.
Disadvantages:
- The high cost of installing HBO on a car;
- The cost of purchasing a gas compressor;
- High pressure cylinders are large and heavy;
- There are not so many methane gas stations, so you will rarely have to refuel (perhaps only at home);
- There is a risk of leaving the microdistrict without gas (this was discussed above).
If the mentioned disadvantages do not scare away, then you can decide on such a re-equipment.
When will everything pay off?
To understand whether it is worth spending money on re-equipping a car, we will carry out a number of simple calculations. To calculate, we take five Gazelle cars, provided that each car travels 250 kilometers per day.
The price of a filling station (with a pressure of 10 "cubes" per hour) is about $ 3,000. This amount is required to be divided by the number of cars and get the cost of one car - $ 600.
It is also worth adding the cost of HBO - 400-500 dollars. Total - 1000 US dollars per car.
Gazelle consumes an average of 18 liters per hundred. As for blue fuel, the consumption here is almost the same.
One "cube" of methane in Russia costs 15 rubles, or about 23 cents. It turns out that the cost per 100 km is $4.14.
Traveling on petrol costs twice as much. One liter costs about 34 rubles - 50 cents. Accordingly, 9 dollars will be required for 100 km.
For every hundred kilometers, the savings are almost five dollars.
For the payback of the equipment, the machine must travel 20 thousand kilometers.
If we take into account that a total of five cars travel 1250 kilometers, then the costs will be recouped quickly - in 80 working days. The greater the daily mileage, the faster the payback comes.
The issue of installing a HBU is especially acute if the car's consumption is 25-30 liters per "hundred". In such a situation, the cost of equipment will pay off in 50-60 days.
Results
Transferring a car or refueling a car with gas at home should not happen with a swoop. Here it is worth carefully calculating the costs and payback.
If the vehicle travels 1-2 thousand kilometers a year, then there is no need to re-equip the car. Another thing is if the driver almost does not get out from behind the wheel. In such a situation, switching to HBO is a chance to really reduce costs and recoup them within 3-4 months.
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Gasoline prices are growing at such a pace that you do not have time to remember them, and more and more drivers are thinking about alternative fuels. Alas, the high cost of electric vehicles does not yet allow mass transfer to them, the same applies to hydrogen fuel. Now the most effective way saving on refueling is to equip the car with gas-cylinder equipment () and use natural gas (methane) or liquefied gas (propane, butane) as fuel. Propane is obtained from oil refining, but methane is the same gas that we all use to cook food on gas stoves, it is supplied through pipes to most apartments and private houses. At the same time, if we compare prices for 1 cu. meter of methane at gas stations (about 15 rubles) and gas prices for the population (about 4 rubles), then a significant difference is visible. Therefore, many people have a reasonable question: is it possible to fill a car with LPG with ordinary household gas at home?
Indeed, such a possibility exists, but this does not mean that you can simply connect the hose from gas pipe to the car and fill it up. The fact is that in the cylinders installed on the car, the gas is under a pressure of 200 atmospheres, therefore, to pump it, you need a special compressor that can compress the gas to the required pressure and supply it to the cylinders. Such equipment exists, although it is mostly imported and it is not cheap - from 3,000 euros. But craftsmen learned how to adapt the AK-150S military compressor for these purposes, which is used on tanks, aircraft, infantry fighting vehicles and other military equipment. It will take from 4 to 10 hours to fully refuel a car with methane, depending on the type of compressor used, so this procedure is best done at night. By the way, the night best time for refueling and for one more reason - fewer people use gas at this time, which means that the load that the compressor creates on the gas line will be less noticeable, because about 20 cubic meters of gas enters a 100-liter cylinder and in order to fill it, you need to pump out methane from 1 .3 km pipeline network low pressure 140 mm in diameter. This can trigger the protection automatics at the gas distribution substation and the technical inspection system of the gas supply company will sooner or later reveal the cause of excessive gas consumption.
You don’t need to get any special permits for refueling with methane at home, but you shouldn’t meddle with gas workers with questions either - they will probably find something to dig into. It is clear that such a feint will not work in an apartment, this can only be done in a private house connected to a gas pipeline. And of course, for commercial purposes (i.e., to fill anyone who wants it for money), no one will allow you to open such a gas station at home. As an option - to cooperate with neighbors in the village, buy a compressor together and refuel in turn, then the costs will pay off very quickly. You just need to remember about safety. Speaking of costs - do not forget that the compressor consumes a lot of electricity, so the cost of refueling increases. However, some especially cunning fellow citizens even manage to save here by unwinding both the electric meter and the gas meter, but this is a completely different topic. We invite you to watch a video on how home installations for filling household gas into a car work in Ukraine. By the way, gas prices for the population there are lower than in Russia ...
If the gas cylinder runs out of gas, then it is easier to buy it than to refill the used one. But for the sake of economy Money people still try to fill an empty cylinder with gas on their own, avoiding buying it. Of course, it is quite possible and easy to do this. The main thing is to follow all the rules and safety measures. You can fill a small cylinder to the country or tourist gas bottle using a large-capacity donor balloon.
A household gas cylinder can be of different capacities: from 5 to 300 liters. In order for liquid gas to flow out, turn the donor cylinder upside down, the valve must be at the bottom. For convenience, you can use any design, for example, hang on a rope or install a cylinder on a stand. You can come up with many options for mounting the cylinder upside down. The main thing is that the design is reliable. To assemble a system for filling gas into an empty cylinder, you will need: a tap, hose adapters, a threaded head, a high-pressure hose. In order for the assembled filling system to be durable and serve more than once, it is better to take all the items listed from gas equipment, preferably for liquid nitrogen. If you take ordinary plumbing equipment, the system will quickly fail. Assemble the gas filling system, carefully fasten with couplings. The gearbox is not needed, with it the refueling process will go slower.
It is possible to fill only household cylinders with a valve, and not old-style cylinders with a “lamb”. Always remember that gas is highly explosive and must be handled with care and caution. You can fill the cylinder at gas stations equipped with special scales and having official permission.
As experts advise, in order to reduce fuel consumption, you just need to develop a so-called economical driving style. Simply put, this means that you need to handle the gas pedal carefully, that is gently press to accelerate and brake due to the engine which shuts off the fuel supply. This will really help reduce fuel consumption. But the percentage of savings will not rise above 10%.
Some gas stations offer to simply switch to cheaper types of fuel that contain higher percentage ethanol. But this can affect the operation of the engine, as well as the fuel system. In other matters, this problem can only affect certain brands of cars.
Recently, the method of using the so-called "super device" has become very popular among drivers. Its principle of operation is to break up the clumps of gasoline molecules due to magnetic resonance, and then the combustion of gasoline occurs with less waste. So, experts categorically do not advise using this method, since this is just pumping money.
Actually significant savings may be additional installation into the car gas equipment. The cost of installing such a technical device can cost an average of $ 700 to $ 1,000, depending on the brand of car. But this method can be beneficial only with a high mileage of the car., because otherwise the installation of HBO will pay off for a very long time. Be sure to consider the type of engine, because not all engines function normally with gas.
The most daring way to save money is home gas filling. In appearance, it resembles a wall-mounted gas boiler, which is accessible at any time. Since the cost of natural gas for the population is approximately 5 rubles, and if we take into account that 1 cubic meter of gas is equal to 1 liter of gasoline, it turns out that such filling stations provide savings by 5-6 times.
But in all this there is a huge minus. A home version of gas refueling will cost about 5 thousand euros - this is the minimum, plus the installation of gas equipment that is adapted for natural gas. The capacity of the compressor for pumping gas is not high, so refueling can take several hours. And to top it off, you must always carry an 80 liter gas bottle with you in the trunk.
To speed up the refueling of the car, the owner can arrange a receiver station. What does it mean? First, pump gas into stationary cylinders, and then refuel the car directly from them. This procedure will be shortened to 20 minutes.
But if the driver has a small car, then the installation of a home filling station is unprofitable. It can be more profitable for owners of gazelles or jeeps, in which the fuel consumption coefficient is very high and can be up to 20 liters per 100 kilometers.
In many country houses gas cylinders are used, which must be regularly refilled. Although they are used in production. Refilling is much cheaper than buying a new cylinder. They are used for heating and domestic needs. When living outside the city limits, the question of where to fill the gas cylinder becomes natural. This is discussed in the article.
Pros and cons of gas cylinders
The self-contained tank is a convenient thing to use. Its advantages include:
- Mobility. It can be rearranged, transported.
- Unlimited storage period. It can be used later.
- Big choice. You can purchase a container of any size, purpose, made of various materials.
Of the minuses are:
- Fire hazard. If the tank is located in the area of a fire or a sudden change in temperature, this can lead to a threat to life and health, as well as damage to property.
- The presence of sediment in old tanks with prolonged use. They need to be cleaned for future use.
- Gas leakage if the equipment has been used for a long time. You need to change the jet regularly to prevent this.
- Danger from sudden overturning. There is a risk of a pressure surge and a sudden burst of flame. And it’s almost impossible to pay off everything on your own.
- Risk of substance inhalation. If the equipment is malfunctioning, then people living in the house can be poisoned by carbon monoxide.
Where to apply?
Household gas cylinders are sold at specialized points. Usually there is home delivery. Where to fill the gas cylinder if it is empty? In these specialized centers, the filling of containers is carried out. As a rule, these points are located at stationary automobile gas stations.
Other items
Where else is propane? There are several options:
- Factory. But this option is not very convenient, besides not cheap.
- Companies that have received the right from Gostekhnadzor. These include the exchange of cylinders.
Factories and companies should have special rooms that meet the requirements, as well as the equipment that is needed for such work. Where to fill gas This work is performed by the same specialized points.
Where should you not go?
Although you can perform this procedure at almost every gas station, where there are not even special balloon points, you should not buy liquefied gas there. This is quite risky because:
- After this procedure, there is no check for gas leakage.
- There is no control of tankers, which is why the use of such gas equipment will be unsafe.
- Due to the format of the filling column, the balloon cannot be filled with high quality.
According to the norms, the filling volume should not exceed 85%. This creates a "vapor cap" in the cylinder, which protects against the risk of the cylinder exploding due to high temperatures. In automobile cylinders, in comparison with household ones, there is a cut-off valve to prevent gas overflow. Therefore, the equipment must be checked on the scales. Where is the best place to fill a gas cylinder? You can also apply to car gas stations, if only there is special equipment and a license.
Filling process
Refueling centers are called gas filling stations. They may have different equipment. Usually the procedure is performed in 3 ways:
- Pumped: A pump is used.
- Pump-compression: gas is taken with a pump and under high pressure compressor enters the cylinder.
- Pump-evaporator: in the gas supply system there is a heater-evaporator that provides increased pressure.
All refueling methods are safe if the rules and procedures are followed.
station requirements
If you are interested in where you can fill the gas cylinder, then you should check the station for the presence of:
- Exhaust and pump installations.
- Reservoirs for gas.
- Technical tools for transportation.
- Additional devices - dispensers, devices for measuring the density of a substance.
Where are household gas cylinders filled in cities? This is usually done by gas services that connect and maintain this equipment. They deliver containers with the substance according to a certain schedule. Delivered to the villages gas equipment, delivering it on special machines.
The procedure is performed according to standard requirements. They must be observed, as there is a risk of explosion. For example, the procedure is not performed if there is one of the shortcomings:
- the equipment is faulty;
- there is no necessary pressure in the cylinder;
- there are valve or valve defects;
- rust is visible on the surface;
- peeling paint;
- there is damage.
Therefore, you need to check compliance with these regulations regarding where you can fill the gas cylinder. They should be labeled "compressed gas". A sticker is also attached, indicating an explosion hazard. Only in this case, everything complies with safety standards, so refueling in such a company can be performed.
Refueling rules
Before the procedure, the balloon is freed from condensate and remaining gas. Filling is carried out on the basis of the characteristics indicated in the data sheet, so that the equipment will work safely. During the procedure, there should be no fire, sparks, coals and other hazardous substances nearby. Work can be done in 2 ways:
- Exchange. A person gives away his reservoirs, and he is provided with filled ones. This saves time. But the disadvantage is the receipt of other equipment, which may not have quite high-quality parameters.
- own balloons. A person leaves their tanks for refueling, and after a while picks them up. Then only your equipment will be used. But you will have to spend money on shipping and wait a while.
After refueling, the equipment must be properly maintained. It should not be affected by precipitation, sunlight. Cylinders should be stored upright. Equipment should be checked regularly for proper operation. It is better to eliminate any defects immediately, without waiting for adverse consequences.
What does the price depend on?
It is important to know not only where to fill the gas cylinder, but also the price of these services. The cost depends on:
- service level;
- availability of transport services;
- electricity costs;
- gas prices.
In case of violation of refueling procedures, firms are held liable. If they do not comply with the rules and regulations, then for these cases it applies. Therefore, if you need to fill a gas cylinder (50 liters or another volume), you should contact specialized companies that work on the basis of a legally issued permit. Then the procedures for filling the cylinders are performed correctly, which is safe for the life and health of people.
