There are 2 types of gas fuel:

• methane (natural gas);
• propane-butane mixture.

Methane has a gaseous form, in the cylinder it is also in a gaseous state, it is lighter than air and it does not smell. A propane-butane mixture is a liquefied gas, in a cylinder it is in a liquid state, and when it enters the engine, it becomes gaseous in the gearbox. Propane-butane has a peculiar odor and is heavier than air, that is, it does not evaporate, it grows on the ground, and methane, in the event of a leak, it just disappears, that's all. This is the fundamental difference between these gases.

Methane is a more reliable fuel because it has a constant composition. And the composition of propane-butane is constantly changing. In the summer there may be one mixture, in the winter another, and depending on the climatic zones, the ratio of propane and butane may differ. Therefore, refilling gas with low-quality gas is a very frequent phenomenon.

But refueling with counterfeit methane is impossible, it is always homogeneous and always has a stable pressure. And eliminates the problems encountered when refueling low-quality fuel. Also, propane-butane is influenced by temperature, and methane is not influenced by temperature, therefore, at any temperature from -30 to +40, the car is always the same.

After installing the equipment for methane, the car becomes a bit-fuel, so its mileage increases without refueling, this is especially good on long journeys, especially if there is no quality fuel on the way. Today, methane is the most promising fuel, its reserves in nature will be enough for more than 60 years of active use, but cheap oil reserves will disappear in about 20 years. This means that gasoline and propane-butane prices will increase. But the natural time in the price of growth will not yet, therefore, as a prospect, it is advantageous to install it in the car. So, methane is by far the most promising fuel.

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A conventional Honda Accord type car with a 2.4 liter engine consumes about 12 cubic meters per 100 km. run With a 1.6 engine consumption will be approximately 8-9 cubic meters per 100 km. This means that if you drive actively, the methane equipment will pay off after a couple of months of active use. This is the same as putting money into the bank at 370% per annum. That is, the money is very quickly repulsed, if normal ride. It even makes sense to take a loan for methane equipment and pay it off already with the money saved. You don’t even have to find your money from somewhere to install equipment.

Also, it is of interest to many whether the resource of the motor decreases if it will work on methane. It turns out that the resource of the engine on methane is higher than on gasoline. When methane burns - it does not tear the oil film in the cylinders, this reduces wear. Methane has a very high octane, which means that you can never get a detonation. And on gasoline, detonation can be obtained often, it is just not very noticeable. And it happens when at low revs to give gas, then there is such a jingle. So on methane never happens detonation, which also extends the resource of the engine. It turns out that oil can be changed less frequently on methane and mileage increases about 1.5 times.

With regard to the safety of methane equipment. There is a classification of the dangers of different types of fuel to ignition or explosion. Methane is assigned the 4th grade for safety, it is higher than that of gasoline - it has 3rd grade. In propane-butane - 2nd class. And all because of the leakage of propane-butane accumulates and forms an explosive concentration.

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For the storage of methane using strong cylinders of 200 atmospheres and modern equipment. Steel wires that minimize the possibility of leakage. In case of damage to the wire through which the gas goes to the engine, the cylinder fittings are equipped with an automatic device that eliminates gas leakage. The gas cylinder is installed in the most invulnerable place in case of an accident.

But even if a leak occurs - natural gas will simply evaporate and that’s all, no danger. The cylinders undergo multiple tests, they have a high margin of safety, they are tested in the event of a fall, during arson, impact, or a gunshot. All kinds of damage pass the cylinders before they go on sale. But even if the balloon is damaged, which is unlikely, the gas is still lighter than air, it will just evaporate and the explosion will not occur.

Some are wondering what will happen if a short circuit occurs in the car. Then just blow the fuse and that's it. In the car in the event of a spark circuit rarely appears, for this and created fuses. Even if a fire starts in the car, a special insert is provided for this case, which melts with an increase in temperature, after which the gas evaporates and that’s all.

It is good to put methane equipment on a powerful car with a large engine, because for these cars the main problem is fuel consumption. Especially if the engine is V8 or V12, then it just buckets there is gasoline. But on methane this is a completely different cost. In the trunk set cylinder and all. By the way, the weight of a cylinder with methane is less than the weight from a cylinder with propane-butane.

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And then a video about methane gas and its main differences from propane-butane: