Gas fuel is usually stored in gas holders under high pressure in a liquefied state. At normal positive temperatures, it vaporizes and turns into a gaseous state, which is the final product of consumption. If you open the valve, the gas will begin to move along the gas pipeline in the same way as gas comes out of a lighter when you press the valve. However, in some cases, natural vaporization of the liquid fraction is not enough to ensure the normal operation of gas power plants, furnaces, and other units. In such cases, a vaporizer is used, which forcibly (by heating) transforms the liquid phase of the fuel into a gaseous one. This article will be useful if you are looking for a reliable LPG equipment supplier.
Application of Vaporizers
The use of vaporizers in autonomous gas supply systems is relevant in the following cases:
- Gas consumption exceeds the capacity of its natural vaporization.
- Gas fuel is mixed and has a fraction of heavy hydrocarbons, which vaporize poorly at low temperatures.
Usually, a gas vaporizer is part of a complex with other devices that provide control, accounting, and distribution of gas between consumer units.
Such a complex is called a vaporization unit and can contain several vaporizers, the number of which depends on the volume of fuel consumed.
How to Increase The Productivity of a Gas Storage Facility?
The natural productivity of a tank depends on the vaporization area in it (the larger it is, the faster the gas vaporizers). When there is a lack of free space, vertical gas holders are used at enterprises, the vaporization area of which is quite small, and natural productivity is usually not enough. A vaporizer or vaporization unit, which is most often used in this situation, will help to increase it.
Working With Hydrocarbon Mixtures
A cheaper propane-butane mixture is often used instead of propane in autonomous gas supply systems. However, butane is a heavier gas, and while propane vaporization does not cause problems, butane stops vaporization as soon as the thermometer drops below zero. In warm regions, the problem is solved by an underground gas storage facility, in which a positive temperature is maintained due to the shallow depth of soil freezing, but in colder areas in winter, a vaporizer is simply necessary.
How Does a Gas Vaporizer Work?
LPG enters the vaporizer either by gravity, driven by the pressure of the vaporized fraction, or is pumped by a pump. There it is heated using an electric heating element or a heat exchanger filled with a hot liquid coolant, which allows the mixture to pass into a gaseous state. Each type of vaporizer has its own advantages: electric ones are easier to use, and liquid ones are cheaper to operate.
In addition to these two types, there is also a direct heating vaporizer, which creates the temperature necessary for vaporization using a gas burner. They are cheap and easy to use but have a low level of safety, which does not add to the popularity of this technology.
Features of Cabinet Vaporization Units
A cabinet vaporization unit includes control, measuring, and distribution devices that allow monitoring the flow and consumption of gas fuel. The design features of different assemblies allow vaporizers to be installed simply outdoors, in containers, or in specially constructed premises. There are both electric and liquid ones. These are the most productive vaporization units, among the advantages of which one can also note easy access to all the main units during maintenance. However, they are quite large and take up a decent amount of space, which does not allow installing a cabinet vaporizer in an autonomous gas supply system if it was not originally planned in it.
Features of Immersion Vaporizers
If there is not enough space to install a separate vaporization unit, then immersion vaporizers are used for operation. In this case, the unit is installed directly on the neck of the tank and its main heating element is immersed directly into the gas tank. These types of vaporizers can only be electric. They do not have high power and the ability to create multi-section units, but they have other undoubted advantages: ease of installation, small dimensions, and the ability to integrate into any already installed autonomous gas supply system.
Selecting a Vaporizer
The choice of a vaporization unit depends on the required performance and the availability of free space. Cabinet units allow users to achieve a capacity of 300 kg/hour or more, while multi-section vaporizers produce 10,000 kg/hour, and sometimes much more. However, they require additional space for installation.
Immersion vaporization units cannot boast such performance. An immersion vaporizer is capable of showing a capacity of up to 100 kg/hour. However, if the storage consists of several separate gas holders and vaporizers are installed on each of them, then their performance is summed up, and there is no need for additional space for installation.
If you choose a cabinet vaporizer, then its operation should be planned in advance, making appropriate adjustments to the project. It is unlikely that this unit will be possible to integrate into an already installed autonomous gas supply system. Submersible units, on the contrary, can be easily integrated into any ready-made system without any additional financial and labor costs.
Final Thoughts
LPG vaporization units play an important role in ensuring stable and efficient use of gas in industrial and domestic conditions. They are focused on converting liquefied gas into a vaporous state, which is necessary for the operation of gas systems at low temperatures or with large consumption volumes. These units allow you to optimize the processes of heating, production, and provision of energy needs, increasing the safety and efficiency of the equipment.
If you are looking for a reliable supplier of LPG equipment, we recommend paying attention to I-Maximum, a company that is a representative of the Korea Gas Engineering (KGE) factory in the EU. This LPG equipment provider has been on the market for more than 20 years in the installation of LPG gas supply systems.
