How To Convert Your Car From Petrol To Gas

Are you a car owner? Are you aware of the latest development as regard switching your car from petrol to gas? Do you know what it entails? More and more car owners are now switching the engines of their cars to use Gas instead Petrol. The change over to gas is not unconnected with the removal of subsidy that has sent price of petrol sky-rocketing. Some park their vehicles at home and use public transportation for day-to-day activities as others are being creative with their cars.

The National Operation Controller, IPMAN, Mr Mike Osatuyi, revealed on Channels TV a few days ago how people are trying to cope with the challenge of exorbitant price of petrol and the way forward. He said that changing to gas is now the best alternative. It’s even cheaper than petrol and safer.

He said the cost of conversion of petrol cars engines to use gas is about N300,000. He disclosed that he was also planning to convert engine of his cars. He said further that some of his power generating sets were being powered by gas.

Osatuyi added that the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), had indicated its readiness to partner with the Federal Government on the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI).

Now, the rate at which Nigerians are converting their car engines is on the high side, as more Nigerians seek solution and way out of the high cost of petrol.

While speaking with another expert in that sector, he gave a detailed explanation of what to expect after or before conversion of a car’s engine from petrol to gas.

How to convert a petrol using car to natural gas?

With the soaring fuel prices, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) using vehicles have become more popular in India. In fact, a number of automakers now include factory-installed CNG kits with their vehicles. In addition to being affordable, CNG is also more environmentally friendly than petrol because it emits smaller quantity of greenhouse gases. Therefore, the attractive option in the current situation, where electric cars have a high price tag, are CNG vehicles.

If you already have a car and want to switch to CNG, you may be wondering if it is possible to convert a petrol-powered car to run on CNG. The process of converting a petrol using vehicle to CNG could be complex, it is possible. To do it, you will need to buy an aftermarket CNG kit and install it correctly. It’s important to be careful when choosing and installing the kit to ensure that the conversion is correctly done.

CNG stands for Compressed Natural Gas. It is a gaseous fuel and is a mixture of hydrocarbons, main methane in the range of 95%. Owing to its low density, it is compressed to a pressure of 200 bar to enhance the vehicle onboard storage capacity.

CNG is safe. The properties of CNG make it a safe fuel. It is lighter than air, and hence, in case of leakage, it quickly disperses into the atmosphere.

All spark-ignited engines could be converted to CNG, for which a specially designed conversion kit is required for the conversion process. The kit consists of a cylinder to be fixed in the boot of the car and other equipments to allow gas flow into the engine.

After conversion to CNG, the vehicle could run on petrol whenever desired, simply by flicking a switch on the dashboard.

The cost of converting a vehicle to CNG depends on the type of vehicle and CNG kit.

A cylinder with a 60-liter water-carrying capacity is capable of carrying approximately 8 kg of CNG. This is equivalent to 12 litres of petrol and will allow a run of about 150-160 km for a medium-sized 1200 CC car. An electronic switch is fitted on the dashboard, which is part of the conversion kit that indicates the quantity of CNG left in the cylinder.

The fuel bill on the basis of the average running of the vehicle is reduced substantially when compared to other conventional fuels. The price of CNG is cheaper than those of other fuels, and it also increases the mileage of your vehicle, making it the most economical fuel to use.

In the case of Sedan vehicles, the owner loses about one-third of their boot space when a car’s engine is converted to CNG. But in the case of Hatch back, the boot space is almost taken by CNG cylinder.

Owing to CNG’s distinct features, it does not contaminate or dilute crankcase oil, giving a new lease of life to the engine. The absence of any lead content in CNG helps avoid lead fouling of plugs, thereby enlongating plug’s life. As CNG enters the engine in the form of gas (and not as a spray or mist like other fuels), no carbon is generated during combustion of CNG, thus reducing the chances of wear and tear.

CNG mainly consists of methane, which is the simplest hydrocarbon. It is a much cleaner and efficient fuel. The use of CNG significantly reduces harmful exhaust gas emissions such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide, which cause harmful diseases as cancer, asthma, etc CNG also helps in reducing the volume of global warming.

CNG be used as a dual-fuel source in engines that are traditionally powered by petrol or diesel. This dual-fuel system allows the engine to operate on both CNG and its initial fuel type. The engine is modified to incorporate CNG injectors and a CNG fuelling system alongside the extant petrol or diesel components. The driver could switch between the two fuel sources as necessary, thus, providing flexibility and potentially reducing fuel costs.

CNG kit is safe and simple. It gives years of trouble-free operation. It doesn’t require frequent servicing. Just as for all other fuels, its engine should be given routine services. An authorised person should be consulted for service. As per Gas Cylinder Rules, 1981, the cylinder should undergo hydro-stretch testing every 3 years to check pressure tolerance.

Send Us News, Gist, more... to [email protected] | Twitter: @CitypeopleMagz