Design, Construction and Performance Evaluation of a Propane Conversion Kit

Abstract

The electricity demand in Nigeria is far beyond what is generated and supply is epileptic in nature. Erratic power supply has led to the use of generator to maintain constant supply of electricity at homes and offices. The incessant hike and artificial scarcity of petrol and diesel in Nigeria have led to looking for an alternative fuel that can be used to generate electricity and that is propane. This paper report on design, construction and testing of C1 conversion kit for 1.7 kVA generator. This enables generator to use both petrol and propane as source of fuel. The aim is to design a kit that is simple and affordable for people. The generator was tested with petrol and propane while carrying 288 Watt of load for 4 hour 15 minutes. The results show 4.3% CO₂ reduction when petrol was used as fuel and 80.66% CO reduction when propane was used. An average of 0.21kg/h of propane was used as against 0.83kg/h of petrol for the same load. Propane gas is not only economical but also saver and environmental friendly. Moreover, the kit was simple to install and used.

Keywords: Generator, Propane, C1 converter, economical, affordable