4.0.

LPG AS AN ALTERNATE FUEL FOR IC ENGINES

4.1. INTRODUCTION
To meet the increasing need to preserve fuel stock and minimize exhaust emissions in vehicular applications, the current combustion technology has to be improved. One of the ways is to promote the use of alternative fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) is a petroleum derived, colourless gas, typically comprised of mainly propane, butane, or a combination of these two constituents. LPG fuel for vehicles is actually a mixture of various hydrocarbons which are gases at atmospheric pressure and temperature but which liquefy at higher pressures like less than 200 psi. LPG is a natural derivative of both natural gas and crude oil. LPGs mainly consist of mixtures of hydrocarbons such as propane (C3H8), propene (C3H6), nbutane (C4H10), isobutene (methyl-propane), and various proportions of other butanes (C4H8). Traces of ethane may also exist in the mixture. LPG share common properties that make them attractive relative to gasoline. LPG has a higher octane number than gasoline and it has a high latent heat of vaporization, which can reduce the compression pressure and temperature. It has lower stoichiometric fuel-air ratio and density compared to gasoline, and therefore it could reduce the specific fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. Moreover, when LPG is used in vehicular applications, carbon dioxide (CO2) engine-out emission is reduced due to lower carbon molecules content compared to gasoline and diesel. The use of alternate fuel like LPG is motivated by an increase in the cost of fuel derived from crude oil over the past decade couple with a rising concern for public health. Subsequently, engine related technologies particularly in LPGs, have been a subject of continuous improvement and constant push to the limit to alleviate these problems. The practicality and suitability of LPG as an alternative fuel have been reported and promising results were obtained in terms of exhaust gas emissions and fuel economy. LPG operated vehicle provided a substantial benefit of reduced emissions compared to those of unleaded gasoline. Hydrocarbon (HC) was reported as 40% lower, CO as 60% lower, and CO2 as substantially reduced, principally due to high hydrogen/carbon ratio of LPG when compared to gasoline. In addition, in terms of performance, a higher thermal efficiency and improved fuel economy were reported from internal combustion engines running on LPG. A higher octane rating for LPG makes it safe to run in higher compression ratio engine without the occurrence of detonation, and subsequently the thermal efficiency increases.

4.2. LP Gases
There are two LP gases that can be stored in liquid form with only moderate pressurization, they are propane and butane. Isobutane, which has the same simple chemical formula as butane but has a different

chemical structure, is also used. Usually, butane and isobutane are mixed with propane in various proportions, depending on the intended use of the fuel. Propane is particularly useful as a portable fuel because its boiling point is -44 F (-42 C). That means that even at very low temperatures, it will vaporize as soon as it is released from its pressurized container. This results in a clean-burning fuel that doesn't require a lot of equipment to vaporize it and mix it with air. A simple nozzle will suffice. Butane's boiling point is approximately 31 F (-0.6 C), which means it will not vaporize in very cold temperatures. This is reason butane has more limited uses and is mixed with propane instead of being used by itself.

A single pound of propane can generate 21,548 BTU (British Thermal Units) of energy, while butane can produce 21,221 BTU per pound. For comparison, here is how LP Gases stack up to other fuels in terms of energy:

Propane: 21,500 BTU per pound Butane: 21,200 BTU per pound Gasoline: 17,500 BTU per pound Coal: 10,000 BTU per pound Wood: 7,000 BTU per pound

4.3. Sources of LPG

LP gas is a fossil fuel, like oil and natural gas. It can be refined from oil and natural gas the same way gasoline is refined from crude oil. While most energy companies are not focused on LP gases, they produce them nonetheless because they are a byproduct of the refining process for other fuels. When an energy company draws natural gas from the ground, about 90 percent of it is methane. The rest is in the form of various LP gases, which the company separates from the methane before the methane is fed into pipelines for use. The amount of LP gas that comes from natural gas varies, but it is usually from 1 to 3 percent. LP gases are separated from crude oil, as well. In petroleum refining, LPG is collected during distillation, from lighter compounds dissolved in the crude oil, as well as generated in the "cracking" of heavy hydrocarbons. Therefore, LPG can be considered a by-product and its exact composition and properties will vary greatly with the source. The refining process produces about a 3 percent yield of LP gases, although if refineries were retooled to focus on LP-gas extraction, that number could be as high as 40 percent.

4.4. World Scenario

According to the World Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association (WLPGA), more than 9 million vehicles in 38 countries currently operate on LP gas. LPG-powered vehicles have been around for decades. The benefits include reduced emissions, as quoted by WLPGA, 50% less carbon monoxide, 40% less hydrocarbons, 35% less nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 50% less ozone forming potential compared to gasoline". With government incentives and tax breaks figured in, LP gas used in cars (known as autogas) can be much cheaper than gasoline. Even without the incentives, it is usually much cheaper. Autogas is a high-octane fuel, offering performance comparable to gasoline and diesel, and also autogas runs more smoothly, resulting in less wear and tear on engine components.

4.5. Advantages of LPG As a Fuel

LPG was introduced to the market as a "clean-burning" fuel. LPG definitely had the potential to become a clean fuel. The reasons for the superior emissions performance were the following: Reduced emissions of carbon monoxide compared to gasoline engines. No heavy hydrocarbon emissions. HC which are emitted, are of short carbon chain and low ozoneforming reactivity. Low emission of toxic air contaminants such as benzene and 1, 3-butadiene. Low cold-start emissions. Likely better emissions durability than that of gasoline engines. LPG emissions will not increase as dramatically with the engine wear and deposit build-up. Zero evaporative and running losses due to the sealed fuel system.

LPG cars produce 90% fewer particulate emissions and 90% less Nitrogen Oxides than diesel engines. LPG engines produce 75% less Carbon Monoxide than petrol and have 87% less Ozone forming potential. If you spill LPG, it evaporates rather than soaking into and polluting the ground. LPG engines run up to 50% more quietly than diesel engines. Reduced vibration in LPG car engines, means longer engine life. As LPG is a gas in the engine, it doesnt wash away oil from the cylinder walls. Wear and tear on LPG cars cylinder bores is lessened. Therefore it is not necessary to replace lubricating oils as frequently as on conventional engines. Crash and fire tests show that LPG tanks are safer than petrol. LPG provides about 8% more energy per unit weight (LHV = 19,757BTU/lbm) than gasoline. Theoretically, vehicle operation with LPG should be more efficient than with gasoline, i.e., the vehicle should attain better specific fuel consumption and improved mileage. However, this will only happen if the engine design is optimized for LPG fuel. If a gasoline engine is converted to operate on LPG this increased efficiency will not be realized due to the lower density of LPG compared to gasoline and also its slightly higher oxygen demand (LPG stoichiometric A/F = 15.8). The lighter density fuel displaces air in the intake manifold, and thus, less air per cycle is induced to the cylinders. This translates to a decreased volumetric efficiency and a loss of power compared to the original gasoline rating of the engine.

4.6. Efficiency of IC Engines With LPG

Volumetric efficiency determines the maximum power that can be developed by the four stroke cycle engines due to their distinct induction process. In another word, volumetric efficiency indicates the ratio of the volume flow rate of air inducted to the intake system to the rate at which volume is occupied

by the piston. Volumetric efficiency of LPG is worse than gasoline. Theoretical reduction in volumetric efficiency can be calculated from combustion equation at stoichiometric air-fuel of mixture. Stoichiometric means the minimum amount of air that supplies sufficient oxygen for the complete combustion of all the fuel. No free oxygen would appear in the products of tailpipe emission.

Low density of propane causes approximately 4 % power loss (which is the ratio of the volume of fuel to the volume of fuel / air mixture) compared with only the value of 1.72% with gasoline powered engine. Introduction of gaseous fuels in the intake manifold decreases the air partial pressure notably compared to gasoline. This reduction in power is inherent the structure of gaseous fuels.

One way to compensate this loss is to use supercharger or turbocharger in order to increase air flowrate. Superchargers and turbochargers provide more power from the engine by compressing the inducted air higher density than ambient. Volumetric efficiency goes up with turbochargers and superchargers along with better brake specific fuel consumption. Turbocharger has a turbine and compressor in a common shaft. Turbine is driven by the exhaust gas. The using of exhaust gas provides the recovery of waste energy which leads the increase in the overall efficiency. An intercooler or aftercooler is applied in order to provide further increase in the combustion air density. Supercharger is operated on the same principle with turbocharger. But the driven of compressor is achieved by engine's crankshaft. Turbo lag which indicates the delay between boost and throttle response. Because in the event of sudden increase in power demand, turbine must achieve this. This can be a problem in spark ignition engines. However this is not noticeable in large diesel engines. The drawback with supercharger appears in cruise conditions. Because supercharger cannot adjust itself to this condition due to direct connection to crankshaft as easily as turbocharger can. An electric clutch that turn the supercharger on and off and a by-pass application which takes air from the supercharger output and introduce it in the intake are the current methods for the solution of this.

Another approach that has been considered is to enrich the oxygen content of the intake air by using a membrane gas separator or other means. The oxygen enrichment approach is under research at the present time and is not available on purchased vehicle. The second reason which causes power loss is related to the intake manifold air density. The heat

of vaporization of gasoline helps to decrease the temperature of mixture, producing the dense mixtures. Although propane and methane have higher heat of vaporization value, they are already in gaseous state when inducted into the intake manifold and they do not provide this cooling effect. Development of liquid fuel injection systems for LPG engines will provide better performance and efficiency. Besides this liquid fuel injection provides better A/F ratio control. Back-fire is almost eliminated due to introducing less volume of explosive gases in the inlet system. Cooling effect of endothermic expansion of the liquid increase the resistance to pre-ignition and knock. This leads higher compression ratio which means higher power output. Another loss off volumetric efficiency and power is related to alternative fuel conversion hardware itself. Most engines converted to burn LPG or CNG suffer an additional 10-20 % power loss due to obstruction of air flow. The lower (A/F) ratio for gasoline means that the chemical energy released per kg of stoichiometric mixture burnt during combustion is greater than gaseous fuels (methane and propane) despite the lower heating value of gasoline. The improved volumetric efficiency and higher combustion energy increase the output of the engine. Power tests were done by General Motor Corporation using two 5.7 L engines with standard gaseous carburetion equipment. A comparison of the results showed that 8 % less power with LPG than with gasoline, and 14.6 % less power with natural gas. It also reports that CNG requires 5 degree greater spark advance and that the ignition advance for LPG is approximately the same as gasoline. In spark ignition engines the air and fuel are pre-mixed before introduce into the engine cylinders. When during the compression stroke the resistance of the fuel to the knock, in other words auto ignition of the fuel is identified by its octane rating. Knock occurs due to the high temperature and pressure. Knock is a high-pitch, metallic rapping noise. This noise results from rapid-release of energy and accompanying pressure waves that travel across the cylinder under this condition.There may be power loss due to reduction in fuel antiknock rating. Heavy and prolonged knocking may cause significant power loss and damage to the engine. Knock primarily depends on complex physical and chemical phenomena highly irrelevant with engine design and operating conditions. There are two methods available to measure octane rating of fuels: Motor octane number is the better indicator at the full throttle, low engine speed and part throttle, low and high engine speed. Research octane number, is in general the better indicator of antiknock rating for engines operating at full throttle and low engine speed.

Antiknock index (the average of RON and MON ) is currently accepted method of relating RON and MON to actual road antiknock performance in vehicles. It should be noted that Motor method antiknock ratings best correlate with the order of engine severity of gaseous fuels in actual engines and indeed only a Motor Method test procedure is approved by ASTM for gaseous fuels. Fuel with an antiknock rating exceeding that required for knock-free operation does not improve performance. However fuel knock sensor provides performance improvement as the antiknock rating of the fuel is increased. Higher compression ratio improves thermal efficiency and provides more power that can be produced by the engine. Higher octane rating of propane compared to gasoline allows higher compression ratio for the engine.

LPG is generally considered to reduce engine maintenance and wear in spark-ignited engines. The most commonly cited benefits are extended oil change intervals, increased spark plug life, and extended engine life. Natural gas and propane both exhibit reduced soot formation over gasoline. Reduced soot concentration in the engine oil is believed to reduce abrasiveness and chemical degradation of the oil. Gasoline fueled engines particularly carburetted engines) require very rich operation during cold starting and warm up. Some of the excess fuel collects on the cylinder walls, " washing " lubricating oil off walls and contributing to accelerated wear during engine warm up. Gaseous fuels do not interfere with cylinder lubrication. Engines powered by gaseous fuels are generally considered easier to start than gasoline engines in cold weather. Because gaseous fuels are already vaporized before inducted into engine. However, under very cold temperatures, cold-start difficulty occurs for propane and natural gas. This is probably due to ignition failure caused by very difficult ionization conditions, sluggishness of mechanical components. Hot starting can cause difficulties for gaseous fueled vehicles, especially in warm weathers. After an engine is shut down, the engine coolant continues to draw heat from the engine, raising its temperature. If the vehicle is restarted within a critical period after shutdown, (long enough for the coolant temperature to rise, but before the entire system cools), the elevated coolant temperature will heat the gas more than normal, lowering its volumetric heating value and density. This would cause mixture enleanment. Gasoline shows very little change over the normal temperature or pressure range. Propane, however, is gas at ambient conditions. Its physical properties depend mainly on the temperature and pressure at which they are being stored. There must be space left in a propane fuel tank. As the temperature rises, the

volume of liquid increases significantly. Due to this, propane system has some kind of safety fill stop device to prevent tank fills to no more than 80 % to 85 % .This provides room for liquid expansion if the temperature increases after the tank is filled. Due to the low viscosity of propane and its storage under pressure, it may leak through small cracks, pumps, seals and gaskets more readily than gasoline

4.7. Experimental Results of Engine Emissions

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) fueled four-stroke spark ignition engine is experimented to determine and quantify the exhaust emissions from the engine. The engine used in the experiment was originally a four-stroke spark ignition gasoline engine and minor modifications were carried out to permit the experiments to run on LPG fuel. The volume percentage of LPG fuel in gasoline used in the experiments was varied at 5%, 10% and 20%, and the amount of LPG fuel injected is controlled by the PLC controller. Since the LPG was injected into the intake manifold of the engine, the gasoline and LPG would have homogeneously mixed prior to the entrance of the engine combustion chamber. For each proportion of LPG in gasoline, the relative air-fuel ratio was adjusted by changing the amount of LPG injected and gasoline supplied simultaneously. In this work, the relative air-fuel ratio varies from 0.8 to 1.3. The exhaust gas constituents (CO2, CO, UHC, and NOx) were measured using the gas analyzer which was placed at the exhaust tailpipe of the engine. CO2 emissions, Fig.1 below shows the CO2 emissions measured from the engine with respect to relative air-fuel ratio .

Figure 1. CO2 emissions (%) against relative air-fuel ratio

It can be generally deduced that CO2 emissions reduced as proportions of LPG in gasoline increased. Higher percentage of LPG in gasoline means that the combustion shifted towards complete phase and greener exhaust products were subsequently released to the atmosphere. For each proportion

of LPG in gasoline investigated, it was also observed that the CO2 emissions peaked at around =1 and exhibits lower percentages at rich and lean mixtures.

CO emissions. Fig. 2 presents the CO emissions against relative air-fuel ratio at various proportions of LPG in gasoline.

Figure 2. CO emissions (%) against relative air-fuel ratio From the figure, it can be seen that there is no obvious and significant advantage in terms of CO emissions by increasing the amount of LPG in gasoline. The formation of CO is highly dependent on the combustion stoichiometry. In general, with the addition of LPG in gasoline mixture, and therefore less carbon in the fuel, a reduction in CO emissions can be expected. CO emissions exhibit maximum value, and as the relative air-fuel ratio increased, a sharp decrease in CO production was detected. High CO amount in the rich region is due to the insufficient supply of air to convert CO into CO2, and as the mixture becomes leaner, oxidation of CO becomes more vigorous and subsequently its amounts dropped significantly.

UHC emissions. Fig. 3 shows the UHC emissions as a function of relative air-fuel ratio with the addition of 5%, 10%, and 20% LPG in gasoline.

Figure 3. UHC emissions (ppm) against relative air-fuel ratio

UHC emissions are the results of incomplete combustion of fuel in internal combustion engines. As seen in this figure, UHC emissions are significantly high in the rich region and reduced as the air supplied is increased in the lean region. This could be attributed to the mechanism of formation of UHC itself. Since UHC emissions are the results of quenched combustion products in the crevice of internal combustion engine parts, it is highly likely that the extra oxygen molecules available in the lean region destroys the UHC and thus a reduction in the emissions of UHC missions were recorded. On the other hand, the insufficient amount of oxygen molecules in the rich region promotes faster formation of UHC in the engine cylinder as was obtained from the experiment. Another contributing factor related to the formation on UHC is the gaseous fuel state of the LPG during the induction stroke. Increasing the amount of LPG injected into the engine enhances the atomization for the mixture, and subsequently less possibility of nonvaporized fuel to occur. It was also observed that adding the proportions of LPG in gasoline produces similar trends with little difference in the amount of UHC measured throughout the experiment.

NOx emissions. Fig. 4 shows the emission level of NOx against relative air-fuel ratio at various blends of LPG in gasoline. As can be seen from the figure, the NOx level shows little differences when the relative air-fuel ratio is less than 1.0, but the amount measured increased tremendously when the relative air-fuel ratio exceeds 1.0. The NOx concentration also shows an increase with the increase of LPG fractions in the blends of gasoline and this is due to the increase in in-cylinder combustion temperature. The formation of NOx is enhanced in an environment of high temperature and high oxygen concentration. An increasing proportion of LPG in gasoline promotes faster burning velocity of mixture during combustion. At stoichiometry, the laminar burning velocity of LPG and gasoline is 0.46m/s and 0.40m/s respectively. The difference in these values would, in turn reduce the combustion duration and subsequently the in-cylinder peak temperature increases. At high relative air-fuel ratio, the amount of NOx measured was much higher because the mixture is oxygenated in the oxygen-sufficient region.

Fig. 4 NOx emissions (ppm) against relative air-fuel ratio

The results obtained can be summarized as follows, (1) The CO2 emissions exhibit maximum at around relative air-fuel ratio of 1.0 with reducing percentage at increasing proportions of LPG in gasoline. (2) The CO emissions were clearly higher in the rich region but almost negligible when the relative air-fuel ratio exceeds stoichiometric value. (3) An increase in the relative air-fuel ratio reduces the UHC emissions, but increases the NOx level. It can be concluded that generally LPG will provide a viable alternative fuel to the fast depleting fossil fuels in the future.

4.8. Technology Status And Performance

Internal combustion engines running on liquid petroleum gas (LPG) are well-proven technologies and work much like gasoline-powered spark-ignition engines. They are normally used as spark-ignition engines for bi-fuelled (gasoline/CH4) cars, but have also been used, for example, in compression-ignition (i.e. diesel-type) engines for heavy-duty vehicles. LPG is not used alone, but always in bi-fuel vehicles, in combination with gasoline. In bi-fuel vehicles two fuels are stored in separate tanks and the engine runs on one fuel at a time. Bi-fuel vehicles have the capability to switch back and forth from gasoline to the other fuel, manually or automatically. In the past most bi-fuel vehicles were derived from native gasoline vehicles by adding a tank and an electronic injection regulation system for the alternative fuel. In recent years the availability of native bi-fuel vehicles has increased; they have two separate tanks and two alternative injection regulation programs.

LPG Vehicles work much like gasoline-powered vehicles with spark-ignited engines. LPG is stored as a liquid in a separate steel or composite vessel at the pressure of 10 bar, although it can stand a pressure of 20-30 bar. LPG supply to the engine is controlled by a regulator or vaporizer, which converts the LPG to a vapour. The vapour is fed to a mixer located near the intake manifold, where it is metered and mixed with filtered air before being drawn into the combustion chamber where it is burned to produce power, just like gasoline. LPG injection engines, developed over the past 15 years, do not vaporize the LPG. Instead, the LPG is injected into the combustion chamber in liquid form. These systems have proven to be reliable in terms of power, engine durability, and cold starting. Although initial costs of installing LPG fuel system in vehicles are higher, the long-term savings on fuel costs and maintenance usually outweigh the short-term costs

The LPG energy content (High Heating Value, HHV) is 46.23 MJ/kg. The high octane rating and the low carbon and oil contamination characteristics of LPG result in a documented longer engine lifetime, up to twice that of the gasoline engines. Because the fuel mixture is fully gaseous, cold start problems associated with liquid fuel are eliminated. LPG has a relatively high energy content per unit of

mass, but its energy content per unit volume is low. Thus, LPG tanks have more space and weight than petrol or diesel fuel tanks, but the range of LPG vehicles is equivalent to that of petrol vehicles. Bi-fuel LPG car tests show around a 15% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (per unit of distance) compared to petrol operation. The best quality LPG bi-fuel engines produce fewer NOx emissions and virtually zero particulate emissions if compared to petrol.

Gaseous fuels occupy more volume than the same amount of gasoline, yet have the same energy. As a result, the volumetric energy content of a stoichiometric gas/air mixture is less than that of gasoline-air mixture. In addition, gaseous fuels do not benefit from the practice of power enrichment the best power output from gas engines occurs at essentially the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. When a gasoline engine is converted, the combination of these two effects typically results in a loss of maximum power output of approximately 10%. For LPG, these effects are smaller than that of natural gas, and the power loss is typically only a few %. In dedicated engines, the reduction in power output with gaseous fuels can be compensated by increasing the compression ratio. Gaseous-fuel vehicles require precise control of the airfuel ratio to minimise emissions while maintaining good performance and fuel economy.

4.9 Evolutions of LPG Systems

Three evolutions of LPG systems are follows, 1. First generation systems with mechanical fuel control and carburettor. 2. Second generation systems in which the LPG dosing is controlled electronically. In contrast with the first-generation systems, this type of system can be used in combination with gasoline injection and closed loop three-way catalyst. These systems were introduced in the early 1990s and the technology is still frequently used for retrofit systems. 3. Third generation systems are microprocessor controlled, incorporate adaptive learning and require no manual adjustments. Such systems can be either carburetted (central mixer) or fuel injected. The most recent developments utilise LPG sequential multi-point injection, in either liquid or gaseous form. Modern vehicles equipped with On Board Diagnostics (OBD) can be converted to LPG use only when microprocessor-controlled LPG systems are used in combination with the original engine-management information database. For these applications, close cooperation with the vehicle manufacturer is a necessity. Developments in the field of modern LPG fuel systems have been rapid, with the Netherlands and Italy taking the lead in Europe. The technology is also available from Japan, the USA and Canada, and there is international co-operation with car manufacturers. In countries where stringent emission standards are not required, conventional mechanical LPG systems (first generation) are still employed. The leading technologies in Europe are the Dutch GENTECVIALLE and KOLTECNECAM systems, which are electronically controlled fuel multi-point injection

systems. In Italy, FIAT is actively involved in adapting some of its cars to LPG/CNG. In France, Renault has performed various tests in light-duty vehicles. In Germany, Mercedes Benz has launched a sophisticated multi-point LPG system for its new models.

Conversion
Although LPG is very safe as an automotive fuel, if the system is not installed correctly, there can be safety problems.

Example dual-fuel conversion system The first step is choosing a tank. Most conversions are dual-fuel conversions, i.e without replacing old fuel system, second fuel system is added. As a result, the LPG tank will take up some of the storage space in car, usually in the trunk.

Donut tank (left) and torpedo tank Tanks come in "torpedo" or "donut" form. Torpedo tanks generally have more capacity, but will take up more space in car. Donut tanks are designed to fit in the spare tire well of your car. They are smaller. In larger vehicles, we could mount multiple tanks for increased capacity.

Once the tank is bolted in, a fill point must be drilled into the car's body, usually near the gasoline fill point or at the back of the trunk. The ideal location is one that requires minimal piping to connect to the tank. The fuel lines themselves are copper tubes, which offer a certain amount of flexibility when the lines are routed. The tank must be connected to the fill point, and lines also have to run along the underside of the car up to the engine. A solenoid valve (LPG valve in the above diagram) must be installed on the fuel line in between the tank and the engine. This valve cuts the flow of LP gas when the car is running on gasoline and when the engine is shut off. It also has a filter built in that removes any dirt that may be in the fuel. The next major component is called a regulator, also referred to as a vaporizer. This device performs one of the functions that a carburetor handles in a gasoline engine -- it uses heat from the car's cooling fluids to vaporize the lpg into gas form. Another safety check occurs at the regulator, as well. It includes an electronic circuit that cuts the flow of gas if the engine stops or stalls. The regulator is usually smaller than a regular carburettor. The other part of a carburetor's function is handled by a mixer mounted in the intake manifold. The mixer takes information from the car's sensors or ECU, and then it controls the amount of gas that flows into the cylinders. The system must then be wired into the car's electrical system, allowing or a functioning fuel gauge, as well as proper automatic switching between propane and gasoline (along with a dashboardmounted manual switch). There must be connections to the car's ECU so that the engine controller can adjust for different fuel settings. Cars with an electronic injection system will probably need an electronic emulator. When the car is operating on LP gas, the fuel injectors will not be sending any information to the other sensors in the car -- this will light up the "check engine" light and give incorrect diagnostic readings. The emulator fakes the proper signals so the ECU can operate properly.