liquefied petroleum gas

liquefied petroleum gas or LPG, mixture of gases, chiefly propane and butane, produced commercially from petroleum and stored under pressure to keep it in a liquid state. The boiling point of liquefied petroleum gas varies from about −44°C; to 0°C; (−47°F; to 32°F;), so that the pressure required to liquefy it is considerable and the containers for it must be of heavy steel. When prepared as fuel, LPG is largely propane; common uses are for powering automotive vehicles, for cooking and heating, and sometimes for lighting in rural areas. LPG is an attractive fuel for internal-combustion engines; because it burns with little air pollution and little solid residue, it does not dilute lubricants, and it has a high octane rating.

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liquefied petroleum gas [′lik·wə‚fīd pə′trō·lē·əm ¦gas]

(materials)

A product of petroleum gases; principally propane and butane, it must be stored under pressure to keep it in a liquid state; it is often stored in metal cylinders (bottled gas) and used as fuel for tractors, trucks, and buses, and as a domestic cooking or heating fuel in rural areas. Abbreviated LPG.