LPG cooking system

Introduction

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is a gaseous fuel obtained during petroleum refining and consists mainly of butane or propane. LPG can also be obtained from fossil coal. LPG is non-toxic, easy to handle, energy efficient and burns very cleanly. See also article on Cooking with LPG.

LPG stoves are very convenient for users as they heat up quickly and temperature can be precisely controlled. However, LPG stoves are mainly used by middle and high income groups in urban areas due to higher capital investment into devices and higher running costs for fuel. In rural areas, LPG supply can be unreliable, if accessible at all. Less wealthier households tend to use LPG as a minor part of their energy mix especially in situations when smaller food amounts need to be heated fast, e.g. at breakfast.

The important feature of LPG is that its stove efficiency of about 55-60% is much higher than that of many other stoves.

LPG Stoves

Technology

A typical LPG cooking system is made up of a steel cylinder filled with LPG, a pressure controller, a tube connecting the cylinder to the pressure controller and the burner, and finally the burner itself. The burner can consist of one or more cooking tops.

The size of the system depends on the size of the cylinder. Cylinders exist in various sizes e.g.: 2.7 kg, 6 kg, 12 kg or 16 kg. A survey in 20 countries showed that low-income countries households mainly use cylinders smaller than 6 kg. Nevertheless, the majority of currently available LPG cylinders are larger (up to 47.5 kg). This proves problematic for low-income households both in the acquisition as well as the recharge of LPG.