Table of Contents
What is Propane Gas?
Propane gas is Liquefied Petroleum, i.e., a gas obtained from oil and natural gas deposits becomes liquid for distribution and domestic or industrial use.
However, the definition of propane often varies depending on the nature of the subject. You can find information saying that propane gas is an element or a compound about its chemical formula and defines it as a fuel or a liquefied gas.
The propane gas as fuel is the theme that will be developed with greater emphasis, as doubts arise, greater heating in the kitchen and sanitary water for homes, businesses and industries.
However, propane’s characteristics, chemical and physical composition, and molecular formula, among other concepts, will also be exposed.
How to Get Propane Gas?
- The propane can be obtained by processing crude oil in refineries and, in some cases, as a byproduct of chemical plants.
- Specifically, extraction is made from crude oil and natural gas streams from a reservoir or reservoir.
- It should be noted that the extraction of butane and propane (LPG) in the liquid state is carried out near the hydrocarbon production point and that these quantities vary depending on the nature of the deposit and the production point.
- Therefore, the different supply points that exist when extracting propane gas from hydrocarbon determines the purity and quality of the LPG.
- Below, we inform you about each base component and where it is removed to produce propane.
- Natural gas from a gas tank.
- Gas and light liquid hydrocarbons from a gas condensate reservoir.
- Crude oil and gas from a combined oil and gas field.
- It should note that, before the storage or transport of crude oil in tanker ships, the vapour pressure must lower so that it can safely store in the tank.
- This reduction, known as stabilization of the crude oil and additional natural gas, is achieved by removing LPG and lighter species.
- For this reason, the LPG that remains in the stabilized crude oil separate in the refinery in the natural oil fractionation column, and the mixing process begins to produce propane and butane gas suitable for commercialization.
Characteristics of Propane Gas
- Propane is much cheaper and more efficient than other energy sources such as electricity or diesel.
- For this reason, propane gas, like the other LPG, butane gas, used for heating, cooling and sanitary water in homes, businesses and industries.
- The two main gases that makeup Liquefied Petroleum Gases are butane gas and propane gas.
- These gases are easily liquefiable due to their physical characteristics, making them very easy to transport in large quantities and pack in small cylinders or bottles.
- The state of aggregation of propane is gaseous, and its basic form is colourless.
- However, you should know some propane gas characteristics if you want to have this supply type in your home or business.
Composition of Propane Gas
- The propane gas’s chemical composition consists of three carbon atoms and eight hydrogen atoms linked by single bonds.
- These simple bonds determine the name ending in -ano, unlike other compounds that, for example, end in -eno.
- Usually, propane includes saturated components such as propane-butane. And isobutane, as well as unsaturated components such as propane (or propylene) and butene (or butylene).
- However, the exact composition of the propane gas will depend on the process in the refinery.
- Next, we will show you the formula for propane gas and the semi-developed formula for this chemical compound.
Importance of Propane Gas
- Propane gas uses mostly for things like heating, hot water, and also cooking. This is why it competes with many other energies such as natural gas, electricity or even butane.
- For this reason, it is important to know the differences between them and make a comparison of each type of supply.
- However, many other uses in which propane gas consider an efficient and economical energy source in the industry. Among the different types of consumption, we find the following:
- The use of propane gas in heating is widespread among consumers since it most commonly uses.
- The amount of gas consumed will depend on the area’s characteristics and good quality of insulation, using a thermostat and sometimes by other additional sources of heat such as wood.
- The consumption of sanitary hot water by propane will depend on its use, whether it is a home or a company in the industrial sector.
- Propane gas can use in both water heaters and gas storage tanks as long as the regulatory obligations for this type of installation respect.
- This gas also uses for propane stoves, although to a lesser extent than heating and hot water.
- This is because the heat is more homogeneous and speeds up food preparation.
- It also often use in air conditioning to maintain a cool atmosphere in the hottest months. However, it not widely used among consumers.
Marketing and Distribution of Propane Gas
The propane market is not pure propane gas but a mixture of hydrocarbons that can vary according to the marketing area.
It can distribute in three ways because it can transport and stored easily among the different forms of distributing this liquefied gas.
Types of Propane Gas
The choice of one or the other will depend on the customer’s consumption and the space available since some supplies require installing a deposit.
If you have any invoices or need to know more information, call us or leave your number to analyze your approximate annual consumption of propane gas (free of charge) to choose the best distributor and the format that best suits your needs.
1. Bulk Propane Gas
- To use propane in bulk, it is necessary to install a tank previously. The tank will locate on the client’s property, keeping a distance marked in the regulations.
- If it is an air tank, it will be 3 meters, and in the case of a buried tank, it will be at a distance of 1.5 meters.
- The price of bulk propane depends on three factors, the facility’s condition, the propane distributor, and the user’s ability to negotiate if the tank is for rent.
- For this reason, the price usually ranges between 1,500 and 2,500 euros per ton.
2. Bottled Propane Gas
- The bottled present in bottles or cylinders with two different types of measures.
- The most common cylinders are 11 kg and 35 kg of propane. However, depending on the company, various sizes of LPG bottles can obtain.
- The price of bottled gas divide by the size of the bottle. For bottles between 8 and 20 kg, the Government’s expense and bottles outside this range.
- The marketers are responsible for setting the cost within the liberalized market.
3. Piped Propane Gas
- The piped focus on areas that do not yet have natural gas. And there is a high occupation of homes. Its distribution carries out through a pipeline network.
- Connects the houses with a central tank in charge of supplying propane to provide heat in very cold areas.
- It should note that the Government is responsible for setting the price of this energy. Since the supply recurrent and the quantities of propane consume, exceed one ton.
- To find out more information, you can click on each article and discover the different propane prices.
- And what factors intervene in the variability of costs according to the type of distribution.
Conclusion
It a chemical compound of the aliphatic hydrocarbon family characterize by being colourless and odourless. Discover the chemical formula, characteristics and forms of production and distribution.