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Like coal and oil, propane is
a fossil fuel. Liquid Petroleum Gas, LPG (commonly called propane), is a liquid mixture made up of at
least 90% methane, 2.5% butane and higher hydrocarbons, with a remaining balance
of ethane and propylene. Propane is a by-product of natural gas processing and
petroleum refining. Propane is separated from the natural gas mixture, and most
of it is sent through a pipeline system to bulk storage facilities across the
nation. What isn't shipped through the pipeline system is either transported by
truck, rail car or barge. From those bulk storage facilities the propane is
delivered the customer homes in specially designed fuel trucks called
"bobtails". The propane is then pumped out of the bobtail into the customers
"specially designed storage tank" waiting for fuel consumption . The
transportation and storage of propane is regulated, for your safety as well as
others, by strict Federal Government hazardous material standards.
Today, new safety features on propane fired appliances makes them safer than
ever before. Such new features include temperature sensitive shut-off systems
on furnaces. Oxygen depletion sensors that shut off unvented heating units
should the oxygen level in the room being heated drops to an unsafe level.
For your safety and others, the Greater Dickson Gas Authority is constantly
keeping abreast of the safety standards and training aspects of the handling of
propane gas. We have qualified and trained personnel to deliver and work on
your propane systems if need be. Like natural gas or any other fuel source on
the market today, we think propane gas, is a safe energy source as long as its
treated and handled like any other energy source...With Respect!
History of Propane
In the early 1900's, gasoline used for automobiles was difficult to handle.
Due to inadequate refining techniques, the gasoline would quickly evaporate or
"weather away" while it was in storage. Under the direction of Dr. Walter
Snelling, the U.S. Bureau of Mines began experiments to stabilize gasoline.
Through these experiments, Dr. Snelling discovered that the gases which
evaporated could be condensed and stored as a liquid at moderate temperatures
and pressures. By 1911, Dr. Snelling had isolated and identified these gases as
propane and butane, the two major components of LP-gasses. In 1912, propane gas
was used for cooking food in the home. The first car powered by propane ran in
1913, and by 1915 propane was being used in torches to cut through metal. When
Dr. Snelling sold his propane patent to Frank Phillips, the founder of Phillips
Petroleum Company, his price was $50,000. Today, propane gas is an $8 billion
industry in the United States alone and it is still growing.
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