BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - LPG problem: regulator, solenoid

Bruce in Bangkok[_10_]

On Sat, 14 Feb 2009 20:02:08 GMT, (Richard
Casady) wrote:

On Sun, 15 Feb 2009 00:19:48 +0700, Bruce in Bangkok
wrote:

Lets put it this way. The propane that the gas plant I installed in
Central Java had an odor. The same people that built our plant were
installing a "deodorized propane" plant in Alabama. I asked them what
"deodorized propane was used for and they told me that it was aerosol
propellant. Now, if propane has no odor then obviously the gas plant
people were getting about two million dollars for nothing.

Propane has no odor, and if it did you couldn't remove it. It's a
compound not a mixture.
Some natural gas, the source of propane, contains hydrogen sulfide,
some doesn't. It burns well and and they may leave it in fuel gas. I
don't know if it is likely to end up in the propane, or not. H2S boils
at -85 C, and propane boils at -42. I think they liquify it and
distill off the methane and ethane, which the sell as natural gas,
leaving LP gas which everyone loosely calls propane. They may or may
not remove the butane for separate use,[mostly synthesis feedstock].

Casady

Stop trying to "teach your grandmother to suck eggs". I installed gas
plants as one of the various projects the company did during my nearly
30 years in the oil business. While I do not argue that propane may
have a natural odor I can assure you that the same company that
fabricated our plant did build a "deodorized Propane" plant in Alabama
and I doubt very much that it was a scam.

Sulphur compounds may occur in hydro-carbon deposits but, again, I can
assure you that any appreciable amount makes your product very hard to
sell - that is why there are standards... and also why the standards
for sulphur in diesel has been relaxed over the years. Not because
they suddenly discovered that sulphur doesn't matter but because it is
damned hard to remove all sulphur and loosening standards allows the
refiner to use cheaper methods to make the product.

You are correct that separation of the various gasses is done by a
combination of heat and pressure but sulphur separation is normally
one of the first stages in the plant as sulphur contamination effects
the plant as well as the end user.

Propane as sold as a commercial product (not for heating) is nearly
pure propane. Cooking gas,called LPG, is a combination of (mainly)
propane and butane in various ratios depending on the country of sale
(and in northern countries, perhaps on season).

Cheers,

Bruce