Propane is a three-carbon alkane, chemical formula C3H8, that is a gas at normal temperature and pressure but becomes liquid when compressed for storage and transport. It is separated as a by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, and it is the principal or a common constituent of liquefied petroleum gas, the fuel widely used for home heating and cooking, portable stoves and grills, forklifts and other low-emission vehicle fleets. French chemist Marcellin Berthelot first identified propane in 1857, and it became commercially available in the United States by 1911. Propane carries a lower energy density by volume than gasoline or coal but a higher energy density by weight, and it burns more cleanly than either.
Facts
Source Class First Commercial YearAmerican Gasol Co., founded by chemist Walter Snelling and colleagues in 1912, was the first commercial marketer of propane; Snelling had identified propane as a volatile component of gasoline vapor in 1910. Early sales were for metal-cutting torches and residential use before propane became a widespread heating and cooking fuel. Connections
Associated With
About 10% of US propane supply is produced during crude oil refining as lighter hydrocarbons separate out in early distillation, alongside the roughly 90% from natural gas processing (US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center).
Propane is one of the named component hydrocarbons of natural gas liquids, alongside ethane, butane, isobutane and natural gasoline (US EIA).
Sources
1. United States Energy Information Administration Official Site
US Energy Information AdministrationEnergy Explained, Hydrocarbon gas liquids explained, propaneQuote, Energy Explained, Hydrocarbon gas liquids explained, propane
Fuels for heating, cooking, and drying
2. LP Gas Hall of Fame: Walter Snelling
LP Gas Hall of Fame (National Propane Gas Association)Walter Snelling biography page, American Gasol Co. sectionQuote, Walter Snelling biography page, American Gasol Co. section
In 1912, Dr. Snelling and colleagues established the American Gasol Co. as the first commercial marketer of propane.
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