S.+Griffen+reaction+wiki

Propane By: Stephen Griffin

Propane Molecule:

The chemical reaction I chose to write about is propane. Propane is liquefied petroleum gas stored under pressure in tanks. It is stored in this fashion because in a liquid form propane is 270 times denser than it is in a gaseous form. The formula to create propane is C3H8 and can be created in a variety of ways including; processing amount of propane created with each of these processes is about equal. Since propane is easily condensable it is stored in easy and cost effective tanks. This convenient storage allows propane to be used as a power source any number things ranging from heating in a house to a grill in a backyard. It can even be used as the main fuel source for a car. Interestingly propane has been used to fuel taxies, government agency, and school district vehicles as a substitute for gasoline for over half a century now. This idea has skyrocketed to the forefront in alternative fuels due the lower miles per gallon propane gets over gasoline and the expensive cost of not only procuring enough propane but as converting engines to run on propane.

New propane powered F-150 concept by Ford:

Propane is also a main component in the industrial chemical industry as it is a main ingredient in making plastic bags and other products, and as a result about 1/3 of propane used is used in the chemical industry. Overall about ½ of all Propane is used in industry for a variety of jobs. Metal workers use propane to fuel their torches. Industries use propane for soldering, vulcanizing and any other job in need of a heat source.

Small propane tank:

Propane is also a very clean burning fuel and is approved as an alternative fuel under the Clean Air Act and National Energy Policy of 1992. While it does have the same emissions of other petroleum based fuels, its emissions compared to gasoline, propane engines have as much as 45% less ozone-forming potential. Results of another recent EPA study show propane reduces total hydrocarbon emissions by 29% according to the new Federal Clean Air Standards. Furthermore, carbon monoxide emissions are 93% below the standard, hydrocarbon emissions are 73% below the standard, and nitrogen oxide emissions are 57% below the standard. These are noticeably better emissions but at the cost of losing a few miles per gallon many companies have turned a cold shoulder to propane based energy and as a result propane only marks a 3% dent on types of fuels used in America.

Propane also comes with a few risks of use. Being denser than air if a leak occurs unless it is specially treated to have a scent propane will sink to ground level and slowly fill any enclosed area. Propane is also highly flammable so the risk a leak poses in a industrial setting is huge. It could mean disaster if a careless worker decides to light a cigarette during his lunch break in the wrong place at the wrong time. So precautions must be taken so that leaks are avoided at all costs because a unchecked leak even from a small tank can fill an entire house in only a few hours and single spark is enough to cause an explosion.

Propane Explosion:

Sources: http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/non-renewable/propane.html http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Propane.html http://www.need.org/needpdf/infobook_activities/SecInfo/PropaneS.pdf www.need.org/needpdf/infobook_activities/IntInfo/PropaneI.pdf