Propane is ideal for residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural use. It is a by-product of natural gas and crude oil refining. Since propane is odorless, an odorant is added so that leaks can be easily detected.
Approximately 88% of the propane that we use is produced domestically thus helping reduce our dependency on overseas energy sources. An extensive infrastructure of pipeline, rail, storage facilities and retail outlets assures that propane can be delivered whenever it is needed.

Propane is a kissing cousin of natural gas and petroleum. Propane is usually found mixed with natural gas and petroleum deposits in rocks deep underground. Propane is called a fossil fuel because it was formed millions of years ago from the remains of tiny sea animals and plants.

When the plants and animals died, they sank to the bottom of the oceans where they were buried by layers of sand and silt. Over the years, the layers became thousands of feet thick. The layers were subjected to enormous heat and pressure, changing the energy-rich remains into petroleum and natural gas deposits. Eventually, pockets of these fossil fuels became trapped in rock layers much as a wet household sponge holds water.

Propane is just one of the many fossil fuels that are included in the liquefied petroleum (LP) gas family. Because propane is the type of LP-gas most commonly used in the United States, "propane" and "LP-gas" are often used synonymously. The chemical formula for propane is C3H8.

Just as water can change its physical state and become a liquid or a gas (steam vapor), so can propane. Under normal atmospheric pressure and temperature, propane is a gas. Under moderate pressure and/or lower temperatures, however, propane changes into a liquid. And that's the beauty of it.

Propane is easily stored as a liquid in pressurized tanks. (Think of the small tanks you see attached to a gas barbecue grill, for example.)

Propane takes up much less space in its liquid form. It is 270 times more compact in its liquid state than it is as a gas. A thousand gallon tank holding gaseous propane would provide a family enough cooking fuel for one week. A thousand gallon tank holding liquid propane would provide enough cooking fuel for almost ten years! Liquid propane instantly vaporizes into a gas when it is released from its tank to fuel propane gas appliances and equipment. Propane has been nicknamed the "portable gas" because it is easier to store and transport than natural gas.

Like its close cousin natural gas, propane is colorless and odorless. An odorant is added to propane (as it is to natural gas) to serve as a warning agent for escaping gas. And like all the fossil fuels---coal, natural gas, and petroleum--propane is a nonrenewable energy source.

History of Propane

Propane does not have a long history. It wasn't discovered until 1912 when people were trying to find a way to store gasoline. The problem with gasoline was that it evaporated when stored under normal conditions.

Dr. Walter Snelling, directing a series of experiments for the U.S. Bureau of Mines, discovered that several evaporating gases could be changed into liquids and stored at moderate pressure. The most plentiful of these gases was propane. Dr. Snelling developed a way to "bottle" the wet (liquid) gas. One year later, the commercial propane industry began heating American homes.