Propane is the product of crude oil refinery operations or of a natural and associated gas extraction process from oilfields. Propane is also known as Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). At normal temperature and pressure, it is a gas. It is liquefied when it is cooled and pressurized. This shape allows for more efficient transportation and storage. Propane returns to its gas shape and volume upon use.
Essential Facts:
- Propane is odorless. A specific smelly substance is added for potential leaks to be detected.
- One and a half times heavier than air, propane sets in land depressions.
- The complete combustion of propane produces water and carbon dioxide steam.
It Offers a World of Advantages for Easier Living.
- It's Handy.
- Propane is abundant and benefits from transportation, storage and retail infrastructures. Canada is the world's seventh most important propane producer, but half of it is used within its boundaries while the other half is exported.
- It's Easy to Carry.
- It is carried in tanks of various sizes and shapes, which makes it easy to bring along to remote areas and in offroad conditions, for instance a cottage or a construction site. Moreover, propane itself is perennial, thus unaltered by time.
- It's Safe.
- Propane tanks are 20 times more perforation-resistant than traditional gas tanks. It is handled by a certified employee in compliance with the industry's very high standards. Its flammability temperature is higher than that of other combustibles.
- It May Be Combined with Other Sources of Energy.
- Its flexible use allows for it to be combined with other more eco-friendly yet less reliable sources of energy, such as solar or wind power. Technological devices allow to switch from one system to another.
- It's Cost-Efficient.
- Its exceptional value makes it the number one choice in energy source for thousands of Canadians. As a matter of fact, in Canada, the cost of propane is half that of electricity for household heating. Moreover, propane furnaces last five to 10 years longer than electric thermal pumps.
It Is an Eco-conscious Option.
Propane is clean, handy, cost-efficient, and multipurpose. It is lower in carbon than fuel, diesel, kerosene, and ethanol.
Propane devices and appliances generate:
- 52% less greenhouse gases than electric water heaters;
- 38% less greenhouse gases than oil furnaces;
- Half the carbon dioxide generated by wood charcoal barbecues.
Moreover, propane is one of the cleanest fuels:
- It is non-toxic, as it contains no lead and minimal sulphur.
- It contaminates neither land nor water, for it is a gas.
- Its combustion is clean: no, soot, minimal carbon monoxide, hydrogen and nitrogen.