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Where Does Propane Comes From?

Date: March 18, 2022

A Remarkable Fuel, But How Do We Get It?

origin of propane tennesseeAn abundant, right-at-home supply makes propane a reliable and efficient fuel choice for your Tennessee home, including all of its appliances, throughout the year. But you do know how propane is created in the first place?

Propane was identified as a volatile compound in gasoline in 1910. Over the years, business leaders and scientists have worked to make propane the viable fuel source it represents today. The process itself of making propane has evolved over the last century or so. Today, there are two primary ways propane is produced.

Natural Gas Production

The majority of propane is derived from natural gas production. To stop condensation from forming in natural gas pipelines, propane is extracted from liquid compounds as the natural gas is being processed. Butane is also extracted during this process. Propane, being much denser as a liquid than as a gas, is stored and transported as a liquid in this form of production.

Crude Oil Refining

Propane can also be created during the process of crude oil refining. There are a lot of products that can be derived from crude oil refining, including gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, jet fuel, heating oil—and propane as well. During the stabilization phase of the refining, the heavier hydrocarbons fall to the bottom. But propane, being a lighter hydrocarbon, is at the top and it’s easily extracted.

Propane: An American Made Fuel

Because propane is created through the processing of natural gas and crude oil, it is a fuel that is largely a domestic product. In fact, about 90% of the American propane supply is generated right here in the United States!

Propane Gas Vs. Natural Gas

Natural gas can only get to your home through an underground pipeline. If something goes wrong with that pipeline, you can’t get any gas. Propane gas is easier to move around because it gets compressed, or squeezed, until it turns into a liquid. It is then put inside tanks and your propane supplier delivers it right to your home.

It’s similar to the air in a car tire, which gets squeezed to about two or three times the normal air pressure. But the gas in a propane tank gets squeezed about 100 times more than that. This is why even a small tank can deliver a lot of propane gas.

Make propane the green clean fuel energy source for your Tennessee home or business! Contact your local propane company to explore ways to expand your use of propane.

Read more about the benefits of propane.