Eagle 680022 Operator's Manual - What Is Propane?
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Eagle Solutions, ©2008, Tracker Operator Manual Page #5
Propane is a hydrocarbon (C3H8) and is
sometimes referred to as liquefied petroleum gas,
LP-gasorLPG.Itisproducedfrombothnatural
gas processing and crude oil refining. The major
harmful emissions from propane engines include:
Carbon monoxide (CO), Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
and Hydrocarbons (HC). Propane, like butane or
methane, is odorless. An odorant (usually ethyl
mercaptan) is added to give propane its very
distinctive, pungent smell. The odorant acts as a
warningagentsothatleakscanbedetectedquickly.
Itisnotharmfultobreathe.
Propane is unique because it is a gas at
atmosphericpressureandaliquidwhenstoredunder
pressure. Like any other liquid it expands when
heated, and it expands very rapidly. Compared
to water, propane will expand 17 times more in
volume with an identical increase in temperature.
Thereasonforstoringpropaneunderpressureasa
liquidinsideafueltankistosavespace.Agiven
volume of propane vapor can be compressed into
1/270thofitsvolumewhenliquefied.Conversely,a
givenvolumeofpropaneliquidcanexpandroughly
270 timesifallowedtochangebackintoavapor.
Becauseofthisexpansion,propanefueltanksare
nevercompletelyfilledwithliquid.Newpropane
cylinders are manufactured with an Overfilling
PreventionDevice(OPD)thatshutsoffthefilling
processwhenthetankreaches80%ofitscapacity
to allow room for thermal expansion. Fuel tanks
are also equipped with pressure relief valves that
ventpropanevaporifinternaltankpressureexceeds
the preset rating of the valve. The valve closes
automatically when internal pressure is reduced
belowthisstart-to-dischargepressure.Thisallows
forchangesinfuelvolumecausedbytemperature
variationswithout anyreleaseofgasfromthetank.
Liquefiedpropanehasaboilingpointof-44
o
F.
If venting propane from the fixed liquefied level
gauge,beawarethattheplumeofgascanfrostbite
yourflesh.
Propane gas is heavier than air, approximately
1.5 times the specific gravity of air. Therefore,
if propane leaks from the fuel system or cylinder
it will lay close to the floor and seek low places,
like underdoors.Italsodoesn’tpuddlebutinstead
vaporizes and dissipates into the air. Because it
isreleasedfromapressuredcontainerasavapor,
propanecan’tbeingestedlikegasolineoralcohol
fuels.Propaneisanon-toxic,non-poisonousfuel
that doesn’tcontaminateaquifersorsoil.
Propane has a narrow range of flammability
when compared with other petroleum products
andhasthelowestflammabilityrangeofanyfossil
fuel.Inordertoignite,thepropane/airmixmust
contain from 2.2 percent to 9.6 percent propane
vapor.Ifthemixturecontainslessthan2.2percent
gas,itistooleantoburn.Ifitcontainsmorethan
9.6 percent,itistoorichtoburn.Propanewillnot
ignite when combined with air unless the source
ofignitionreachesbetween920-1020
o
Fandcan
ignitewithoutneedingasparkorflame.Incontrast,
gasoline will ignite when the source of ignition
reachesonly430-500
o
F.Thepropaneflamewill
notburnhotterthan3595
o
F.
Service Tech School
Thisclassincludesdiscussionsonsafeworkenvironmentsandprocedures,machineupdatesand
thefutureoftheindustryandEagleSolutions.Enjoyhandsontrainingofelectricalignitionand,
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you donotneedtobeamechanictoattendyoushouldhaveageneralknowledgeofengines.Call
todayforaclassschedule,800.633.0519.
Benefits of Attending
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• Certificationcanhelplowerliabilityinsurancecosts
What is Propane?
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