Propane vapor pressures

In Figure 3-46, use the dashed example lines at a temperature of 55°F for propane [17), and follow the vertical line to the propane vapor pressure dashed line, which... 

Vapor Pressures. Approaching the triple point, propane vapor pressures become immeasurably small. From Ref. 5 we derived new data from the triple point to the boiling point by thermal loops in a procedure... 

The Reid vapor pressure is generally barely different from the true vapor pressure at 37.8°C if the light gas content —methane, ethane, propane, and butane— of the sample is small, which is usually the case with petroleum products. The differences are greater for those products containing large quantities of dissolved gases such as the crude oils shown in Table 4.13. 

LPG is divided into two types of products commercial propane and commercial butane, each stored as liquid at ambient temperature and corresponding vapor pressure. 

Commercial butane comprises mainly C4 hydrocarbons, with propane and propylene content being less than 19 volume %. The density should be equal to or greater than 0.559 kg/1 at 15°C (0.513 kg/1 at 50°C). The maximum vapor pressure should be 6.9 bar at 50°C and the end point less than or equal to 1°C. 

Hydroca.rbons. Hydrocarbonsn such as propane, butane, and isobutane, which find use as propellants, are assigned numbers based upon their vapor pressure in psia at 21°C. For example, as shown in Table 2, aerosol-grade propane is known as A-108, / -butane as A-17. Blends of hydrocarbons, eg, A-46, and blends of hydrocarbons and hydrochlorocarbons orHCFCs are also used. The chief problem associated with hydrocarbon propellants is their flammabihty. 

Propane and light ends are rejected by touting a portion of the compressor discharge to the depropanizer column. The reactor effluent is treated prior to debutanization to remove residual esters by means of acid and alkaline water washes. The deisobutanizer is designed to provide a high purity isobutane stream for recycle to the reactor, a sidecut normal butane stream, and a low vapor pressure alkylate product. 

Physica.1 Properties. Carbonyl sulfide [463-58-1] (carbon oxysulfide), COS, is a colorless gas that is odorless when pure however, it has been described as having a foul odor. Physical constants and thermodynamic properties are Hsted ia Table 1 (17,18). The vapor pressure has been fitted to an equation, and a detailed study has been made of the phase equiUbria of the carbonyl sulfide—propane system, which is important ia the purification of propane fuel (19,20). Carbonyl sulfide can be adsorbed on molecular sieves (qv) as a means for removal from propane (21). This approach has been compared to the use of various solvents and reagents (22). 

Example 1 NPSH Calculation Suppose a selected pump requires a minimum NPSH of 16 ft (4.9 m) when pumping cold water What will he the NPSH limitation to pump propane at 55 F (12.8 C) with a vapor pressure of 100 psi Using the chart in Fig. 10-25, NPSH reduction for propane gives 9.5 ft (2.9 m). This is greater than one-half of cold water NPSH of 16 ft (4.9 m). The corrected NPSH is therefore 8 ft (2.2 m) or one-half of cold water NPSH. 

In the first step, in which the molecules of the fluid come in contact with the adsorbent, an equihbrium is established between the adsorbed fluid and the fluid remaining in the fluid phase. Figures 25-7 through 25-9 show several experimental equihbrium adsorption isotherms for a number of components adsorbed on various adsorbents. Consider Fig. 25-7, in which the concentration of adsorbed gas on the solid is plotted against the equilibrium partial pressure p of the vapor or gas at constant temperature. At 40° C, for example, pure propane vapor at a pressure of 550 mm Hg is in equilibrium with an adsorbate concentration at point P of 0.04 lb adsorbed propane per pound of silica gel. Increasing the pressure of the propane will cause... 

The first step in a gas processing plant is to separate the components that are to be recovered from the gas into an NGL stream. It may then be desirable to fractionate the NGL stream into various liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) components of ethane, propane, iso-butane, or normal-butane. The LPG products are defined by their vapor pressure and must meet certain criteria as shown in Table 9-1. The unfractionated natural gas liquids product (NGL) is defined by the properties in Table 9-2. NGL is made up principally of pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons although it may contain some butanes and very small amounts of propane. It cannot contain heavy components that boil at more than 375°F. 

The de-butanizer works in a similar manner. The upstream tower (depropanizer) determines the maximum vapor pressure of the butane product. If the concentration of propane-minus is too large in the inlet stream, the vapor pressure of the butane overheads will be too high. Similarly, the concentration of pentanes-plus in the butane will depend upon the... 

The superheat-temperature-limit locus for propane is plotted by Reid (1979) in a 77-diagram together with the vapor pressure (Figure 6.2). When the liquid is heated, for example, from A to B, a sudden drop in pressure to 1 atmosphere (C)... 

A tube has failed in one of the four condensers about once every three years. If a condenser tube fails, the affected condenser can be removed from service by closing four isolation valves (propane vapor inlet valve), liquid propane outlet valve, cooling water supply valve, and cooling water return valve). However, if a tube fails, it is essential that the operator close the two propane isolation valves before closing the two water isolation valves. Closing the two water valves first would allow pressure to build on the tube side of the condenser and rupture the tube head. 

Upon release from a pressurized container, propane vaporizes immediately. This property makes liquid propane economical to store and to transport by pipeline, rail, barge, or truck. Because they are relatively light, propane tanks and canisters can be carried... 

Step 2. Determine the vapor pressure in the evaporator. According to the phase rule, for a mixture of two components (propane and butane) it is necessary to establish two variables of the liquid-vapor system in the evaporator to completely define the system and fix the value of all other variables. The assumed liquid mol fraction and a temperature of 0°F is known. The... 

Figure 11-32. Vapor pressure curve for propane. (Used by permission Starling, K. E. Fluid Thermodynamic Properties for Light Petroleum S3rs-tems, 1973. Gulf Publishing Co., Houston, Texas. All rights reserved.)...

Like propane, butanes are obtained from natural gas liquids and from refinery gas streams. The C4 acyclic paraffin consists of two isomers n-butane and isobutane (2-methylpropane). The physical as well as the chemical properties of the two isomers are quite different due to structural differences, for example, the vapor pressure (Reid method) for n-butane is 52 Ib/in., while it is 71 Ib/in. for isobutane. This makes the former a more favorable gasoline additive to adjust its vapor pressure. However, this use is declining in the United States due to new regulations that reduce the volatility of gasolines to 9 psi, primarily by removing butane. ... 

Like propane, n-hutane is mainly obtained from natural gas liquids. It is also a hy-product from different refinery operations. Currently, the major use of n-hutane is to control the vapor pressure of product gasoline. Due to new regulations restricting the vapor pressure of gasolines, this use is expected to he substantially reduced. Surplus n-butane could be isomerized to isobutane, which is currently in high demand for producing isobutene. Isobutene is a precursor for methyl and ethyl tertiary butyl ethers, which are important octane number boosters. Another alternative outlet for surplus n-butane is its oxidation to maleic anhydride. Almost all new maleic anhydride processes are based on butane oxidation. 

When tested in accordance with the methods given in Table 20.1 the properties of the commercial butane and commercial propane shall be in accordance with the limiting requirements given in that table. For gauge vapor pressure, either the direct measurements method described in BS 3324 or the calculation procedure described in Appendix C of this standard shall be used. 

This is one of the most important properties of LPG since it determines the pressure that will be exerted by the gas at ambient temperature, and therefore affects the requirements for handling and the design working pressures of storage vessels. It constitutes the main difference in physical characteristics between commercial propane and butane. The vapor pressure is the pressure at which a liquid and its vapor are in equilibrium at any given temperature. The boiling point of a liquid is, in fact, the temperature at which the vapor pressure is equal to the external ambient pressure. 

Commercial propane and butane often contain substantial proportions of the corresponding unsaturated analogues and smaller amounts of near-related hydrocarbons, as well as these hydrocarbons themselves. Figure 20.1 shows vapor pressure/temperature curves for commercial propane and commercial butane. Due to its lower boiling point, higher rates of vaporization for substantial periods are obtainable from propane than from butane, and at the same time, appreciable pressures are maintained even at low ambient temperatures. 

It is apparent from the vapor pressure curves that to obtain a gas supply from a storage vessel, or from a cylinder, it is only necessary to release it from the top vapor space. Propane can usually be supplied from storage to the plant by this natural vaporization, without any pumps or compressors, throughout the year. 

PCjHj is the vapor pressure of propane, which decreases exponentially... 

Vapor Cloud Explosions. Lenoir and Davenport (Ref. 16) have summarized some major VCEs worldwide from 1921 to 1991. The materials involved in these incidents suggest that certain hydrocarbons—such as ethane, ethylene, propane, and butane—demonstrate greater potential for VCEs. Several factors may contribute to these statistics. These materials are prevalent in industry and are often handled in large quantities, increasing the potential for an incident. Certain inherent properties of the materials also contribute to their potential for explosion. These include flammability, reactivity, vapor pressure, and vapor density (with respect to air). 

Figure 6.2 shows two process units. Process Unit 1 handles propane vapor at relatively low pressure, while Process Unit 2 periodically handles large volumes of nitrogen gas at elevated pressures. Six buildings are situated in or near the process units. These are ... 

Catastrophic failure of a nozzle on a pressure vessel containing propane vapor... 

A substance such as propane with a critical temperature of 370 K has a measurable vapor pressure of 998000 Pa, or approximately 10 atm at 27°C, which exceeds atmospheric pressure of 101325 Pa, the boiling point being -42"C or 231 K. It is thus a vapor at normal temperatures and pressures. A Henry s law constant can be calculated from this vapor pressure and a solubility as described earlier. 

The vessel contains volatile liquids (e.g., butanes, propanes, ethanes, etc.) with vapor pressures above atmospheric. 

In Fig. 12, we show the computed values of bubble radius for superheated liquid propane at two pressure levels 1 and 5 atm. Consider the inertial rate first. At 1 atm, liquid superheated propane attains the limit of superheat at about 328 K, where the vapor pressure is —18.9 atm. With Eq. (12), Tinertiai 52f m, where t is in seconds. At 5 atm, the driving force [Eyp(To) - Eq] is less than that at 1 atm, but the difference is slight. Thus, the 1 and 5 atm radii are shown as a single line in Fig. 12. 

Consider the vaporizer sketched in Fig. 3.6. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is fed into a pressurized tank to hold the liquid level in the tank. We will assume that LPG is a pure component propane. Vaporization of mixtures of components is discussed in Sec. 3.8. 

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