Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Propane: How It Is Used Around The World

By Cath Buhr


When you think about propane, you might simply think about using this as fuel for your barbecue grill or camping stove, but this gas is used around the world for many purposes. While it's only been around for about a century, it is one of the most commonly used fuel sources. Here are some of the ways that propane is being used today.

Propane is actually a by-product of petroleum but produces about 25% less emissions, so it is a much greener source of vehicle fuel. When used for vehicles, it is known as Autogas and it is actually a mix of propane and butane. Another advantage of Autogas is that is it significantly cheaper per gallon than gasoline. In several countries, such as South Korean, Turkey and Italy, about 30% of the fuel used for vehicles is Autogas. Other big consumers of Autogas include Australia, Russia and Japan.

Of course, it's also a great fuel for the home, and millions of American homes use propane as their main source of energy. Propane is used to fuel furnaces, water heaters, dryers and stoves, especially in more rural areas, where access to natural gas is limited. These homes have large propane tanks installed either above-ground or buried behind their homes. Propane companies send out trucks periodically to add fuel to these tanks. The best time to buy propane is in the summer months, when the demand is lower and the price per gallon drops substantially. You can often pre-buy large amounts of propane and save quite a bit off your yearly fuel expenses.

If you are searching for a Medina propane company, a Columbus propane company, Cleveland propane or propane throughout Ohio, consider giving Thrifty Propane a call. They offer the guaranteed lowest prices per gallon on the highest quality, HD-5 propane. In addition, they offer pre-buy specials, a price-cap program and even offer a free tank and free tank installation if you pre-buy at least 650 gallons of propane.

Surprisingly, propane also is an excellent source of energy for refrigeration. We typically associate propane with heat, but it also provides energy for absorption refrigerators. These are common refrigeration systems that need a source of heat to power the actual cooling system. In the past, many types of chlorofluorocarbons have been used as this fuel source, but they are quite damaging to the environment and many have been banned, so propane offers a greener alternative fuel source.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, as propane has dozens of other uses, as well. For instance, it is a commonly used fuel in hot air balloons. It can be used to heat swimming pools, and it also has many agricultural uses, such as the drying of grain and fruit ripening. Movie companies even use it to produce special effects, such as those cool explosions we love so much in action films.




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