Does Propane go bad?

[lilranch2001]

What is bad google fu?

 

[bigtiller]

I'm curious, do you have any data for ethyl mercaptan actually separating from LPG/propane?

I can't find any. (Bad Google-fu?)

Because the densities are so close, and the amount of mercaptan so low (1lb/10,000gal) that separation seems improbable to me. (Newton's 3rd law and all that.)

Part of the reason that ethyl mercaptan is used is because it is so resistant to degradation.

All the best,

Peter

I can't offer any proof, but
I worked for a national propane company based out of Florida back in the '80s and was told that an old tank (40 yrs.~) could possibly stink up the house slightly if ran under 5%.

I never smelled it in a house because they had a degree-day-meter in use so it was easy to keep all customers tanks above 20%.

If you ever run any size tank empty, take the valve off and give the opening a quick sniff. You'll smell mercaptan.

 

[lilranch2001]

You can smell it on your hands after handling used pipe fittings…

 

[ponytug]

I can't offer any proof, but
I worked for a national propane company based out of Florida back in the '80s and was told that an old tank (40 yrs.~) could possibly stink up the house slightly if ran under 5%.

I never smelled it in a house because they had a degree-day-meter in use so it was easy to keep all customers tanks above 20%.

If you ever run any size tank empty, take the valve off and give the opening a quick sniff. You'll smell mercaptan.

Yes, I agree, that's definitely true. I have had the house tank run low more than once, and I really notice it as my whole family is super sensitive to mercaptans.

However, I wonder if the stinky effect is due to the fact the ethyl mercaptan has a slightly higher boiling point (97F) than propane (-44F+/-), so when the tank gets empty (near 5%, as you say) the gas evaporating from the tank has a higher concentration of ethyl mercaptan in it, so the excess starts to stink up the house.

But to the bottom line of the OP, @HawkinsHollow above, propane doesn't go bad.

All the best,

Peter

 

[lilranch2001]

But to the bottom line of the OP, @HawkinsHollow above, propane doesn't go bad.

All the best,

Peter

LOL

 

[ponytug]

What is bad google fu?

An inability to find something.

"Google-fu is defined as "skill in using search engines (especially Google) to quickly find useful information on the Internet."​

​

It is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek reference to kung-fu, which is generally perceived as requiring a high degree of skill to master in the western hemisphere...."​

What does "Google-fu" mean?

Exact Duplicate: Can anyone tell me what the suffix “-fu” stands for in the following sentence? I was reading an article on MSDN where I found a mention to google-fu. It says, “To ...

english.stackexchange.com

(Found using Google-fu)

All the best, Peter

 

[lilranch2001]

Ahhh. Sort of fru fru

I am pretty sure I could have done without that bit of knowledge after all

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

I'm curious, do you have any data for ethyl mercaptan actually separating from LPG/propane?

I can't find any. (Bad Google-fu?)

Because the densities are so close, and the amount of mercaptan so low (1lb/10,000gal) that separation seems improbable to me. (Newton's 3rd law and all that.)

Part of the reason that ethyl mercaptan is used is because it is so resistant to degradation.

All the best,

Peter

No data, just personal experience.
I got inquizative about it when I inherited two full propane tanks. One was 500 gallon and one was 250 gallon. The tanks had sat full without any demand on them for over 10 years. In talking to the propane supplier he said it was something that could happen and it did. Did not smell any odor with the gas until the 500 gallon tank got low on propane.
I was quite puzzled with this as it was contrary to my safety training while maintaining pumping systems unloading 33,000 gal rail cars of propane.

Most propane retailer mechanics I have talked to say it can happen.

What I recall from my training, is when the propane vaporizes it should re mix the mercapton (if any has settled) as the propane is being used.