A Brief History of Propane |
|
 |
|
|
 In 1910, Dr. Walter O. Snelling, a
chemist and explosives expert for the U.S. Bureau of Mines, was contacted to
investigate vapors coming from a gasoline tank vent of a newly purchased Ford
Model T. Dr. Snelling filled a glass jug with the gasoline from the Ford
Model T and discovered on his way back to the lab that volatile vapors were
forming in the jug, causing its cork to repeatedly pop out. He began
experimenting with these vaporous gases to find methods to control and hold
them. After dividing the gas into its liquid and gaseous components, he
learned that propane was one component of the liquefied gas mixture. He soon
learned that this propane component could be used for lighting, metal cutting,
and cooking. That discovery marked the birth of the propane industry.
Propane was listed as an approved, alternative clean fuel in the 1990 Clean
Air Act, and, two years later, was listed again as an alternative fuel in
the Energy Policy Act of 1992.
In 1996, the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) was authorized by
the U.S. Congress with the passage of Public Law 104-284, the Propane
Education and Research Act (PERA), signed into law on October 121, 1996.
PERC's mission is to promote the safe, efficient use of odorized propane gas
as a preferred energy source.
Today, propane has grown to a $10 billion industry in the United States. The
United States consumes more than 15 billion gallons of propane annually for
home, agricultural, industrial, and commercial uses. Of the 101.5 million U.S.
house holds, 8.1 million depend on propane for one use or another.
With the adoption of propane as an over the road engine fuel, it's become the
most common alternative fuel in the world, powering over 13 million vehicles.
|
|
|
|
