Ethane

PurityPlus^® Specialty Gases by Weldstar sells ethane (C₂H₆) along with numerous other industrial and specialty gases to customers and the equipment you need to make use of the gas and the best local support.

Ethane is a colorless, odorless, flammable gas. It is generally the second most abundant hydrocarbon, after methane, that is present in natural gas. Ethane has a higher heating value per unit volume than methane, but its application as a methane alternative is limited due to its high vapor pressure, making it unsuitable for storage and transportation in the lower pressure cylinders often associated with “low pressure” (LP) gases like propane.

In stripping plants, depending on ethane demand elsewhere, it is oftentimes included in the methane produced for pipeline transmission. In this situation, nitrogen is added to sustain the heating value per cubic foot at about 1000 BTU.

However, in the major petrochemical manufacturing markets, ethane may be separated from the natural gas stream and made available via a separate pipeline network as a feedstock for ethylene production.

As a result of the ease in converting ethane to ethylene, cylinder quantities of High Purity Ethane are made use of in many aspects polymer synthesis, especially to quantify reaction rates and yields, as well as relative activation energies and heats of reaction. Ethane is also [[applied as a specialty refrigerant, although its use is restricted to refineries and environments that can tolerate a flammable gas at medium-high pressure.

For further details about PurityPlus^® Ethane and its availability, call PurityPlus^® Specialty Gases by Weldstar at 708-627-1007 or contact us online.