What Do They Add To Natural Gas To Make It Smell

Device that adds an odorant to a gas

An odorizer is a device that adds an odorant to a gas. The most common blazon is one that adds a mercaptan liquid into natural gas distribution systems and then that leaks can be readily detected. Other types have been used for carbon dioxide fire extinguishers.

Natural gas odorizers [edit]

Natural gas odorizers^[i] run the gamut from a simple wick in a container to computerized equipment, which controls the amount of odorant based on flow rate, tracks the corporeality of odorant in inventory, and alarms when odorant is not being injected into the gas stream.

Odorants used for natural gas vary from state to country, depending on gas distribution regulations. Some odorants comprise sulfur, which is oxidized to sulfur dioxide when the gas is burned.

Sulfur containing odorants include:

tert-Butylthiol (TBM) the primary ingredient in many gas odorant blends
Tetrahydrothiophene (THT), used as an odorant for natural gas, commonly in mixtures containing tert-butylthiol
two-Propanethiol, commonly known every bit isopropyl mercaptan (IPM) is used as an odorant for natural gas usually in mixtures containing tert-butylthiol
Ethanethiol (EM), normally known as ethyl mercaptan is used in Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and resembles odor of leeks, onions, durian, or cooked cabbage
Methanethiol, commonly known equally methyl mercaptan, is added to natural gas every bit an odorant, unremarkably in mixtures containing methane. Its scent is reminiscent of rotten eggs or cabbage.
Dimethyl sulfide (DMS), a component of the scent produced from cooking of certain vegetables, notably maize, cabbage, beetroot, and seafoods

Not-sulfur containing odorants include:

Methyl acrylate (MA)
Ethyl acrylate (EA)
Methylethyl pyrazine,^{[ citation needed ]} scent of various foods including coffee and wines

Wick type odorizers [edit]

Wick blazon odorizers tin be very small, odorizing the gas for as few equally one gas client to much larger ones that can odorize the gas for a pocket-size town (10,000 MCF). They use a wick which is very similar to those used in a kerosene lantern. The odorant is drawn up the wick from the container and into the gas stream.

Absorption bypass odorizers [edit]

Absorption featherbed odorizers take a portion of the gas stream, the amount beingness dependent on the flow of gas in the line, and run information technology through a tank containing liquid odorant. The gas is passed over the top of the liquid. Variations be where wicks are utilized to increment odorant vaporization.

Liquid injection blazon odorizers [edit]

A pipeline odorant injection station

For very high volume systems (and for some smaller volume systems), liquid injection odorizers are beingness manufactured. These odorizers work by the addition of pocket-sized amounts of liquid odorant to the moving gas. A pump that tin exist controlled to give the range of addition rates necessary is a very important attribute of this blazon of odorizer. Computer control to monitor flow rates and vary injection rate is a significant office of the more than modern versions of this. Previous versions worked off a variety of schemes to command the odorization level.

The Peerless odorizer was the kickoff example of this type of odorizer. The Peerless natural-gas odorizer was recognized as a Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Club of Mechanical Engineers in 1992.^[2] This odorizer was said to accept been developed in response to the New London School explosion that occurred in March 1937. Information technology was outset shipped in July 1937, the Peerless odorizer overcame ii of the major problems of previous devices: they avoided problems with leaky shaft seals by encapsulating the entire unit within a force per unit area vessel and added odorant in proportion to the gas flow by using a gas meter to drive the odorant pump.

Other odorizers [edit]

Carbon dioxide fire extinguishers [edit]

Odorizers are used in carbon dioxide burn extinguisher systems, the odorizer assembly injects wintergreen oil into the carbon dioxide stream when the amanuensis is discharged. Approximately fifty cc of wintergreen oil independent inside a frangible glass cartridge is mounted within a protective housing attached to the discharge piping in such a manner as to rupture the glass container when the carbon dioxide manifold is pressurized during discharge, atomizing the oil and dispersing information technology. The strong wintergreen odour finer notifies the occupants of the presence of carbon dioxide gas later carbon dioxide has been discharged into the run a risk.^[3] ^[iv] ^[5]

Mine gas warning systems [edit]

Similar systems are used in mines, where, in the instance of an emergency such as a gas leak in the mine, ampoules of ethanethiol are broken in front of ventilation fans to warn the miners of the emergency.^[6] ^[vii]

References [edit]

^ Meyer, Winston C. "Small Station Odorizers" (1993). Gerald G. Wilson & Amir A Attari (ed.). Odorization III. Chicago, IL: Plant of Gas Technology. pp. 45–58. ISBN0910091897.
^ "Peerless Type "K" Odorizer" (PDF). The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Archived from the original (PDF) on Baronial thirteen, 2012. Retrieved Baronial vi, 2012.
^ TomCO2 Burn Systems. "Odorizer". Archived from the original on December 13, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^ "Ansul Carbon Dioxide System Components to add together wintergreen odor" (PDF) . Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^ "Fike odorizer injects a small corporeality of wintergreen scent into carbon dioxide menses" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on Apr 2, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^ Zacon Express. "Stench System". Zacon Limited. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
^ Katz, S. H.; Vernon C Allison; W L Egy (1920). "Use of stenches equally a warning in mines". Technical paper (United States. Bureau of Mines), 244.: 91. CS1 maint: multiple names: authors listing (link)

External links [edit]

Engines of our ingenuity episode 735, by John H. Lienhard