Cooking for Dollars: Radio Frequency Identification is Revolutionizing The Liquefied Petroleum Gas Industry

Introduction

There you are on your back patio. The sun is shining, the kids are playing in the yard, and friends and family are sitting around the patio, all enjoying some very well earned “down time.” You and your spouse picked-out the perfect steaks, chicken and salmon for the occasion, and as the afternoon wears on, you know that soon, it will be time for you to take the stage by serving as the “backyard chef.” You’ve scoured the Internet for grilling tips and watched the Food Network religiously, even practiced with chicken drumsticks and hotdogs for the kids on your grill for the big day. All is right with the world….until you reach under the humongous gas grill and feel for the knob to turn-on the gas. Instead of seeing the familiar blue and orange flames appear, you see…nothing. No fuel for the flame! At 6 o’clock on a Saturday night, is all lost?

Years ago, the answer would have been yes. But today, propane gas is available for grilling through tank exchange programs operated by companies throughout the nation, offering customers the convenience of exchanging empty tanks for filled ones at sights ranging from grocery and home improvement stores to drug and convenience stores (and yes, Wal-mart). In fact, some tank exchange locations operate on a totally automated basis, offering 24-hour service to gas grill patrons. Welcome to the wonderful world of gas grilling, circa 2009! In the U.S., such gas cylinders are a matter of convenience for most users. However, for many Americans and millions abroad, propane is a potable fuel source that provides indispensible uses both in the home and in industrial applications.

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Propane 101

The fact that we have Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG or LP Gas for short) is the ultimate “happy accident.” Propane was discovered in 1910 by Dr. Walter Snelling, who was at the time a chemist and explosives expert for the U.S. Bureau of Mines. Snelling had been called in to investigate volatile vapors coming from a Ford Model T. He discovered that these gases could be converted into liquids and stored under moderate pressure. The first commercial production of propane began in 1912, and its uses have grown over time. LP Gas comes in a number of forms, but the most important and pervasive is propane. Propane is a gas (C3H8) that occurs naturally, as does methane and ethane. However, unlike with propane, the amount of pressure needed to liquefy ethane and methane and the amount of metal necessary to hold that pressure makes this impractical for commercial applications. Propane has thus today evolved over almost a century to become one of the world’s most important alternative fuels. While still a fossil fuel, propane produces far lower carbon emissions than other fuels. It has a far higher ignition temperature than gasoline (850-950 degrees Farnenheit versus 495 degrees for gasoline), making it safer for use in many applications. Propane can also be safely stored and transported under pressure, and once released, propane is highly efficient, yielding 250 times its liquid volume in gas form!