How Propane Is Used In Processing And Manufacturing

2 December 2015
 Categories: , Blog


Propane is a common energy source, but you probably did not know that it does several other jobs in processing and manufacturing. Its versatility allows factories to incorporate it into multiple designs for machines that can make the factory workers' jobs smoother and easier. Here are just a few ways in which propane is used in processing and manufacturing plants.

Fueling Bellows

You may be familiar with old hand bellows, the kind that have the accordion-style air pockets in the middle which are them squeezed flat by the person holding the long, stick-like handles. In manufacturing, a bellows is similar in what it does, but on a much larger scale and with greater intent to fan flames and heat within ovens and other heating machines rather than just blow air on hot, metal coils. The propane used in these industrial bellows is blown onto the hot surfaces created by an electrical energy source. The propane then ignites when it hits the metal coils, creating a much hotter environment, disbursement of heat for heat applications and/or accelerating the conversion of water droplets in the air to hot air and hot mixed gases.

Fueling Blowtorches

Not all welders' tools rely on your typical welding machines. Instead, some welders keep blowtorches fueled by propane in/on their work trucks. When the welders in the factory do not need the intense heat that many welding machines provide, they turn to propane-fueled blowtorches. Blowtorches can heat-seal everything from industrial bonding agents and paint to metal, all while utilizing propane to get the job done.

Fueling the Acceleration of Decay in Processing Vats

Processing vats, which are frequently used to create medicines from rotting, molding or intentionally mildewing organic substances, also use propane for their processes. (Both beer and penicillin are created through the decay of the related organic matter, For beer that is hops, while it is moldy bread for penicillin.) The addition of propane to the vats as a means to heat and accelerate the rapid deterioration and/or fermentation process means that the products taken from the vats can be produced and processed faster and in larger batches.

Fueling Research on a Microscopic Level

Additionally, on-site research labs require enough propane to conduct microscopic testings of samples that were brought to them. Besides the stream of bunsen burners that need propane in a research lab, propane can act as a means to create and recreate controlled chemical reactions. The discoveries that are made help fuel continued research and development on the products the companies produce.

Contact a company like Apollo Propane Inc to learn more.


Share