Mid-County Messenger Page 4
www.midcountycoop.com
Fall 2008
Mid-County Fuels & Energy Delivery
Heating your home for the winter
As we enter another fall season, many
of us are thinking about having to pull
out our cold weather gear, put things
away for another season, and turn on our
furnaces.
As you turn the furnace on you may
be asking “What is propane and where
does it come from?” Many people know
propane as the fuel that comes in a white
container and is attached to a barbecue
grill.
But propane has long proven its ver-
satility for heating homes, heating water,
cooking, drying clothes, fueling gas fire-
places, and as an alternative fuel for
vehicles. However, more propane is
used to make petrochemicals, which are
the building blocks for plastics, alcohol,
fibers, and cosmetics, to name just a
few.
Propane naturally occurs as a gas at
atmospheric pressure but can be lique-
fied if subjected to moderately increased
pressure. It is stored and transported in
its liquid form, but by opening a valve to
release propane from a pressurized stor-
age container, it is vaporized into a gas
for use. Basically, propane is always a
liquid until it is used.
Propane is non-toxic and odorless,
an identifying odor called Mercaptan is
used and smells like rotten eggs or has a
sulfur smell.
A unique feature of propane is that
it is not produced for its own sake, but
is a by-product of two other processes,
Quay Zander
Petroleum Operations
(952) 466-3727
[email protected]
natural gas processing and petroleum
refining. Natural gas plant production
of propane primarily involves extracting
materials such as propane and butane
from natural gas to prevent these liquids
from condensing and causing operational
problems in natural gas pipelines.
When refineries make gasoline and
heating oil, some propane is produced
as a by-product of those processes.
Demand is met by imports of propane
and by using stored inventories. Imports
are the smallest component, but they are
vital when consumption exceeds avail-
able domestic supplies of propane.
Propane is imported by land (via pipe-
line and rail car from Canada) and by sea
(in tankers from such countries as Alge-
ria, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and Norway).
This is a small picture of Propane and
what it takes to get to you as a consumer.
Gas Well/ Oil Well – Gas Plant/
Refinery – Underground Storage
– Imports to underground storage – Pipe-
line Station – Pipeline Terminal – Trans-
port Trucks – Retail Plant – Bulk Truck/
Cylinder Truck – Then finally you.
As you can see, it is a lengthy process.
Mid County can provide you with the
comfort of propane for your home heat,
commercial use, and farm uses. We
also provide propane to four different
cylinder refill stations: Mid County in
Cologne – Cabin Fever Sports in Victoria
– Winsted Coop Creamery in Winsted
– and the newest location at The Depot
in Lester Prairie.
If you’re thinking of using propane as
a heat source in a new home or switching
to propane in an existing home, please
give us call. At Mid County, we can help
you with getting started with clean burn-
ing, efficient, and cost effective propane.
Just as a reminder, as of August 1, 2007,
state legislation requires that all newly
built homes are required to have carbon
monoxide detectors present, and as of
August 1, 2008 all pre – existing homes
are required to have them as well.
As always, Mid County appreciates
and values you as a customer. Have a
safe heating season.