ABSTRACT
Before it is possible to understand the safe storage, handling and utilisation of any commodity, it is first essential to comprehend the nature of the material under consideration. It is a requirement of the codes of safe practice covering LPG,
including those published by the Health and Safety Executive, that all concerned with LPG are familiar with its properties and any hazards arising from incorrect use. Employees are required to be instructed by appropriate practical training sessions to ensure that they are competent to carry out their duties. LPG is the normal abbreviation used to describe ‘Liquefied
Petroleum Gas’ which is itself the term used to describe a group of hydrocarbons existing as vapours under ambient conditions of temperature and pressure, but which can be liquefied by the application of moderate pressure and/or refrigeration. Such liquefaction is always accompanied by a considerable decrease
in the volume occupied by the vapour so that the liquid formed requires much less storage space. The material is therefore normally stored and distributed in the liquid phase, in pressurised containers and systems, and is finally allowed to revert to the vapour phase before the point of eventual consumption. This property is the basis of one of the principal advantages of LPG as a convenient premium energy source.
Sources of LPG
