Poly Propelene Feed Stock (C3)

Propylene (also known as Propene) is a gas. It is one of the major building blocks of the petrochemical industry. The materials that are derived from propylene include: polypropylene, acrylonitrile, propylene oxide, oxo-alcohols, cumene and isopropyl alcohol (which is used as a solvent). As a result, propylene is a key component of countless end use products.

Requirements of Propylene (C3)
Test	Method	Specification
Total C2s, % w	GC	Max. 0.8
Propylene, % w	GC	Min. 50
Propane	GC	To be reported
Total C4s, % w	GC	Max. 0.5
Carbon dioxide, % w	GC	Max. 0.1
Mercaptane Sulphur, ppm	P:34	Max. 10
Hydrogen Sulphide	P:34	Nil
Free Water	-	No Free Water

Natural Gas

Natural Gas is a naturally occurring mixture of predominantly hydrocarbons, with some impurities of non-hydrocarbons found in the porous geological formations below the surface of the earth. Sometimes, Natural Gas is also found associated with oil. Natural Gas predominantly consists of Methane with certain heavy hydrocarbons in the range of C2- C3, etc.

Natural Gas is generally transported through cross-country pipelines. However, in cases where the distances involved are very large and if the volumes are also large, the Natural Gas is liquefied and transported by ships. In this case, the Natural Gas is termed as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

In India, the major uses of Natural Gas comprise of manufacture of fertilizers and petrochemicals and as a fuel in power plants, use in automobiles and in houses and industries.

In order to use Natural Gas in an automobile, it would be necessary to carry large quantities on board, to have a reasonable driving range for the vehicle. To achieve this, Natural Gas is compressed to about 250 kg/cm2 for filling into specially designed cylinders, which are mounted on the automobiles.

Piped Natural Gas (PNG) is distributed through city specific infrastructure for consumption by the households, restaurants, small scale industries, etc. and in most of the cases, this replaces LPG.

Liquefied Petroleum Gases [LPG]

LPG may be defined as a mixture of those hydrocarbons which are gaseous at normal atmospheric pressure, but may be condensed to the liquid state at normal temperature, by the application of moderate pressures. Although they are normally used as gases, they are stored and transported as liquid under moderate pressure for convenience and ease of handling. Liquid LPG evaporates to produce about 250 times its volume of gas. Thus, a large quantity of energy can be packed, stored, transported and used in small containers.

LPG is a predominant mixture of Propane and Butane with a small percentage of unsaturates (Propylene and Butylene) and some lighter C2 as well as heavier C5 fractions.

Bharat Metal Cutting Gas

Acetylene is conventionally used for cutting of metals. BPCL has developed a special additive which is added to LPG for producing Bharat Cutting Gas. Bharat Cutting Gas is marketed in 19 kg. cylinders having a distinct colour , easy identification and has several advantages over Acetylene. Some of the advantages are: