History of Propane

Propane is an LP-gas (liquefied petroleum). Although the propane gas industry is quite young, LP-gases were observed early in man’s history. As for back as 2000 B.C. for example, man used oil and gas for medical and heating purposes.

The LP-gas industry had its beginnings in the early 20th century. Surprisingly, the discovery of LP gas was due to problems with the refining and storage of gasoline. In the early 1900’s, gasoline would quickly evaporate or “weather away” while in storage.

In 1910, a Pittsburgh motor car owner walked into chemist Dr. Walter Snelling's office, complaining that the gallon of gasoline he had purchased was half a gallon by the time he got home. He thought the government should look into why consumers were being cheated because the gasoline was evaporating at a rapid and expensive rate. Dr. Snelling took up the challenge and discovered the evaporating gases were propane, butane and other hydrocarbons.

Under the direction of Dr. Walter Snelling at the U.S. Bureau of Mines, experiments were begun to stabilize gasoline. Through these experiments, it was soon discovered that the gases which evaporated could be condensed and stored as a liquid under moderate temperatures and pressures.

In 1911, Dr. Snelling isolated and identified the two major components of LP-gas–propane and butane, and soon developed a practical method of removing them from natural gasoline.

By 1912, the first residential gas range had been developed, and the first automobile powered by LP-gas was invented in 1913. 

In 1927, the total sales of propane in the U. S. were more than one million gallons, and after World War II the propane gas annual sales increased to more than 15 billion gallons.