Thank you! I enjoyed doing this video. I'm honestly surprised how many comments it's getting. I'm off for the summer, but when I get back to hauling propane again this fall I'll have to make some more. Thanks for watching
This is why I like this stuff. When I see people running pipes or electrical lines in the ground I always wanna stop and ask them questions about how it works, but I don't wanna bother them lol.
It's a fascinating fuel. Many who are unfamiliar with it are fearful,but it's only from lack of knowledge. It's safe when handled correctly,it's efficient, clean,and can be completely sourced domestically. It now can be produced using renewable products as well
I've seen it plenty of times - though mostly as a butane/propane lighter gas mixture, when the nozzle of the can doesn't fit properly and it squirts everywhere. That's why there are warnings on the can about not doing it near ignition sources. It's surprising how much time it sometimes takes for it to boil away completely. Cold as hell, if you get it on your hands. Physics is amazing. These days it's also used as a refrigerant in fridges and mobile air conditioners. It's a truly amazing gas.
@@danilka1802 It's butane, not propane. At room temperature, butane is liquid at 350kpa, propane is liquid at nearly 1MPa which would be much more dangerous. 350 kPa is dangerous enough already, if you smash a lighter on a hard ground (don't do it lol, there are already videos on RUclips) you'd be surprised at how powerful that little explosion is. Now imagine triple that pressure.
RUclips sometimes gets in a mood and recommends old videos for things that I should have no real desire to watch. But this was neat. It's always cool to see professionals at work. Well worth the 9 million fuel pumping videos I'll have to sift through now.
I used to work security at a liquid natural gas plant a couple of years ago, and once a week or so, we'd get a tanker full of nitrogen in for a 1-2 hour delivery. The facility was generally quiet, but there was something relaxing about having the rumbling and humming of that tanker delivering the nitrogen in the background whenever he came around. This reminds me a lot of that old sound. Thanks for posting this!
@@simontist no below -40° f, the propane is the exact consistency of water. All the vapor condenses just in to a solid liquid form, zero pressure plus or minus. You can literally carry it around in a 5 gallon bucket
@@infinity3jif Lighter fluid is more like gasoline than propane. And besides starting BBQ it's used in Zippo lighters, however disposable lighters use butane, not lighter fluid. Butane being a gas but stored under pressure it's a liquid. Hope that helps.
Not sure why this was recommended to me but very interesting on a life I'd never otherwise get the chance to see. Thanks for walking through the process.
@@dunc71 This is in the US. The US gallon is 231 cubic inches exact, which is 3.785411784 litres exact. Also, significant digits and ease of understanding make rounding a better choice without changing the meaning. I'd say ~45,000 L in your case. :)
Yep, that's right. We do carry more liquid in the winter because the gallons are "smaller". Although they still weigh the same so we have to be careful just how much more liquid we carry cuz we can get overweight pretty quickly
3:47 I used to drive tankers I was always taught that you have to be at the point of delivery at all times in case of a leak or something like that so that you can shut the valve off or emergency valve off quickly. I usually would do my walk around before the delivery or after the delivery.
I have driven fuel tankers and other stuff over the years and I always used the 5 second rule. Basically. I can't be more than 5 seconds away from an emergency shutoff. What got me was the companies I worked for tended to have this bizarre inverse safety practices thing that neer made sense. The more dangerous the cargo the less they gave a shyte about safety while the places where we didn't have to worry about much of anything were so gung ho on safety it was suffocating. One place, where I hauled freshwater for the oil fields, their thought process was that since we didn't know what was in the water assumed it was toxic/hazardous, thus full PPE. (It literally came from municipal bulk potable water stations where ewe loaded the trucks ourselves.) Another was hauling bulk fuel. Zero safety anything. Tee shirt and shorts and work boots was passable. Nobody cared.
Love seeing the propane flow through the sight glass. That's a nice touch that I think you should add to all your videos. Sometime othwerise mundane and viewed everyday by you, seeing the propane actually flow was very interesting. Thanks for the upload
That’s actually very interesting. Forty minutes sounds like a long time! But then again 10,000 gallons sounds like a lot of propane. Do your tractors have emergency air shut-offs for the engine in case of a large escape of propane, to stop the engine from “running away” in the event it ingests propane?
@@dougkratz5269 wow really? I am surprised they don't equip them with air cut offs. I can't imagine a 4in butterfly valve or a flapper being a bad investment to save a 20k plus engine. I know alot of detroit diesels had them installed when working in the oil fields
Very nice. I work in commercial and industrial refrigeration and handle refrigerants of all kinds including sometimes propane and isobutane. I'm not sure why, but I just think it's so neat how those substances can make so many things happen just through a phase change. It's really cool to see a side of the industry I don't really get to see much.
I am a lawyer and lately watch videos only about war in my country, interviews, army stuff etc etc. And I wounder why do algoritms give me videos like these! (Thanks a lot, it was really very interesting even if I will never see equipment like this in real life)
That's interesting. I have driven a truck for decades but never a tanker or a compressed gas tank. The airbag pressure was something I also used to gauge how heavy the freight was.
Thanks brother! Glad you liked it. It's kind of a pretty small niche in the trucking industry, a little off the standard dry van/ reefer track. Stay safe
Just stumbled on this video. Got a mild freeze burn when I forgot to bleed the lines before undoing the hoses after filling a small tank at work. That is a beautiful interior. Do you use the 40 min for a quick nap or to catch up on book work?
It's the simplest, quickest way. When we're hooking the hose up there's no product in there, so we can easily dump a gallon out of a gallon jug in there, make the connection, open the valves, and it goes right in. Some facilities having inline tank, but it's more time-consuming. You have to shut the tank off, bleed the pressure out, then fill the tank. Just extra steps
@@dougkratz5269 That’s cool. Why does it need methanol? Does it just build up in the bottom of the tanks? How does the methanol interact with the propane? Can it freeze in the pipes and cause problems?
@@brucebaxter6923 there is always a little bit of moisture in the gas. When the gas evaporates the moisture from the water can cause vapor supply lines to freeze. The methanol molecules bind with the water molecules and allow it to be burnt with the gas. It's standard procedure in the industry
Great question bud! When it's this cold and the pressures don't vary that much, I get a little lazy and don't put it on. Very critical in the summer though. Best wishes and be safe
When the trailer tank is empty,isn't a part of the propane in a gas form in the tank,since the pressure dropped in the trailer tank ? So,what pressure do you have in the trailer tank and in the customer storage tank at the end ,and how can you pump without having vacuum in the trailer tank,since the trailer tank isn't vented ?
There is always liquid and vapor in the trailer at all times. The trailer has a total capacity of 11,600 gallons. I load 10,000 gallons. The other 1600 gallons of space in there is propane vapor. That vapor space increases as the liquid level decreases. Even when you're empty, there's usually still several gallons laying on the bottom of the tank that you can't pump out. But then the entire tank is propane vapor that varies in pressure based on outside temperature. Can be 30 to 60 lb in the winter. Up to 150, even a bit more, in the middle of summer. Relief valves on the top of the trailer are set to blow off at 250 psi. I don't know all the The technicalities of how the pumps work, but they are designed to pump with a slight pressure differential, or a slight vacuum if necessary. You can't go to extremes either way but they have a working range that will handle both.
Yep we're in there a lot. We haul the gas out of the pipeline terminal in Luthersburg, a fracking plant in Evans City, and another fracking plant in Moundsville, West Virginia. We go up to Warren PA and Union City PA a lot as well. We're all over your neighborhood
That glass view-port is giving me a concern. It looks like the bolts that hold it in place are missing. I would imagine it would be a bad day if that glass were to break out somehow.
Ah, it's not that bad. When you realize how thick the steel is on those trailers, it would take a pretty catastrophic accident for there to be a problem. I always figure, if the wreck was that bad, I'd be dead no matter what I was hauling. The liquid moving around, and affecting the handling of the entire rig, is more concerning to me than the product I'm carrying
I really really want to work for you. I used to have a CDL Class A and need to get it again. Man the hoops I have to jump through make me so depressed lol
Welcome to the transport division! Generaly,no. When temperatures are cold, pressures don't go up as much. It's always good to watch gauge's on the transport and the bulk tank, but there's not nearly as much differential in the winter. If for some reason however there is, then a vapor line would be appropriate. Good luck and be safe out there
I'm kinda interested in how this is done, since a lot of businesses might need to capture CO2 in the future. This would likely need to be transported in a similar manner, either to an injection well, a pipeline, or a terminal where it can be loaded onto trains or ships. Seeing this makes me believe that doing so might be feasible.
What's the best way to remove the smell of mercaptan on skin? I had some propane get all over my hands from a loose connection once and the stink of the odorant was impossible to remove. Tried orange grit cleaner, peroxide (kind of helped), hand soap, dish soap, lemon juice (supposedly helps neutralize the sulfurs). But none of it was ideal. Any suggestions? Also, when the truck tank is empty, is the tank vented so there's no vacuum in the tank? Or is your trailer strong enough that the vacuum created isn't an issue?
Do you have to worry about the tank cooling down too quickly? Because as the tank pressure decreases, its temperature decreases? Or, is the flow rate low enough that it's not a worry
Temperature isn't an issue. Over pressurizeration of the tank being filled needs to be monitored closely though. If a vapor return line is connected,this usually takes care of that.
When you deliver the liquid propane and pumps it out does it draw a partial vacuum on your tank? Or because liquid propane is under so much pressure that it draws it until you’re left with residual gas and a somewhat neutral pressure?
Great question! You're on the right track with the second part, however, because of the pressures there's never any kind of vacuum only pressure differentials or equalization. Usually at the start of the unloading process, the transport tank has a higher pressure than the storage tank. We pump it, and the natural high pressure to low pressure helps as well. Somewhere through the delivery process, the pressures will equalize. And usually by the end of the delivery, the storage tank is at a higher pressure than the transport. The pumps are designed to overcome this pressure differential, but it's a good idea to minimize that differential by hooking up a vapor return hose. For repair and maintenance, we have compressors to actually pull every bit of propane liquid and vapor out of the tanks, and then put a slight vacuum on as well. This allows nitrogen to be sucked into purge the tank of any propane vapor for safety
I've filled lift truck propane tanks at a job site and had my own propane tanks refilled many times and those propane pumps always seem to be extra loud. I always wonder why they are so loud for regular tanks.
Are you a dedicated propane hauler or a general trucker? I spend a lot of time on the highway with my job and wonder about these things. I fix garage doors!
@@Constantineopulos I spend a lot of time on the highway thinking about a lot of things also. Lol! Thank you for fixing garage doors. Because I spend a lot of time of the road, I need you guys like you to do the stuff I'm not around to do. For a long time I was a "general" trucker, as you say, and a propane hauler in the winter. However now I am just hauling propane. It is a seasonal business, so most of my work is in the fall through spring. So for the first summer of my adult life, I am on vacation!!
You partially correct. When the tank we're delivering to has much lower pressure than the trailer tank, it will flow into that tank on it soon. But once the pressure equalizes or becomes greater in the bulk plant tank, you can't move it without a pump. Propane always gets transferred as a liquid. The vapor is just part of it.
What??!! You're saying "Football Helmet" isn't cool?????😂😂😂😂 I know it isn't. It was a temporary I was driving while rebuilding a 2007 379. It served me well,for 20K
@@dougkratz5269 Haha, yeah I can't stand how aero trucks look. I went to your channel and saw your 379, really cool truck. 379's are probably the coolest
Well, let's just go straight to worst case scenario,shall we?: all 10000 gallons in the trailer gets released,vaporizes,and slowly drifts over an area about 3-5 acres(or larger). Then,just at the moment the entire vapor cloud mixes with enough oxygen to bring it into propane's very small flammability window,a source of ignition is introduced and.........BOOM!! Everything in that 3-5 acres is leveled. It essentially becomes a thermo baric bomb. There are all kinds of scenarios,but the most destructive is a release that is allowed to form a giant vapor cloud over time. Let's hope none of us ever has to experience it
Hello J! Most of the facilities where we load require full FRC, hard hats safety glasses. Then some also require face Shields and rubber aprons. But when we get to our unloading retail customers, we just wear regular street clothes. But always use neoprene gloves! The liquid is -40 Fahrenheit so it gives you a nasty burn if you get it on the skin. Thanks for watching
@@dougkratz5269 The liquid is actually at ambient temperature. -40 is the boiling point at atmospheric pressure. This means that it will not boil (extract heat) from anything it comes in contact with that is below -40. But since it will draw heat (boil) until the temperature drops to -40, for practicality, you could say that the liquid "is" -40. I know this because I deal with refrigerants (HVAC). Anyway, nice video.
New to the channel. I subbed to your channel. Very helpful and knowledgeable. I am a 51 year old guy, left my job after 22 years and wanted to pursue a new and more challenging career. I’m a recent CDL B graduate. No experience behind the wheel yet. I have an automatic restriction on my license. I’m in Philly not too far from Telford, PA. I was looking into getting my hazmat and tanker endorsements to help open some doors for me and land a job. I have a few propane places on my radar. I know class A drivers get paid more but I was wondering, what does a new, inexperienced, class b bulk delivery driver make an hour? I know a couple places said they’d train me. But I wasn’t sure what or how to ask what the position pays. Remember, I was at my last job for 22 years so I’ve only been on a couple interviews.🤦♂️ I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad thing and not sure if companies look at longevity, but I’m hoping I can invest as much time as I can, at my next job, as I did at all my other jobs. Thanks for the video man! Keep em coming and I’ll keep ya posted! 👍🏼🇺🇸
This is a pretty obvious and dumb question but do you think it's kinda scary hauling a potential bomb around every day? Haha I mean if someone hits you or if you swerv off the road it'll be a bit more than just a crash
Lol,yeah everyone thinks that. In reality, it's very safe. It's going to take way more than just a collision to have a problem. The trailers are extremely heavy steel. I know of multiple rollovers, where they were able to unload the trailer, upright it on its wheels, and still use it. The heads of the vessel are half inch thick, the sidewalls are 3/8. But you are right, if it's a bad situation it can really be bad when you add a gas leak on top of it. One of the biggest problems is if after an accident, there is a fire and the first responders are not properly trained on how to handle a pressurized gas vessel on fire. There is definitely a right and wrong way to deal with that situation. I don't think about it anymore. It's just another load of freight 😃
@@dougkratz5269 its kinda the same thing as forklift propane tanks. once they go empty they're not completely empty there is some left amount of propane in there. Ive always wonder what happens if air gets mixed in with the propane. Not that anyone should do this but if you unscrew the top off of a grill propane tank and expose it to the inside of the tank to outside air and then just put the top back on and fill it up. I would assume it would blow up or something. i would think they evacuate the cylinder if that happens I know it sounds dumb but what if they have to service the inside of the trailer. Do they evacuate the air?
@@lt.schlechtnacht9414 The only dumb questions around propane are the ones that don't get asked. Always good to learn and educate yourself. Every 5 years the trailer undergoes an internal inspection. For that we completely evacuate all the gas with a compressor to suck the propane down to just barely a vacuum. Then it gets opened up, inspected, and then resealed. All we do is add propane vapor back into it, to bring it up to about 60 psi. And then we're good to go to start loading liquid again. Of course if any repairs need to be done during the inspection, then it needs to be fully purged with nitrogen before you can work in there with tools, in case of sparks
It's very neat to see videos about jobs that the average person would otherwise never get to see or learn about
Thank you! I enjoyed doing this video. I'm honestly surprised how many comments it's getting. I'm off for the summer, but when I get back to hauling propane again this fall I'll have to make some more. Thanks for watching
As the person who pipes these systems, it's very interesting to see someone in a completely different sector use something I helped build!
This is why I like this stuff. When I see people running pipes or electrical lines in the ground I always wanna stop and ask them questions about how it works, but I don't wanna bother them lol.
@@dougkratz5269I have a picture of a ghost on a tv.
truly
Propane and propane accessories.
This should be the first comment that everyone who comes here sees.
@@TheThewulasvegasseems it is now
I don’t get it. What does it mean?
@@nielskersic328 Hank Hill.
Man I'll tell you what ...
I've never seen liquid propane before, it was very interesting to see it flow in the sight glass! Cheers from Wisconsin.
It's a fascinating fuel. Many who are unfamiliar with it are fearful,but it's only from lack of knowledge. It's safe when handled correctly,it's efficient, clean,and can be completely sourced domestically. It now can be produced using renewable products as well
I've seen it plenty of times - though mostly as a butane/propane lighter gas mixture, when the nozzle of the can doesn't fit properly and it squirts everywhere. That's why there are warnings on the can about not doing it near ignition sources.
It's surprising how much time it sometimes takes for it to boil away completely. Cold as hell, if you get it on your hands. Physics is amazing.
These days it's also used as a refrigerant in fridges and mobile air conditioners. It's a truly amazing gas.
you can see liquid propane in gas lighter
@@danilka1802 It's butane, not propane. At room temperature, butane is liquid at 350kpa, propane is liquid at nearly 1MPa which would be much more dangerous. 350 kPa is dangerous enough already, if you smash a lighter on a hard ground (don't do it lol, there are already videos on RUclips) you'd be surprised at how powerful that little explosion is. Now imagine triple that pressure.
Propane is now also being used as refrigerant (R290)
RUclips sometimes gets in a mood and recommends old videos for things that I should have no real desire to watch.
But this was neat. It's always cool to see professionals at work. Well worth the 9 million fuel pumping videos I'll have to sift through now.
Lol,sorry🤷🤷😂😂😂
I don't know why but this video was recommended to me by youtube, but I did enjoy it. Keep making videos!
I used to work security at a liquid natural gas plant a couple of years ago, and once a week or so, we'd get a tanker full of nitrogen in for a 1-2 hour delivery. The facility was generally quiet, but there was something relaxing about having the rumbling and humming of that tanker delivering the nitrogen in the background whenever he came around. This reminds me a lot of that old sound. Thanks for posting this!
You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. thanks for watching
It's crazy seeing propane in liquid form 2:40
Yes it is. If it were-40° fahrenheit,it would stay that way. You could carry it in a bucket😀
@@dougkratz5269 What happens if the temperature goes below -40F? Sounds like the tank would be under vacuum in that case.
@@simontist no below -40° f, the propane is the exact consistency of water. All the vapor condenses just in to a solid liquid form, zero pressure plus or minus. You can literally carry it around in a 5 gallon bucket
@@steppenwolf7958 I don't believe lighter fluid and propane are the same.
@@infinity3jif Lighter fluid is more like gasoline than propane.
And besides starting BBQ it's used in Zippo lighters, however disposable lighters use butane, not lighter fluid.
Butane being a gas but stored under pressure it's a liquid.
Hope that helps.
Not sure why this was recommended to me but very interesting on a life I'd never otherwise get the chance to see. Thanks for walking through the process.
U bet!
im convinced youtube algoritm is just skizophrenic
Welcome! Thanks for watching
@@dougkratz5269 thank you this was an amazing video bro!!
you dont like propain and propain accessories?
@@JohnDoe-ok5tp propane
This is really cool! It's neat learning about all these things that most of us take for granted.
The combination of video and reading all the questions posted answered a bunch of questions i had bouncing around between my ears. 👍👍👍✌️
Glad it helped!
From an outside perspective, I'm amazed it takes 40 minutes to pump out, I would have guessed 5-10 minutes.
The sheer mass involved is incredible. Imagine an apartment filled the ceiling with water draining through the bathtub. 40 minutes is pretty fast!
10,000 gallons (~38,000 L) in 40 minutes is 250 gallons (~950 L) per minute, or roughly 4 gallons per second (~16 L/s).
@@quinton1661 god damn
@@quinton1661I would have said, 45460 L
@@dunc71 This is in the US. The US gallon is 231 cubic inches exact, which is 3.785411784 litres exact. Also, significant digits and ease of understanding make rounding a better choice without changing the meaning. I'd say ~45,000 L in your case. :)
That one king up on the hill recommended me this fine video here.
Can you carry more liquid propane in the cold temperatures than in warm temperatures. Does it take less volume when cold.
Yep, that's right. We do carry more liquid in the winter because the gallons are "smaller". Although they still weigh the same so we have to be careful just how much more liquid we carry cuz we can get overweight pretty quickly
Its not just your work but the way you explain it and your personality that is interesting 😊
Thank you for the kind words of encouragement!
Thanks for showing how this all works! Pressurized chambers have always interested me.
You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. I agree, I do it everyday, and it's still fascinates me
Thanks for this video! Have a good day too.
Oddly interesting. Thanks for sharing!
3:47 I used to drive tankers I was always taught that you have to be at the point of delivery at all times in case of a leak or something like that so that you can shut the valve off or emergency valve off quickly. I usually would do my walk around before the delivery or after the delivery.
I have driven fuel tankers and other stuff over the years and I always used the 5 second rule. Basically. I can't be more than 5 seconds away from an emergency shutoff.
What got me was the companies I worked for tended to have this bizarre inverse safety practices thing that neer made sense.
The more dangerous the cargo the less they gave a shyte about safety while the places where we didn't have to worry about much of anything were so gung ho on safety it was suffocating.
One place, where I hauled freshwater for the oil fields, their thought process was that since we didn't know what was in the water assumed it was toxic/hazardous, thus full PPE. (It literally came from municipal bulk potable water stations where ewe loaded the trucks ourselves.)
Another was hauling bulk fuel. Zero safety anything. Tee shirt and shorts and work boots was passable. Nobody cared.
Never seen a channel like yours before, but I found it interesting. Cheers.
Thank you!
Love seeing the propane flow through the sight glass. That's a nice touch that I think you should add to all your videos. Sometime othwerise mundane and viewed everyday by you, seeing the propane actually flow was very interesting. Thanks for the upload
Hank hill would be proud
Decided to watch this at 3AM instead of sleep. I had no idea it took 45 minutes to unload all of that I thought it was like 15!
Good choice
This is pretty cool. Watching the propane through the glass window was interesting
That’s actually very interesting. Forty minutes sounds like a long time! But then again 10,000 gallons sounds like a lot of propane. Do your tractors have emergency air shut-offs for the engine in case of a large escape of propane, to stop the engine from “running away” in the event it ingests propane?
ours do not. I definitely know if several cases where it has happened, and yes engine ran away and was ruined
@@dougkratz5269 wow really? I am surprised they don't equip them with air cut offs. I can't imagine a 4in butterfly valve or a flapper being a bad investment to save a 20k plus engine. I know alot of detroit diesels had them installed when working in the oil fields
Very nice. I work in commercial and industrial refrigeration and handle refrigerants of all kinds including sometimes propane and isobutane. I'm not sure why, but I just think it's so neat how those substances can make so many things happen just through a phase change. It's really cool to see a side of the industry I don't really get to see much.
Great stuff Doug ! I didn’t expect the unloading to be as long as 40 minutes !
I am a lawyer and lately watch videos only about war in my country, interviews, army stuff etc etc. And I wounder why do algoritms give me videos like these!
(Thanks a lot, it was really very interesting even if I will never see equipment like this in real life)
That's interesting. I have driven a truck for decades but never a tanker or a compressed gas tank. The airbag pressure was something I also used to gauge how heavy the freight was.
Daym bro never witnessed a propane hauler do their thing. Love it and I loooovvveeee bigrigs😅 will be subscribing have a good week.
Thanks brother! Glad you liked it. It's kind of a pretty small niche in the trucking industry, a little off the standard dry van/ reefer track. Stay safe
Watching that liquid propane go through the sight glass was just fucking cool. Thanks for showing this.
you got a sub from me. i always enjoy learning more about how the world works.
Stuff you never think about. Neat video. Stay safe out there man.
People like you keep the lights runnin'
That’s awesome! Good to see you’re still standing..
The algorithm has decided that today is propane videos day
I know this is two years old but this is cool that you're in Pennsylvania I live in Shippensburg
Good job driver
thanks for sharing, our work day seems very different
Happy propane man, I hope every day a smile happens upon your face :) cool to see propane is gas but here a liquid.
Very cool video
Thx!
Just stumbled on this video.
Got a mild freeze burn when I forgot to bleed the lines before undoing the hoses after filling a small tank at work.
That is a beautiful interior. Do you use the 40 min for a quick nap or to catch up on book work?
Thx. Yes. And to sleep 4 nights of the week. I appreciate the comfort
Very cool Doug, I live in Palmerton
Do you ever worry about static electricity?
Personally no, but it is a concern. Most loading facilities have a grounding cable that must be attached before we can load
This was really interesting! thank you!
We had to have delivery of 10,000 gallons every 24 hours for the low temperature thermal disorption plant I ran a while back happened every morning
That's pretty cool. Thanks for sharing
You're welcome. Thanks for watching 😃
This is awesome :D hank hill would be proud
This was a really cool video!
Thank you
Thanks. I never realised it was pumped, I sort of expected it to equalise pressure and that would be as much as they can receive in the tanks.
@@lithgowlights859 your welcome. I'm happy to share the info. Glad it helped you
why do you put methanol in the hose?
It's the simplest, quickest way. When we're hooking the hose up there's no product in there, so we can easily dump a gallon out of a gallon jug in there, make the connection, open the valves, and it goes right in. Some facilities having inline tank, but it's more time-consuming. You have to shut the tank off, bleed the pressure out, then fill the tank. Just extra steps
@@dougkratz5269
That’s cool.
Why does it need methanol?
Does it just build up in the bottom of the tanks?
How does the methanol interact with the propane?
Can it freeze in the pipes and cause problems?
@@brucebaxter6923 there is always a little bit of moisture in the gas. When the gas evaporates the moisture from the water can cause vapor supply lines to freeze. The methanol molecules bind with the water molecules and allow it to be burnt with the gas. It's standard procedure in the industry
@@dougkratz5269
Ahh.
Awesome.
The methanol get burnt off.
Loved this. Who knew?
How come no vapor line? I recently started the same job.
Great question bud! When it's this cold and the pressures don't vary that much, I get a little lazy and don't put it on. Very critical in the summer though. Best wishes and be safe
Idk why this popped up on my homepage but that was kinda cool 😅
I don't know why either, but thanks for watching and commenting
When the trailer tank is empty,isn't a part of the propane in a gas form in the tank,since the pressure dropped in the trailer tank ?
So,what pressure do you have in the trailer tank and in the customer storage tank at the end ,and how can you pump without having vacuum in the trailer tank,since the trailer tank isn't vented ?
There is always liquid and vapor in the trailer at all times. The trailer has a total capacity of 11,600 gallons. I load 10,000 gallons. The other 1600 gallons of space in there is propane vapor. That vapor space increases as the liquid level decreases. Even when you're empty, there's usually still several gallons laying on the bottom of the tank that you can't pump out. But then the entire tank is propane vapor that varies in pressure based on outside temperature. Can be 30 to 60 lb in the winter. Up to 150, even a bit more, in the middle of summer. Relief valves on the top of the trailer are set to blow off at 250 psi. I don't know all the The technicalities of how the pumps work, but they are designed to pump with a slight pressure differential, or a slight vacuum if necessary. You can't go to extremes either way but they have a working range that will handle both.
@@dougkratz5269
Ok,thank you for the explanation : )
These type of jobs are what keeps america running.
Oh cool, Falls Creek. Right outside of Dubois and just a couple hours southeast of me
Yep we're in there a lot. We haul the gas out of the pipeline terminal in Luthersburg, a fracking plant in Evans City, and another fracking plant in Moundsville, West Virginia. We go up to Warren PA and Union City PA a lot as well. We're all over your neighborhood
That glass view-port is giving me a concern. It looks like the bolts that hold it in place are missing. I would imagine it would be a bad day if that glass were to break out somehow.
Aw yes life as a propane and propane accessories delivery driver 😂😂
I can't even fathom the stress of driving that thing around in the winter, god forbid on the freeway with public drivers.
Ah, it's not that bad. When you realize how thick the steel is on those trailers, it would take a pretty catastrophic accident for there to be a problem. I always figure, if the wreck was that bad, I'd be dead no matter what I was hauling. The liquid moving around, and affecting the handling of the entire rig, is more concerning to me than the product I'm carrying
great video doug thanks for sharing
I love snow, and i love working in the winter even more, but for a trucker must be annoying
I really really want to work for you. I used to have a CDL Class A and need to get it again. Man the hoops I have to jump through make me so depressed lol
Pretty new to the trqnsport division. In winter theres no need to use the vapor line?
Welcome to the transport division! Generaly,no. When temperatures are cold, pressures don't go up as much. It's always good to watch gauge's on the transport and the bulk tank, but there's not nearly as much differential in the winter. If for some reason however there is, then a vapor line would be appropriate. Good luck and be safe out there
IDK how i ended up here but pretty neat seeing how things get done
nice work doug
Amazing vid
Thank you!
I'm kinda interested in how this is done, since a lot of businesses might need to capture CO2 in the future. This would likely need to be transported in a similar manner, either to an injection well, a pipeline, or a terminal where it can be loaded onto trains or ships. Seeing this makes me believe that doing so might be feasible.
What's the best way to remove the smell of mercaptan on skin? I had some propane get all over my hands from a loose connection once and the stink of the odorant was impossible to remove. Tried orange grit cleaner, peroxide (kind of helped), hand soap, dish soap, lemon juice (supposedly helps neutralize the sulfurs). But none of it was ideal. Any suggestions?
Also, when the truck tank is empty, is the tank vented so there's no vacuum in the tank? Or is your trailer strong enough that the vacuum created isn't an issue?
Do you have to worry about the tank cooling down too quickly? Because as the tank pressure decreases, its temperature decreases? Or, is the flow rate low enough that it's not a worry
Temperature isn't an issue. Over pressurizeration of the tank being filled needs to be monitored closely though. If a vapor return line is connected,this usually takes care of that.
I'm flabber gas ted watching this
"Bobby, I've got propane in my urethra" - King of the Hill, via Simpsons
😂😂
hank hill would love to watch this video
I would be honored!
When you deliver the liquid propane and pumps it out does it draw a partial vacuum on your tank? Or because liquid propane is under so much pressure that it draws it until you’re left with residual gas and a somewhat neutral pressure?
Great question! You're on the right track with the second part, however, because of the pressures there's never any kind of vacuum only pressure differentials or equalization. Usually at the start of the unloading process, the transport tank has a higher pressure than the storage tank. We pump it, and the natural high pressure to low pressure helps as well. Somewhere through the delivery process, the pressures will equalize. And usually by the end of the delivery, the storage tank is at a higher pressure than the transport. The pumps are designed to overcome this pressure differential, but it's a good idea to minimize that differential by hooking up a vapor return hose. For repair and maintenance, we have compressors to actually pull every bit of propane liquid and vapor out of the tanks, and then put a slight vacuum on as well. This allows nitrogen to be sucked into purge the tank of any propane vapor for safety
Hell yeah brother
Does propane hauling pay by the mile, hourly or per delivery stop?
Nice setup, i guess the pumps are hydraulic because of the fire hazard. Quite dangerous job you got.
on a cold day like that why not load to 95? Is expansion really that big an issue?
does liquid propane obey gravity or does it try to become a gas the volumeof the vessel permits?
Above -40° f it will always try to boil and become a vapor. And yes it will expand to the limit of the vessel and remain under pressure
@@dougkratz5269 at atmospheric pressure, sure, but if you keep it at like 500 kPa it will be a room temperature liquid
If you see him running, it’s already too late.
Lol!!
I've filled lift truck propane tanks at a job site and had my own propane tanks refilled many times and those propane pumps always seem to be extra loud. I always wonder why they are so loud for regular tanks.
The only worse pumps I've head are vacuum pumps.
Are you a dedicated propane hauler or a general trucker? I spend a lot of time on the highway with my job and wonder about these things. I fix garage doors!
@@Constantineopulos I spend a lot of time on the highway thinking about a lot of things also. Lol! Thank you for fixing garage doors. Because I spend a lot of time of the road, I need you guys like you to do the stuff I'm not around to do. For a long time I was a "general" trucker, as you say, and a propane hauler in the winter. However now I am just hauling propane. It is a seasonal business, so most of my work is in the fall through spring. So for the first summer of my adult life, I am on vacation!!
@@dougkratz5269 Hah! Congrats! Do you get up to Scranton or down to Philly area at all?
What does the Methanol do in the pipeline, prevention of corrosion in pipelines and or working as a antifreeze...
Acts as an antifreeze
what is the purpose of putting 1 gallon of methanol in the hose first?
Nice.
Why does it need a pump if its pressure?. Seems like a robbery or fruad. Nice truck.
You partially correct. When the tank we're delivering to has much lower pressure than the trailer tank, it will flow into that tank on it soon. But once the pressure equalizes or becomes greater in the bulk plant tank, you can't move it without a pump. Propane always gets transferred as a liquid. The vapor is just part of it.
Hank hill would be proud!
How long does it take to unload that much propane?
Average is around 40-45 minutes. Piping sizes,length,and number of elbows in the system affect those times +or-.
I'd love a job like this, but with a cooler truck and a B-double trailer
What??!! You're saying "Football Helmet" isn't cool?????😂😂😂😂
I know it isn't. It was a temporary I was driving while rebuilding a 2007 379. It served me well,for 20K
@@dougkratz5269 Haha, yeah I can't stand how aero trucks look. I went to your channel and saw your 379, really cool truck. 379's are probably the coolest
That pump sound wigs me out for some reason.
Yeah, they sound harsh, especially when you have a big pressure differential. Sometimes you'd swear it's going to grenade 😲
the real question is how much destruction would an accident cause
Well, let's just go straight to worst case scenario,shall we?: all 10000 gallons in the trailer gets released,vaporizes,and slowly drifts over an area about 3-5 acres(or larger). Then,just at the moment the entire vapor cloud mixes with enough oxygen to bring it into propane's very small flammability window,a source of ignition is introduced and.........BOOM!! Everything in that 3-5 acres is leveled. It essentially becomes a thermo baric bomb. There are all kinds of scenarios,but the most destructive is a release that is allowed to form a giant vapor cloud over time. Let's hope none of us ever has to experience it
What’s the methanol for?
what kind of protection do you have to wear
Hello J! Most of the facilities where we load require full FRC, hard hats safety glasses. Then some also require face Shields and rubber aprons. But when we get to our unloading retail customers, we just wear regular street clothes. But always use neoprene gloves! The liquid is -40 Fahrenheit so it gives you a nasty burn if you get it on the skin. Thanks for watching
@@CAL-c6i no body cares about tards for brains like you.
@@dougkratz5269 The liquid is actually at ambient temperature. -40 is the boiling point at atmospheric pressure. This means that it will not boil (extract heat) from anything it comes in contact with that is below -40. But since it will draw heat (boil) until the temperature drops to -40, for practicality, you could say that the liquid "is" -40. I know this because I deal with refrigerants (HVAC). Anyway, nice video.
New to the channel. I subbed to your channel. Very helpful and knowledgeable. I am a 51 year old guy, left my job after 22 years and wanted to pursue a new and more challenging career. I’m a recent CDL B graduate. No experience behind the wheel yet. I have an automatic restriction on my license. I’m in Philly not too far from Telford, PA. I was looking into getting my hazmat and tanker endorsements to help open some doors for me and land a job. I have a few propane places on my radar. I know class A drivers get paid more but I was wondering, what does a new, inexperienced, class b bulk delivery driver make an hour? I know a couple places said they’d train me. But I wasn’t sure what or how to ask what the position pays. Remember, I was at my last job for 22 years so I’ve only been on a couple interviews.🤦♂️ I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad thing and not sure if companies look at longevity, but I’m hoping I can invest as much time as I can, at my next job, as I did at all my other jobs. Thanks for the video man! Keep em coming and I’ll keep ya posted! 👍🏼🇺🇸
" But I don't think Hank doneit this awayy" 🎶
Wow, how did you know that was my very favorite Waylon song???👍👍
I like Pro PAIN
4:50 you say "she ain't pretty", but I'd take a dash that looks like that vs a computerised one covered in touch screens.
NEW SUB COOL
1.1 million miles on that truck!?
And they say my pickup truck won't last 400k miles? Yeah right we'll see about that
This is a pretty obvious and dumb question but do you think it's kinda scary hauling a potential bomb around every day? Haha I mean if someone hits you or if you swerv off the road it'll be a bit more than just a crash
Lol,yeah everyone thinks that. In reality, it's very safe. It's going to take way more than just a collision to have a problem. The trailers are extremely heavy steel. I know of multiple rollovers, where they were able to unload the trailer, upright it on its wheels, and still use it. The heads of the vessel are half inch thick, the sidewalls are 3/8. But you are right, if it's a bad situation it can really be bad when you add a gas leak on top of it. One of the biggest problems is if after an accident, there is a fire and the first responders are not properly trained on how to handle a pressurized gas vessel on fire. There is definitely a right and wrong way to deal with that situation. I don't think about it anymore. It's just another load of freight 😃
i guess the truck is not allowed into enclosed spaces, like a tunnel, is it?
@@maxmustermann5932 that is correct. Loaded or empty. Because technically with vapor always in the trailer, we are never truly empty
@@dougkratz5269 its kinda the same thing as forklift propane tanks. once they go empty they're not completely empty there is some left amount of propane in there. Ive always wonder what happens if air gets mixed in with the propane. Not that anyone should do this but if you unscrew the top off of a grill propane tank and expose it to the inside of the tank to outside air and then just put the top back on and fill it up. I would assume it would blow up or something. i would think they evacuate the cylinder if that happens
I know it sounds dumb but what if they have to service the inside of the trailer. Do they evacuate the air?
@@lt.schlechtnacht9414 The only dumb questions around propane are the ones that don't get asked. Always good to learn and educate yourself. Every 5 years the trailer undergoes an internal inspection. For that we completely evacuate all the gas with a compressor to suck the propane down to just barely a vacuum. Then it gets opened up, inspected, and then resealed. All we do is add propane vapor back into it, to bring it up to about 60 psi. And then we're good to go to start loading liquid again. Of course if any repairs need to be done during the inspection, then it needs to be fully purged with nitrogen before you can work in there with tools, in case of sparks
Sweet gig