Butane

Butane is a chemical compound from alkanes category, an acyclic saturated hydrocarbon with a chain of four carbon atoms connected by single bonds. It is produced from petroleum gas, cracking gas and the refining of petroleum. It has the chemical formula C4H10 and belongs to the group of LPG products (Liquefied Petroleum Gas). It is a gas at ambient temperature and at a certain pressure can be transported in liquid form.

Butane is used mainly for cooking in rural or mountain areas where pipelines are not available or were not built for transporting natural gas. It has a boiling point of -0.5 ℃. Butane transforms from gas to liquid at lower temperatures than -0.5 ℃.

It is used in the following areas:

  • Fuel for cars / trucks
  • replaces traditional natural gas from pipelines used for cooking and household heating
  • heating when temperatures are above 0 ℃
  • Industry – aerosols, propellants, refrigeration, fuel for lighters
  • Petrochemical – as feedstock for producing ethylene (polyethylene respectively – plastic) and butadiene (an important ingredient for the production of synthetic rubber)

Physical and thermodynamic properties of butane:

Temperature ℃ Pressure Density
(Mpa) (Bar) (g/cm3) (kg/m3) (liters/ton)
-25 0,036 0,36 0,638 638 1.568,14
-20 0,045 0,45 0,630 630 1.586,55
-15 0,056 0,56 0,617 617 1.621,80
-10 0,069 0,69 0,612 612 1.635,32
-5 0,085 0,85 0,606 606 1.649,35
0 0,103 1,03 0,601 601 1.663,89
+5 0,123 1,23 0,594 594 1.684,35
+10 0,147 1,47 0,586 586 1.705,61
+15 0,175 1,75 0,579 579 1.727,12
+20 0,206 2,06 0,572 572 1.749,17