Does Your LPG Application Need a Vaporizer?

There is a common misconception that vaporizers are unnecessary in an LP gas system, especially in mild climates where natural vaporization can occur. However, the reality is quite different. Vaporizers, like the ones offered by GEC, bring numerous benefits, including cost reduction, stable production, increased capacity, and improved efficiency.

The fundamentals of how vaporization works are essential to understanding how applications benefit from LPG vaporizers. Vaporization is the conversion of a substance from the liquid phase into the vapor phase. Although LPG is gaseous at ambient pressures, it is stored and transported in liquid form. To be used in industry applications, it must then go through vaporization.

Natural vaporization occurs within the LPG tank when gas is drawn as a vapor, causing a drop in pressure and the liquid to start boiling. Part of the liquid then vaporizers, pressure is restored and the liquid stops boiling. However, this process is highly dependent on ambient temperature. Higher ambient temperatures speed up vaporization, which in turn increases the outlet pressure, allowing more LPG to be drawn from the tank. On the other hand, low ambient temperatures create a lack of natural vaporization, resulting in an insufficient supply of LPG when you need it most.

Vaporizers move the vaporization process outside of the tank, allowing the extraction of liquid LPG instead of vapor. They are specifically designed to transform liquid LPG into vaporized gas, at a steady and constant rate and pressure, maximizing the efficiency of an application.

Vaporizers bring about substantial cost savings in various ways. They optimize capacity, extracting the maximum LPG from tanks, effectively utilizing the 30% typically left unused in natural vaporization. Because vaporizers optimize capacity in tanks, they also reduce the need for frequent tank filling operations, resulting in fewer deliveries with larger volumes per delivery. Vaporizers also contribute to maintenance cost reduction by preventing the formation of cold, dew-covered tank surfaces that foster the growth of algae and rust. The proximity of vaporizers to consuming equipment allows for the installation of smaller-diameter liquid pipelines, leading to further cost savings. Even vapor pipelines can be downsized thanks to the stability in pressure provided by vaporizers.

From a safety perspective, vaporizers play a crucial role. They prevent impurity accumulation by capturing impurities through a filtering process during the transfer of liquid LPG. This eliminates the need for potentially hazardous tank draining procedures. Additionally, vaporizers offer stable pressure, allowing for precise burner adjustments, which reduces the risk and danger of equipment shutdown or diminished energy output. In both a safety and cost saving measure, vaporizers are advantageous when underground tanks are necessary. Safety concerns and local regulations often mandate the use of underground tanks, which can lead to limitations as they cannot absorb heat from their surroundings as efficiently, resulting in reduced capacity when relying only on natural vaporization. Using a vaporizer allows for higher capacity even when underground tanks are used.

LP-Gas vaporizers offer significant advantages in terms of capacity, stability, cost reduction, and safety, making them a valuable addition to propane storage and distribution systems. Take a look at some of the most popular vaporizer products and parts that GEC sells:

GEC offers a range of vaporizers, serving various applications in industrial, commercial, and agricultural sectors. And while each application requires a different product type, GEC offers direct fire, waterbath, small electric, or single core vaporizers, ensuring customers will always find what they need. In addition to the vaporizer units, a wide range of vaporizer repair parts are also available to keep your equipment operating at its best.

The Ransome Manufacturing vaporizers offered through GEC are reliable, efficient, and easy to maintain. The popular RH Series is offered in sizes ranging from 50 GPH to 1,000 GPH, including a 240 gallon size. Common RH Series repair parts are also available, including thermal generators, pilot relighters, and more. The Ransome Manufacturing product line at GEC also includes waterbath vaporizers, available in both the vertical RW Series and the horizontal ID Series. A new vaporizer system installation at Pierson Station in Illinois can be seen below, featuring a Ransome Manufacturing RH1000E direct fire vaporizer for an application of up to 1000 GPH with an electronic ignition. 

Whether you are searching for one vaporizer or several to get the job done our dedicated sales representatives have the knowledge to assist and guide you. Todd Meyer, GEC’s unofficial vaporizer and SNG/air mixer specialist, has earned quite a reputation within the industry for his wealth of knowledge and experience with vaporizers. Todd has also played a pivotal role in developing a GEC training program intended to help create an efficient, trouble-free vaporizer system, that will operate at its peak performance and reduce the maintenance of equipment. Through the training program, “Creating an Efficient Trouble Free Vaporizer System”, trainees learn the purpose of a vaporizer in a LP Gas setting, along with installation features including regulator, drip leg, and separator installation guidelines. The program also covers pre-start-up, start-up, and shutdown procedures of the vaporizer system, as well as troubleshooting. And to enhance trainees’ retention of course material, a vaporizer installation poster is also available after the course.