About Natural Gas and Propane:

Millions of years ago, the remains of plants and animals (diatoms) decayed and built up in thick layers. Over time, sand and silt changed to rock, covered the organic material, and trapped it beneath the rock. Pressure and heat changed some of this organic material into coal, some into oil (petroleum), and some into natural gas. Gas is tapped from vast formations of these underground deposits. Some of the gases that are produced are methane, butane and propane. The gases are separated and cleaned at gas processing plants and once removed, are used in many different ways. On DELMARVA, natural gas (a blend of methane and other gases) comes through interstate pipelines from various regions of the United States. Propane gas is brought to our Sharp Energy locations in Pennsylvania and DELMARVA via truck and rail car.

Chesapeake Utilities is the company that distributes natural gas through our underground system of mains to thousands of customers daily. Chesapeake Utilities is also the parent company of Sharp Energy which distributes propane to individual customers. Sharp Energy also distributes propane to “community gas systems”. These systems function exactly the same way as our natural gas systems but are limited to individual towns or developments. The propane is delivered to a centrally located storage facility (underground or aboveground) and then into our local system of gas mains and service lines within the limited service area.

Natural gas and propane in the “community gas system” are delivered through a meter on the customer’s premises. In these systems, pressure is reduced by a regulator before it passes through a meter and is introduced into the customer’s piping system.

Gas is used for heating, air conditioning, cooking, water heating, refrigeration, incineration, clothes drying, pool heating and many commercial and agricultural applications. It is also used for thousands of industrial purposes ranging from heat treating metals and baking finishes to the minute needs of an experimental scientist.

Natural gas and propane are non-toxic but are capable of displacing oxygen and can then pose an asphyxiation hazard. Natural gas is lighter than air and propane is heavier than air. Both are odorless prior to the addition of a chemical such as mercaptan or thiopane. Both are detectable either by their characteristic odorant or by gas detection instruments.

Natural gas has a heat content of approximately1,000 Btu per cubic foot. When confined and mixed with air, it has a flammable range of approximately 5 to15 percent (gas in air). Propane has a heat content of approximately 2,500 Btu per cubic foot. When confined and mixed with air, it has a flammable range of approximately 2 to 10 percent (gas in air).