The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-04-09
Value OF Gas
Not Reduced

For years questions as to alleged
detrimental effect of removing gaso
! line from natural gas, have been dis
/ cussed and claims have been made
that the heating qualities of the gas
have been seriously impaired by tax
ing out the gasoline content. Gas ex-
perts have shown repeatedly that this
claim was not correct. They have in
sisted that the heating power of gas
was not lessened by gasoline extrac.
| ton.
! The Bureau of Mines has been in
vestigating this matter and last week
| issued a statement to the effect thai
in series of investigations just com,
pleted, it is shown that the more than
100000 natural gas consumers lose
practically no heating value through
! the process. In fact, taking all of the
factors involved in this problem none
| has proved so troublesome and so mis-
leading and the BBreau of Mines
claims that gasoline extraction is a
benefit to the consumer and to the
whole country rather than a detri-
ment.
! 1t seems that whenever the weather
| becomes severe in place where natlI-
raj gas is used and the gas pressure
becomes low, someone is always ready
| to suggest that there are gasoline
making plants along the natural gas
main lines that make it business to
take out what little gasoline remains
| in the pipes, thus impoverishing the
gas. 1t is known that the gasoline
itself is rich in heating value and
| taking it away, therefore, robs the gas.
| During the periods of low pressure m
winter when there is a shortage of gas
many good citizens have felt that they
have been doing a service in behalf OF
| the people, in making complaints
| through the courts or legislative
bodies against this @robbing of the
gas" and because consumers have not
lreeeived competent scientific advice
from disinterested sources, there have
| grown up needless misunderstanding
and waste Of effort on negligible fac
tors concerning the gas supply.
In an endeavor to settle the ques
ton for all time and for the benefit
of the misunderstanding public and the
good Of the entire country, the Bureau
of Mines went thoroughly into the
subject, with the result that the fol
lowing conclusions have been drawn
by Dr. Van H. Manning, Director OF
the Bureau
In general, the decrease in heatine
value of natural sas from the removal
OF gasoline is greatly overestimated
One gallon of gasoline in the natura
gas burned by the domestic consume:
as gas is worth to him about one and
tthree quarter cents in heat value
while this same gallon Of gasoline tt
the automobile owner IS worth 25 Il
80 cents. Taking the gasoline out OF
the gas, one salon will equal 35 cubic
feet of gas, but this is not taken from
the consumer, because his gas Is meas.
ured at his home meter and he obtains
1000 cubic feet OF gas irrespective oil
whether the gasoline is removed o.
not
The Bureau of Mines has ever
reached the conclusion that the re
moval of the gasoline from the natura
gas is a positive benefit to the con
snmer. Without the gasoline plants
great difficulty has been found by the
gas companies in the condensation Of
the gasoline and water in disintegrat
ing the rubber gaskets in the coup
lings, resulting in large leakage a
gas and the consequent lowering OF
the pressure. Therefore, the taking
of the gasoline is a safeguard to the
consumer that he will rot be without
gas at serious times by reason of leak
age. The installation of these plants
eliminates most of the line trouble
and gives better service to the public
On the whole the Bureau of Mines con
siders the extraction of gasoline from
natural gas a great conservation meas
ure and desires to encourage this in
dustry.