Propane liquid released into the air will expand to ____ times its original volume.

Propane liquid released into the air will expand to ____ times its original volume.

• A. 10
• B. 270
• C. 500
• D. 100

Answer: (B)

When propane is released as a liquid, it rapidly boils and becomes a gas. The volume it takes up as a gas is tremendously larger than the liquid’s volume—about 270 volumes of gas for every 1 volume of liquid under typical conditions. This large expansion means a small amount of liquid propane can form a widespread, flammable vapor cloud in the air. That’s why safety guidance uses this 270-to-1 expansion figure. Other numbers don’t match propane’s usual liquid-to-gas expansion, so they aren’t used in safety calculations.

When propane is released as a liquid, it rapidly boils and becomes a gas. The volume it takes up as a gas is tremendously larger than the liquid’s volume—about 270 volumes of gas for every 1 volume of liquid under typical conditions. This large expansion means a small amount of liquid propane can form a widespread, flammable vapor cloud in the air. That’s why safety guidance uses this 270-to-1 expansion figure. Other numbers don’t match propane’s usual liquid-to-gas expansion, so they aren’t used in safety calculations.