Chinese Name: 乙烷
  Chemical Formula: C2H6
  Structural Formula: CH3-CH3
  CAS No.：74-84-0

  Ethane technical indicators

  Ethane packaging types

  1、Basic physical properties
  Ethane is the second member of the same series of alkanes and is the simplest hydrocarbon containing a carbon carbon single bond.Ethane has a content of 5%to 10%in some natural gases,second only to methane,and exists in a dissolved state in petroleum.Ethane is a colorless and odorless gas that exists in nature at room temperature and pressure.It is a hydrocarbon composed of two carbon atoms and six hydrogen atoms.Ethane has a low boiling point and freezing point,with a boiling point of-88.6℃and a freezing point of-182.8℃.It has a lower density than air and is soluble in non-polar solvents.

  2、Ethane source
  Natural gas:Ethane is one of the main components of natural gas,with a content of about 5%to 10%.
  Petroleum cracking:During the process of petroleum cracking,ethane is produced as a byproduct.Petroleum cracking is the process of cracking heavy hydrocarbons under high temperature and pressure conditions to produce light hydrocarbons(such as ethylene,propylene,butene,etc.)and alkanes(such as ethane,propane,butane,etc.).
  Shale gas:Shale gas contains a high proportion of ethane,especially in the Marcellus and Utica regions of the United States,where the ethane content in natural gas condensate can reach up to 60%.
  These sources make ethane widely used in industry,especially in ethylene production,where ethane as a raw material has significant cost and carbon emission advantages.

  3、Main purpose
  Fuel:Ethane is the most important component of natural gas after methane and is commonly used as a fuel.The ethane content varies from 1%to 6%by volume in different mines.Before the 1960s,ethane and methane were used together as fuels.
  Refrigerant:Ethane can be used as a refrigerant in refrigeration facilities.In scientific research,liquid ethane is used in electron microscopy techniques to make samples with high water content transparent.Thin water layers quickly freeze when immersed in liquid ethane at-150 degrees Celsius or lower,without forming crystals.Such rapid freezing does not damage the structure of soft matter in liquid water like ice crystallization does.
  Cracking to produce ethylene:The production of ethylene from ethane through steam cracking is an important application in the chemical industry.At high temperatures,ethane is mixed and cracked with steam to produce ethylene and other by-products.This technology has been successfully applied globally for many years,mainly concentrated in the United States,Canada,the Middle East,and Western Europe.
  Other uses:Ethane is also used as a raw material for chloroethane and nitroethane,which have wide industrial applications