How to Chose a Proper Gas Pressure Regulator (Governor)?

Many factors should be considered when choosing a proper gas pressure regulator(gas controller).

From the angle of gas type:

1.General Gas Use. For general use, regulators of brass construction with elastomeric diaphragms will give good service in noncorrosive service where slight contamination or diffusion from an elastomeric diaphragm is not important. Brass regulators with stainless steel diaphragms prevent air diffusion and adsorption of gases on the diaphragm. This is particularly important with low concentration mixtures of hydrocarbons in which the trace component may be adsorbed on the elastomeric diaphragm.

The gas regulator must be constructed using materials suited to the application. Industrial general purpose regulators are often constructed with either Buna-N or Neoprene diaphragms. Regulators with Buna-N or Neoprene diaphragms are not suitable for GC analysis that can be affected by the diffusion of atmospheric oxygen through the elastomer diaphragm or the outgassing of monomers and dimers from the elastomer. In fact, laboratories that perform temperature programmed analysis are faced with excessive baseline drift and large unresolved peaks due to this diffusion and outgassing.

 High-Purity Gas Service. The ideal construction for high-purity gas service is a gas regulator that has a stainless steel diaphragm. Such regulators are not contaminating and assure satisfactory use for all applications of noncorrosive and mildly corrosive gases. Regulators for corrosive gases must be selected from those recommended with each gas listing.

A gas regulator equipped with a stainless steel diaphragm has several advantages over the elastomeric type. It does not outgas organic materials and it also prevents the diffusion of atmospheric oxygen into the carrier gas. Both Buna-N and Neoprene diaphragms are permeable to oxygen. The chemical potential of oxygen between the carrier gas and the atmosphere provides sufficient driving force for oxygen to intrude the carrier gas through a permeable diaphragm.

Where Can We Find Gas Pressure Regulators(Governor)?

Pressure regulator are used for our daily life and industrial applications. Specialty gas regulator applications are divided into two types.

The first is when the regulator is fastened to a gas cylinder using a Compressed Gas Association (CGA) fitting (or BS or DIN). For example, pressure regulators are used in gas grills to regulate propane pressure, in home furnaces to regulate natural gas, in medical/dental equipment regulate oxygen and anesthesia gases, in pneumatic automation systems to regulate compressed air, in engines to regulate fuel pressure, and in fuel cells to regulate hydrogen.

The second application is when a regulator is located in a gas line - providing a means to further reduce the line pressure. A line regulator is identified by having the inlet and outlet opposite of each other, and by a single gauge which is in the 12 o'clock position to indicate the reduced pressure. For example, pressure regulator are used for city/urban gas transmission or distribution system which supply natural gas for residential or other industry facilities, gas boiler, gas kiln, gas generator, heat burner, etc.

The Early Development of Natural Gas

The Early Development of Natural Gas

Around 1785, Britain was the first country to commercialize the use of natural gas. The natural gas produced from coal was used to light houses, as well as streetlights.

In 1816, Manufactured natural gas of this type (as opposed to naturally occurring gas) was first brought to
 the United State, when it was used to light the street of Baltimore, Maryland.

In 1821, the first well specifically intended to obtain natural gas was dug in Fredonia, New York by 
William Hart. After noticing gas bubbles rising to the surface of a creek, Hart dug a 27-foot well to try and obtain a larger flow of gas to the surface. Hart is regarded by many as the 'father of
 natural gas' in America. Expanding on Hart's work, the Fredonia Gas Light Company was eventually
 formed, becoming being the first American natural gas company.

In 1859, Colonel Edwin Drake (a former railroad conductor who adopted the title 'Colonel' to impress
 the townspeople) dug the first well in Lake Erie where regarded as the beginnings of American natural 
gas industry . Drake refine the crude oil to lamp oil and drilled natural gas at 69.5 feet (21m) below the 
surface of the earth. 

During most of the 19th century, natural gas was used almost exclusively as a source of light. Without
 a pipeline infrastructure, it was difficult to transport the gas very far, or into homes to be used for 
heating or cooking. Most of the natural gas produced in this era was manufactured from coal, as
 opposed to transported from a well. Near the end of the 19th century, with the rise of electricity, 
natural gas lights were converted to electric lights. This led producers of natural gas to look for new
 uses for their product.

In 1885, Robert Bunsen invented what is now known as the Bunsen burner. He managed to create 
a device that mixed natural gas with air in the right proportions, creating a flame that could be safely 
used for cooking and heating. The invention of the Bunsen burner opened up new opportunities for 
the use of natural gas in America, and throughout the world. The invention of temperature-regulating 
thermostatic devices allowed for better use of the heating potential of natural gas, allowing the 
temperature of the flame to be adjusted and monitored.

In 1891, One of the first lengthy pipelines was constructed. This pipeline was 120 miles long, and 
carried natural gas from wells in central Indiana to the city of Chicago. However, this early pipeline 
was very rudimentary, and was not very efficient at transporting natural gas. It wasn't until the 1920s
 that any significant effort was put into building a pipeline infrastructure. After World War II, welding
 techniques, pipe rolling, and metallurgical advances allowed for the construction of reliable pipelines. 
This post-war pipeline construction boom lasted well into the ‘60s, and allowed for the construction
 of thousands of miles of pipeline in America.

Once the transportation of natural gas was possible, new uses for natural gas were discovered. 
These included using natural gas to heat homes and operate appliances such as water heaters and 
oven ranges. Industry began to use natural gas in manufacturing and processing plants. Also, natural
 gas was used to heat boilers used to generate electricity. The transportation infrastructure had made
 natural gas easy to obtain, and it was becoming an increasingly popular form of energy. 

The Discovery of Natural Gas

Millions and millions of years ago, most of natural gas is brought out from under the ground. Sometimes, such things as lightning strikes would ignite natural gas that was escaping from under the earth’s crust. The natural gas that seeped out from underground was burnt and this would create a fire that puzzled most early civilization and were the root of much myth and superstition. 

One of the most famous of these types of flames was found in ancient Greece, on Mount Parnassus approximately 1000 B.C. A goat herdsman came across what looked like a 'burning spring', a flame rising from a fissure in the rock. The Greeks, believing it to be of divine origin, built a temple on the flame. This temple housed a priestess who was known as the Oracle of Delphi, giving out prophecies she claimed were inspired by the flame.

These types of springs became prominent in the religions of India, Greece, and Persia. Unable to explain where these fires came from, they were often regarded as divine, or supernatural. It wasn't until about 500 B.C. that the Chinese discovered the potential to use these fires to their advantage. Finding places where gas was seeping to the surface, the Chinese formed crude pipelines out of bamboo shoots to transport the gas, where it was used to boil sea water, separating the salt and making it drinkable.