What gas is supplied to residential buildings? Liquefied and natural gas: what is the difference and how are tariffs set? Explanations from the authorities. What gas is used in residential buildings

The gas supply and heating systems of residential buildings are supplied with natural gas, which, after being extracted from the subsoil, goes through a long process of preliminary processing. During this process, various substances are added to the gas, allowing it to be used in for domestic purposes as efficiently and safely as possible.

Composition and pressure of gas in apartments

IN residential buildings and in apartments we use gas, which contains not only methane, but also a number of additional components. Preliminary purification of gas and the addition of impurities to it is necessary to ensure maximum safety for the use of engineering systems in homes. The basis of the fuel is methane, the content of which can be 70-98%; the gas also contains:

butane;
propane;
carbon dioxide;
water steam;
hydrogen sulfide.

Methane enters cookstoves and heating systems after traveling tens of thousands of kilometers through special pipelines. In such pipelines the pressure is very high and can be up to 11.8 MPa. For domestic consumption, this pressure is too high, so at gas distribution stations it is reduced to 1.2 MPa. Additional methane purification is also carried out in these communication facilities.

From the school curriculum we know that natural gas is colorless and odorless, but during processing it is given a specific aroma by adding odorants - substances that are well recognized by the human sense of smell. Methane with an odor is much safer to use; the odor can be noticed during a leak and prevent accidents, fires and explosions.

Gas in city apartments has an odor due to ethanethiol and ethyl mercaptan. These are strong-smelling liquids that are sprayed into the methane during its processing.

How toxic and explosive is natural gas?

Since childhood, people have been instilled with a cautious attitude towards natural gas; we are told about its dangers, and this is true. However, the toxicity of methane is greatly exaggerated; if it is inhaled, it is almost impossible to get poisoned. Where then do those who die in gas-filled rooms come from? Victims of the gas die not from poisoning, but from simple suffocation. Natural gas contains carbon dioxide, which displaces oxygen from the surrounding space. It is because of this that it is very difficult to breathe in gas-filled rooms, and sometimes, in the absence of ventilation, it is simply impossible.

The main danger of methane is its fire and explosion hazard. These characteristics depend on many factors, in particular temperature environment and pressure. Explosive situations arise when methane in a room becomes more than 15% of the total air mass. It is impossible to determine the percentage of methane in the air; this requires specialized measuring equipment.

The inability of a person to determine the level of danger in apartment building because of the gas in the air, it forces us to immediately shut off the gas supply system at the first sign of methane in the room. Having felt the characteristic aroma of natural gas, it is necessary not only to turn off the fuel supply to all appliances in the apartment, but also to turn off equipment that uses electrical impulses, which can cause a fire and explosion.

In gas-filled rooms, not only equipment operating from the power supply network, but also devices operating on batteries and accumulators can pose a danger to humans. Practice shows that when the concentration of natural gas is 15% or more, even mobile phone or laptop turned on. If you detect the characteristic smell of household methane, you should quickly turn off all appliances in the house, ensure good ventilation in the apartment (open windows and doors), and notify emergency services about the incident.

Is it possible to protect yourself from an accident when operating equipment?

In residential and non-residential buildings, gas is used everywhere, so it is vitally important to know the rules for operating gas equipment in order to protect yourself and your loved ones from possible emergency situations.

You can minimize the likelihood of gas leaks, fires and explosions by following the following recommendations from professionals:

1. Timely maintenance of equipment. Every year you need to call specialists to check the condition of gas equipment and draft in the premises.
2. High-quality ventilation. In rooms with an installed stove or heating boiler, there should always be a functioning natural air circulation system. In both winter and summer, ventilation grilles should be open and not insulated.
3. Disabling unused equipment. Gas equipment must be turned off and the gas supply shut off if you leave or leave home for a long time. The same applies to electrical equipment.
4. Control over the operation of equipment. Working gas equipment should not be left unattended for a long time.
5. Competent actions in case of emergency. If you detect a methane leak and a persistent specific odor in the room, you must call emergency services.

These rules are very simple, and their compliance does not require significant financial or time expenditure from the apartment owner, however, many forget about the dangers of gas supply, and therefore when using this engineering system They don’t remember even the most basic safety precautions.

What does the color of the burner flame tell you?

The flames in the burners can have a variety of shades, which indicate the characteristics of fuel combustion. The rich blue color of the fire indicates the homogeneous structure of the gas that is supplied to the stove. Homogeneous and high-quality fuel burns completely, releases the maximum amount of heat and the minimum amount of harmful substances into the environment.

There are often cases when apartment owners notice bright red or yellow color. Any shades other than blue indicate that low quality fuel with air impurities is entering the burner. Low-quality fuel can not only be quite dangerous when used, but also produces significantly worse heating. Poor quality of gas will lead to the fact that to operate the heating system you will have to spend a larger amount of expensive resource and pay more on utility bills.

Because of this, we recommend paying attention to the color of the fire on the stove and in the boiler. Most often, management companies are responsible for supplying low-quality fuel to apartments. Representatives of management companies sometimes deliberately reduce the carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon content in fuel in order to increase their income. In any case, detection of a change in flame color is an excellent reason to contact the responsible authorities for clarification.

Poor quality operation of the gas supply system can not only increase the costs of users of an apartment or house, but also lead to premature wear of the installed equipment, its failure and even the occurrence of emergency situations. We are directly interested in having high-quality natural gas supplied to our homes, therefore, if there is any suspicion that the fuel contains impurities, we should check the existing equipment by calling gas specialists to the house.

Gas / Gas tariffs

Gas can be piped, or in cylinders or gas tanks. The first one is cheaper, but it is expensive to carry out. The second one is much easier to buy, but it costs a higher price. What are the differences between these two types of fuel and how is the price determined? We are publishing clarifications from the Regional Energy Commission of the Omsk Region on this issue.

What is the difference between liquefied and natural gas?

Natural gas is a mineral; it is a mixture of different gases of natural origin. Most of it is methane. Natural gas is odorless, so odorants - unpleasant-smelling substances - are necessarily introduced into it in order to quickly detect a leak. The specific heat of combustion of such a mixture ranges from 7,600 to 8,500 kcal, the exact figure depends on the composition of the natural gas.

Natural gas is extracted from the depths of the earth, pumped into special gas storage facilities and delivered through gas pipes to consumers.

Liquefied petroleum gas is a product of processing associated petroleum gas and gases from oil refineries, which are hydrocarbons.

In production liquefied gas A liquefied propane-butane mixture is used. In this state, the gas density increases hundreds of times, which increases the efficiency and convenience of transportation, storage and consumption of the mixture. Liquefied gas is filled into special cylinders or pumped into gas tanks. The specific heat capacity of such a mixture is slightly higher and averages 9,500 kcal.

In accordance with the legislation, LPG is distinguished for municipal consumption and industrial purposes and LPG for road transport. Odorants are also added to LPG.

The characteristics of LPG for household needs and for refueling cars differ; therefore, the use of LPG for domestic consumption as fuel for cars is not recommended.

Difference between natural and liquefied gas by sales methods

The methods of selling natural gas and LPG are different: natural gas is supplied to consumers via pipeline, LPG for the population is supplied to consumers by car in containers of various volumes, including individual cylinders, or in tanks for pumping into group reservoir units (GRU), which are located in close proximity from the houses of the village.

In this regard, liquefied gas cannot be universally replaced with natural gas, since this requires the construction of an extensive network of pipelines.

LPG cylinders for household needs of the population are filled at gas filling stations or at gas filling points.

LPG cylinders for cars are filled at car gas filling stations. The sale of liquefied gas at car gas stations is not subject to state tariff regulation.

Who sets prices for natural and liquefied gas?

Prices for both natural and liquefied gas for domestic needs are subject to government regulation, however, this also has its own specifics.

In the case of natural gas, FAS Russia first sets the wholesale price for gas, tariffs for gas transportation services and fees for supply and distribution services of the gas supplier.

Then, based on these components, the Regional Energy Commission of the Omsk Region forms and approves the retail price of natural gas for the population.

Prices for liquefied gas sold to the population for domestic needs are set at the level of constituent entities and consist mainly of regional components. Federal component - wholesale price for liquefied gas (installed FAS Russia).

The price structure for liquefied and natural gas, which causes differences in tariffs.

Differences in the technology for supplying liquefied and natural gas to consumers largely determine the difference in the price structure for natural and liquefied gas sold to the population for domestic needs.

The itemized structure of the retail price for natural gas in the Omsk region is as follows:

— 80.01% - purchase of gas;

— 16.63% - gas transportation through gas distribution networks;

— 3.36% - cost of supply and sales services.

The Regional Energy Commission of the Omsk Region approves retail prices for natural gas in the summer, since only by this time all the components for these prices appear.

The item-by-item structure of the retail price for liquefied gas resembles the structure of other utility tariffs, which are set at the level of federal subjects. Thus, in the city of Omsk, the retail price structure for liquefied gas is as follows:

— 35.13% - purchase of gas;

— 26,09% - wage;

— 3.2% - depreciation;

— 35.58% - other expenses, including personnel safety, diagnostic services, examination, inspection of gas equipment, motor transport services, gas transportation services, maintenance of gas filling stations.

The retail price for liquefied gas for the next year is set in December of the current year.

Cost of natural and liquefied gas

Natural gas is much cheaper due to the fact that it is a ready-made product that only needs to be delivered to the consumer.

The cost of natural gas also varies by area of use. If you use gas for cooking, heating, and heating water for hot water supply, then the cost per cubic meter will be much cheaper than, for example, for food preparation without using it for other purposes.

The specifics of the production and delivery of liquefied gas for domestic needs determine its higher price. Liquefied gas also has its own uses, which differ in cost: gas can be supplied through gas distribution devices (gas tanks) (mainly for apartment buildings) or in cylinders (mainly for private homes) with delivery directly to the consumer or with delivery to intermediate storage locations. Picking up a gas cylinder from an intermediate storage location is cheaper than delivering it to the consumer’s door.

The use of gas in our lives is so common that it seems like it has always been this way. Now it is impossible to imagine a world without him.

Natural gas is a mineral resource. It consists of 98% methane (CH 4). The remaining 2% - ethane (C 2 H 6), propane (C 3 H 8), butane (C 4 H 10), hydrogen (H), hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), carbon dioxide (CO 2), nitrogen (N ), helium (He) and others.

Gas in the house

When you mention gas in everyday life, the first thing any child will say is “The stove is in the kitchen.” And he will be right - by burning gas, we cook food.

But that's not all...
We use gas to heat water in geysers(water heaters). It's -50 outside, but the apartments are warm and dry? This gas heats water in home radiators.
Gas for the home is for cooking, hot water and warmth.

Gas outside the home

In plants, plants and factories, gas is the fuel.
For example, in metallurgy, thanks to it, metals are processed in huge furnaces; At gas power plants, energy is produced using gas.

In our environmentally enlightened age, many cars are fueled with gas. True, for this purpose all impurities are removed from it, leaving only methane.
It is safe not only for people, but also for the nature around us.
The Gazprom holding has created a company that develops this area - Gazprom Gas Engine Fuel.

In addition, gas is a raw material for plastics, fertilizers, medicines and even textiles!
Much of what's on you, in your pockets and in your backpack, is made with gas.

Gas is all around us

Methanol (CH 3 OH) is also obtained from natural gas, from which medicines (ammonia) are made, insulating materials, varnishes, paints, all kinds of adhesives, acetic acid, mineral fertilizers(ammonium nitrate). Modern waste incinerators destroy waste without polluting the environment. Again, thanks to natural gas. Smokeless, odorless incinerators are used, for example, in hospitals.

Gas also “glows” in lanterns, spotlights, blowtorches - they run on liquefied gas and are intended for camping, mobile tourist houses, yachts, and various types of construction and repair work.

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“Ancient Gas” or “All Inclusive” ...

Gas has been used for home use since ancient times. For example, in the 1st century AD, the king of Persia ordered the construction of a palace kitchen where the gas came to the surface. The fire was always burning there, and the Persian utility services did not send bills to the palace for firewood and coal. It turns out that people were able to save money even 2 thousand years ago.

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Deadly gas or “You will recognize it from a thousand”...

Our kitchens use gas that is colorless and odorless.
But for early detection of leaks, a special odorant is added to it, the smell of which a person will definitely pay attention to, so as not to lead to a fire or explosion.
For example, with the smell of rotting cabbage or spoiled eggs.

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"Night. Street. Gas lamp. Pharmacy. Meaningful and bright light":) ...

Few people know that Alexander Blok’s poem could sound like this.
Because in the 19th century in Russia and Europe, artificial lighting gas, which was produced from coal, was used to illuminate streets. This gas was released when coal was heated in special closed vessels - retorts. It was accumulated in storage facilities and delivered through pipelines to street gas lamps. In Russia, the first plant for the production of lighting gas was built in St. Petersburg in 1835.

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The bluer the better...

Why is there a flame on a gas stove? blue color? It's all about the combustion temperature: the higher it is, the bluer the flame becomes. In a good way, the flame should be blue, since this means that the gas is burned entirely. And yellow or orange flames are a sign that it burns partially and at the same time toxic is released carbon monoxide. In this case gas stove It’s better not to use it, but to urgently call a specialist from the emergency gas service.

What gas is used in apartments - natural or liquefied? Cooking stoves and space heating systems are powered by fossil fuels, which are extracted from the depths of the earth. Naturally, before it ends up in the pipes that lead to our homes, the gas is first processed, substances are added to it that make its composition optimal for use for domestic purposes. Let's find out what kind of gas is in the apartment?

Compound

What kind of gas is in apartments - propane or methane? In fact, the fuel that is supplied to homes is a mixture of not only these substances, but also a whole host of additional substances. In fact, its basis is methane. The content of this substance in natural fuel can range from 70 to 98%.

And answering the question what kind of gas is in the apartment, we can say that in addition to methane, it contains the following substances:

propane;
butane;
hydrogen sulfide;
carbon dioxide;
water vapor.

In order to protect such fuel and make it of higher quality, optimal for use in domestic purposes, suppliers purify the natural fossil, remove excess impurities from it, and only then sell it to consumers.

What is the gas pressure in the apartment?

How to protect yourself when using gas appliances

In order for natural fuel to bring only benefits, you need to follow the generally established rules for using gas appliances:

It is recommended to call specialists annually to check the draft in the premises.
It is not necessary to completely insulate ventilation grilles, as well as windows and doors in winter.
Before leaving home for a long time, you should turn off all gas taps and valves, and also turn off electrical devices.
Do not leave functioning gas appliances unattended.
If you smell gas, you should avoid turning on lights and using open flames.

What does this or that color of fire in the burner indicate?

The shade of the flame in a gas burner can tell you about the combustion characteristics of natural fuel. If the fire has a rich blue color of a homogeneous structure, it means that the gas is completely burned. At the same time, the maximum possible amount of heat is released into the space.

What happens when the flame in the burner turns reddish or bright yellow? If the combustion gas is any color other than blue, this may indicate that the burner is receiving limited air or the gas is of poor quality. In this case, fossil fuels do not provide heating efficiently enough. To eliminate this drawback, it is enough to call a qualified specialist by contacting the gas industry.

As you can see, the color of the gas during combustion can give useful information. A yellowish or reddish tint of the fuel when ignited indicates that low-density gas is being supplied to the house. And since heating boilers are designed to consume fuel of a certain quality, when the gas density decreases, the equipment will need more substance to create a comfortable temperature.

In fact, yellow or red flames on the igniter indicate that the devices are using more fuel. Management companies may be to blame for such an omission. Some of them deliberately reduce the carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon content in the gas. Therefore, if the color of the flame on a gas burner changes, users have the right to contact the supplier for clarification.

Finally

So we figured out what kind of gas is in the apartment, and answered a number of other questions. Finally, it is worth noting that the use of high-quality natural fuel is extremely important point, which affects the stable operation and efficiency of the equipment. Unfortunately, consumers do not have the opportunity to independently determine how high-quality fuel is supplied to their home. Therefore, it is important to periodically involve specialists to check gas equipment.

For domestic purposes, gas and electricity are most widely used. As for emergency statistics, municipal installations consuming liquefied gas turn out to be the most dangerous. Therefore, we will become more familiar with the properties of hydrocarbon gases used in everyday life, and the rules for installing and operating gas appliances.

Main components of liquefied gas- propane, butane. When refilling gas cylinders, you need to make sure what kind of gas is offered to you. In accordance with the requirements of GOST 20448-90, the following types of gas can be used in domestic installations: SPBTZ - a winter mixture of butane and propane, in which propane is at least 70%; SPBTL - summer mixture with propane mass not more than 60%; BT is technical butane, intended for refilling portable cylinders.

Butane vapor condenses at -0.5°C, which does not allow the use of this gas at negative temperatures. The gas in the cylinder remains in a liquid state. There is no evaporation and there is no pressure that should ensure gas supply to the burners. Propane can also be used in frosts down to -30°C.

Gas leaks into the room are unacceptable. All hydrocarbon gases, replacing oxygen, can have a suffocating effect on a person from mild (with a decrease in the oxygen concentration in the inhaled air by 10%) to deadly (a decrease in oxygen by 22% or more). In addition, propane and butane are quite strong drugs. Their narcotic effect causes a person to feel unwell and dizzy, followed by loss of consciousness.

In order to be able to detect gas leak, a substance (ethyl mercaptan) is specially added to it, which is called an odorant. The odorant, due to its specific pungent odor, even at its negligible concentrations in the air (19-10 4 mg/m3), signals the presence of suffocating and explosive hydrocarbons in the room, which are completely odorless and colorless.

Photo 1. Gasket gas pipes in the boiler room (a, b) and in the kitchen (c, d).

Gas pipelines are made only from metal pipes(photo 1a, b, c, d). When passing through a wall, pipes are placed in sleeves that are caulked soft material. In front of each gas-consuming appliance, a shut-off valve (lower valve) is required, which should be at eye level, at a height of approximately 140 cm from the floor (photo 2). It is possible to connect a gas appliance to the lowering valve with a flexible hose, to avoid damage to which the valve fitting is directed vertically downwards (photo 3).

Photo 2. Installing a lowering valve on a gas stove pipe

Photo 3. Connecting a gas appliance to a tap with a flexible hose

Couples liquefied gases when their concentration in the air is within 2-10%, they create an explosive mixture. The most dangerous concentration is 9.5%. At high concentrations a flammable mixture is formed. An explosion may not occur, but combustion will cause the temperature to rise to high values.

Connecting home gas appliances to the main gas network(cooker, oven, water heater and heating boiler) is possible only on the basis of a project and by a team of workers with special permission. However, despite the huge reserves of natural gas, many of our settlements are deprived of the opportunity to use it and rely on liquefied bottled gas. Owners of gardening plots where gas cylinder installations are not serviced by special services at all can be guided by SNiP 42-01-2002 “Gas distribution systems”. These requirements must be met.

The placement of gas cylinders is permitted both outside and in apartments of a residential building with no more than two floors. No more than one cylinder is allowed in each apartment. In this case, the cylinders must comply with their purpose, as defined by standards and other regulatory documents.

It is not permitted to install cylinders in living rooms and corridors, in basements, basements and attics, in rooms without natural light, near emergency exits, as well as on the side of the main facades of buildings. Outside, cylinders should be placed at a distance of at least 0.5 m from window openings and 1 m from door openings, as well as at least 3 m from door and window openings of basements, basements and sewer wells.

The cylinder is placed at a distance of more than 0.5 m from the stove (with the exception of small cylinders built into the design of the device) and 1 m from heating devices. The screen will allow it to be reduced to 0.5 m. It must be made of non-flammable materials and provide protection for the cylinder from thermal effects heating device. When installing the cylinder outdoors, it should be protected from damage and heating above 45°C.

The gas cylinder on one side has instructions for proper use, which, unfortunately, no one reads. Here are recommendations that you should pay special attention to:

1. The cylinder should not be located in unventilated areas. It should not be placed in an inverted or inclined position. If the cylinders are placed near the house, it is advisable to install them as far as possible from windows and doors, and protect them from sunlight by placing them in a box with ventilation holes (photo 4). Cylinders should not be buried, placed in a basement or below the surface of the ground.

Photo 4. Installing a cabinet for two cylinders outside near the wall of the building

2. The cylinder and flexible hose should not be located near a heat source.

3. Cannot be replaced gas cylinder, if there is an open fire nearby, smoldering coals, or switched on electrical appliances. Before replacing a cylinder, make sure that the valves of the replaced and new cylinder are closed.

4. The gasket between the cylinder tap and the pressure regulator on it must be replaced with each new installation.

5. A flexible hose no more than a meter long must be of a special type marked as suitable for liquefied gas (see,).

6. After each replacement of the cylinder, it is necessary to check the tightness of the connections using a soap solution, but not with a lit match! Only after checking can you turn on gas appliances.

7. If you smell gas, close the cylinder tap and ventilate the room well. Remember that the balloon gas mixture is heavier than air and spreads by spreading on the ground.

8. After each use of gas, the valve on the cylinder must be closed.

9. The room where gas equipment is installed must be ventilated more often.

10. Empty cylinders must be refilled as soon as possible.

Anyone who thinks that used cylinders are safe is taking a big risk: they are never completely empty and therefore safe. There is always some gas left inside, which cannot be removed by turning the cylinder over. For safety reasons, it is also forbidden to transfer remaining gas from large cylinders into small ones, for example, into automobile gas cylinders.

It is very important to detect a gas leak in time. This place can be seen on the surface and joints of gas pipes moistened with soapy water. Bubbles form there. In the event of a severe leak, you can hear the whistling sound of the escaping jet. The characteristic odor of the gas becomes stronger near the leak site. But you cannot look for a leak with an open flame!

Most reliable way leakage control is the use of a device (its price today is just over 1000 rubles), which will not only give a danger signal, but also shut off the pipeline using a solenoid valve ().
Taking into account the listed information and rules, acquiring the skills of strictly following them when using gas appliances will allow you to avoid emergency situations with serious consequences.

Photo 5. The most reliable way to protect against gas leakage is to install a gas detection device (a) and a solenoid valve controlled by it (b), which shuts off the line.