Re: Copper tubing and natural gas?

<clare@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:7n24f5ts7knigpt40leou6u5vlvmd2n9ed@xxxxxxxxxx
On Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:18:48 -0500, tnom@xxxxxxxxx wrote:


A quote:

Natural gas in copper pipe over some period of years causes copper
sulfites which clogged up the pipe with hard, black crystallizations.

It also appears that the sulfur added to the natural gas is corrosive
to copper.

Sulphur is NOT added to Natural gas. Sulphur in natural gas is
naturally occurring, and is largely removed by processing before
distribution.
Ethyl Mercapitan is added in VERY small amounts as an identifier
odour.

Well, technically speaking the previous poster is correct -- Sulfur IS
added, just not atomic or molecular sulfur.
AND, chemically speaking, even tho ethanethiol (ethanol with S replacing Ox)
is not pure Sulfur, the sulfur is "exposed" and still chemically potent and
reactive, ergo the hypothesized reactions.

Sulfur is similarly attached in at least two amino acids, known for their
metabolic reactivity -- cysteine and methionine.

Having said this, I just looked at the inside of that soft copper tube
connected to the oven (50-60 years old), and altho it appears clear as a
bell, there is a thin crystalline-like flakey layer inside the tube. Could
this layer eventually clog the tube? At this rate, mebbe in another 500
years!
--
EA


.

Relevant Pages

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