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Propane equipment and appliances are known for being powerful, reliable and efficient. This is why industrial facilities rely heavily on propane for key systems such as space heating, water heating, and power generation. Propane is delivered by truck and stored on-site in tanks. These propane tanks range in sizes and have long life-expectancies. In addition, there are innovative smart technologies for both propane tanks and propane-powered equipment that support commercial operations to ensure continued service and safety.
Smart Technologies for Propane Tanks
Facility Management Software
SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) is facility management software that can provide wireless monitoring for propane tanks. SCADA is used in industrial applications to safely store propane, efficiently distribute it, and ensure continuous maintenance.
Sensors, such as pressure, temperature, and level sensors, are installed on propane tanks and connected to wireless devices called Remote Terminal Units (RTUs). The RTUs acquire and transmit data wirelessly to a central SCADA server.
Importantly, the software provides centralized monitoring for numerous facilities from a single location. The SCADA server collects and displays data from all connected devices, providing a real-time view of the entire propane system. Operators are able to monitor and control industrial processes, machinery, and equipment from afar.
Facilities can use the SCADA system to remotely control valves, pumps, and other equipment to manage the propane system. For example, an LPG controller links to sensors and signals valve shutoff or opening. The SCADA system can also be configured to generate alerts and notifications for low propane levels, pressure issues, or other critical events.
Remote Tank Monitoring
Remote tank monitoring (RTM) isn’t a new technology, but for building owners and the operators who manage their facilities, it’s vital to know propane levels and when the tanks should be refilled. Remote tank monitoring allows a propane provider to remotely monitor the amount of propane in the tank, scheduling fills when needed. Telemetry equipment automatically accesses, records, and transmits data from propane storage tanks using wireless hardware and sensors linked to a database via cellular, satellite, or wireless networks. This data is available to building operators, facility managers, and the propane supplier from any connected device.
There are some newer, more specialized technologies that differ from traditional RTM by offering a direct-to-application (DTA) approach. Sensors communicate directly with the end-user’s smartphone via an app so they can view tank levels and receive notifications in real-time. This eliminates the need for a dedicated monitoring station or intermediary hardware. Simplifying the monitoring process and reducing costs can make RTM more accessible to a wider range of users and businesses.
Smart Technologies for Propane Equipment
Most new commercial propane water heating and space heating equipment on the market also has smart capabilities. Technologies such as smart controls allow for precise adjustments, and the technologies can be integrated with building management systems to better manage energy use.
Intelligent Tankless Water Heaters
Tankless water heaters with smart features can optimize hot water usage and reduce energy consumption, an important factor in U.S. commercial buildings, where 5% of the total energy consumption goes to water heating.
For example, the heat exchangers (HEX) in Intellihot water heaters conserve 40% of the energy lost in traditional water heating methods. The cascading system allows multiple water heaters to operate in tandem without a central controller. This approach provides redundancy, ensuring hot water availability even if one unit malfunctions.
The system also eliminates single-point failures associated with traditional master controllers. Each unit operates autonomously (called masterless cascading), and changes to operational parameters on one unit automatically adjust the others. In addition, the smart units share information on run hours, firing cycles, and flow, then automatically rotate units to normalize wear and tear.
Computerized controls allow tankless water heater arrays to precisely track the water-heating load of a building and activate individual units accordingly. Those controls make it possible for the tankless system to ramp up to meet a building’s peak load and then ramp back down so just a single unit is active. AI built into some manufacturers’ units analyzes a building’s hot water usage patterns, identifying and predicting the timing of peak loads so that the units can fire up and activate a building’s recirculation system in preparation for the higher hot water demand.
Dual-Fuel Space Heating
Hybrid heating is another innovative technology that combines heat pumps and propane. Some commercial systems combine a propane-powered boiler with an electric heat pump, with the boiler providing primary heating during high demand or extreme cold. Other systems use hot water from a propane tankless water heater or boiler, circulated through a hydronic coil on the air handler, to create hot air for heating. By leveraging the efficiency of heat pumps and the powerful warmth of propane, hybrid systems can reduce energy consumption and lower heating costs.
These are just a few of the smart propane technologies available to you when designing commercial buildings and the propane equipment within. Your local propane equipment provider and tank servicer are great resources when choosing systems and technologies that optimize data collection, monitoring, and control.
