Volume Change in Propane Tank Due to Temperature Difference

How does temperature change affect the volume of gas in a propane tank?

Given that a propane nurse tank is left on a job site overnight and cools from 19°C to 3°C, how does this temperature change impact the volume of propane in the tank?

Explanation:

When the temperature of a gas changes, it directly affects the volume of the gas inside a container. In this case, as the temperature of the propane in the tank cools from 19°C to 3°C overnight, the volume of the gas also changes.

Temperature and volume are closely related in the world of gases due to the behaviors described by gas laws, such as Gay Lussac's law. According to this law, at constant pressure, the temperature and volume of a gas are directly proportional to each other.

In simpler terms, as the temperature decreases, the gas molecules lose kinetic energy, resulting in less frequent collisions with the walls of the container. This leads to a decrease in volume as the gas molecules take up less space within the container, causing the gas to contract.

In the case of the propane tank filled with 1400 litres of gas at 19°C, the cooling overnight to 3°C causes the gas molecules to contract, resulting in reduction of volume. This change in volume can be calculated using the formula V1/T1 = V2/T2, where V1 is the initial volume, T1 is the initial temperature, V2 is the final volume, and T2 is the final temperature.

By applying this formula and converting the temperatures to Kelvin, you can find that the new volume of propane in the tank after cooling overnight from 19°C to 3°C would be approximately 1321 litres.