[alrightgame]

This is going to be an extremely weird question, but here it goes: Can someone give me an equation to represent the velocity of methane?

A joke has come up about fart dissipation, and I so need this equation
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.

[plotthickens]

Hm. For smelling purposes? Methane is used to scent-mark natural gas products, because the first symptom of... oh, goodness, I'm going to get this wrong in the particulars but right in the general, so hold on... the first symptom of natural gas poisoning (it drops and displaces O2) is losing your sense of smell. So smelling that stink means you're still OK.

There are a couple of petroleum geeks on the board, perhaps they can help. Or, google is your friend... I gotta go make dinner.

[Aronnax]

You're looking for diffusion, not velocity. You want Fick's second law (Google it, the forum doesn't have proper syntax to express it here) and you'll have to make an assumption for the acceptable concentration to smell it.

[Vagrant]

	Originally Posted by Aronnax To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	You're looking for diffusion, not velocity. You want Fick's second law (Google it, the forum doesn't have proper syntax to express it here) and you'll have to make an assumption for the acceptable concentration to smell it.

I would assume about 5 ppm.

[DewFuel]

	Originally Posted by plotthickens
	Hm. For smelling purposes? Methane is used to scent-mark natural gas products

Nah, methane has no odor. Hydrogen sulfide or Sulfur Dioxide are probably what you want to analyze.

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the most probable speed for a gas is:

V = sqrt[8RT/pi*MW]


where the molecular weight of H2S is 34*10^-3 kg/mole and R is 8.31 J/K*mole and T is in Kelvin.


I don't think this is going to be helpful, unless you're figuring out the time it takes to travel from point A to B. You're probably looking for gaseous diffusion. That would be Fick's Law, which is much more of a ball buster to handle.

[plotthickens]

	Originally Posted by DewFuel To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Nah, methane has no odor. Hydrogen sulfide or Sulfur Dioxide are probably what you want to analyze.

You're right, it's
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Many thiols have strong odors resembling that of garlic. The odor of thiols is often strong and repulsive, particularly for those of low molecular weight. Natural gas distributors began adding thiols, originally ethanethiol, to natural gas, which is naturally odorless, after the deadly 1937 New London School explosion in New London, Texas.

So if Methane is odorless, why does its dissipation rate have anything to do with farts?

[DewFuel]

It (probably) doesn't have anything to do with farts. The OP probably didn't realize methane was odorless.