We use natural gas in numerous ways. Our dependence on natural gas is growing and growing. Oil companies have developed many ways to transport natural gas to our homes. Moving natural gas from its source to our homes involves transporting it through elaborate pipeline systems. Many regulations on transporting natural gas are in place to ensure that it is moved in the safest most effective manner possible. From the ground, to processing plants and ultimately to our homes, natural gas is transported by our oil companies in a very precise way.
The first step in transporting natural gas is to get it from the ground. Pipes known as the gathering system are used to collect the gas from the source. The gas needs to be obtained, then cleaned and processed so that we can use it. There are a few different processes utilized to get the natural gas into usable form.
When the gas gets to the processing plant, we add Thiols to it. This is purely a step towards safety. Natural gas has no smell that we can detect. By adding Thiols, we give it an odor that we can easily detect if there is a leak. Once it is processed, we send it through our intrastate and interstate pipeline networks. Intrastate pipelines carry natural gas around inside of one state. Interstate pipelines are networks that actually cross state lines. All of these pipes are made in the same way. They are constructed from carbon steel. The carbon steel pipes need to be able to withstand enormous pressure to ensure the safety of transport. Therefore, each pipe section is sent through rigorous testing before it can be considered for use.
The pipeline must be able to withstand tremendous pressure because natural gas must be transported in liquid form. Pressurizing natural gas forces it to transform from a gaseous to a liquid state. This reduces the amount of space that it takes up as well. In fact, the volume is reduced by about six hundred times. Pressurizing natural gas into a liquid state also acts as a propulsion mechanism. This greatly reduces the amount of time that it takes for the gas to move through the pipeline network.
The pipeline industry puts safety first when transporting natural gas. Relocating natural gas takes a lot of manual labor and can be very dangerous. Many steps are painstakingly executed to ensure the safety of the transportation process. Although the process is amazingly complex, the pipeline industry and oil companies, such as Triple Diamond Energy, have stellar reputations when it comes to ensuring the safety of the pipeline workers, the public and the environment.
About the Author: Bob Jent is the president of Triple Diamond Energy. Triple Diamond Energy specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties. For more information, visit http://www.triplediamondenergycorp.blogspot.com.
Showing posts with label pipeline. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pipeline. Show all posts
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
How Do We Store Natural Gas?
Natural gas consumption usually rises and falls with the seasons. In the winter months, we historically have used a lot more natural gas for heating. We are trending towards using natural gas for electricity, in addition to heat. Therefore, we are using more and more natural gas year round. Spikes in the summer are becoming more common than ever now that natural gas is being used for cooling our homes and businesses. The high demand for clean burning, energy efficient natural gas demands that we constantly extract, process and transport natural gas to the areas that need it most. We also must store excess gas so that it is ready for use. We store certain amounts based on projected consumption and we store excess amounts that will ensure that the supply equals or exceeds the demand when natural gas needs spike higher than expected.
We used to mainly consume coal gas. Coal gas was stored in gasometers starting in the mid-eighteenth century. These were large, above-ground tanks that slowly sunk into the ground as the gas stores were depleted. Coal gas was used mainly in towns for lighting, heating and sometimes cooking. Coal gas quickly became widely referred to as town gas. Once large natural gas fields were discovered in the late twentieth century, we ultimately stopped using coal gas. Natural gas is far safer and cheaper than coal gas ever was.
We extract natural gas from the natural gas fields and transport it via pipeline to where it is needed. Natural gas in a gaseous state can take up a lot of room. Therefore, we cool it to a temperature that puts it into a liquid state. Old aquifers are designed to hold liquid and are a great underground option for storing liquid natural gas. Natural gas is too flammable to store above ground in tanks where it can be exposed to heat, so underground options are preferable.
Natural gas can also be stored in old salt mines or old gas reservoirs. Gas reservoirs are underground and are composed of porous rock. This rock held natural gas at one time and makes a well-suited location for storing natural gas. We usually store natural gas in gas reservoirs that we expect to use within about a year’s time. It can be time consuming to extract the gas that we need from gas reservoirs, so other methods are used for gas demands that are unexpected.
We store natural gas in aquifers and salt mines for unexpected needs. These locations offer a quick retrieval of natural gas when we have a sudden demand. The reserve of gas in an aquifer or salt mine usually only lasts a few days or weeks. Companies like Triple Diamond Energy provide us with the natural gas that we need year round.
About the Author: Bob Jent is the president of Triple Diamond Energy. Triple Diamond Energy specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties. For more information, visit http://www.triplediamondenergycorp.blogspot.com.
We used to mainly consume coal gas. Coal gas was stored in gasometers starting in the mid-eighteenth century. These were large, above-ground tanks that slowly sunk into the ground as the gas stores were depleted. Coal gas was used mainly in towns for lighting, heating and sometimes cooking. Coal gas quickly became widely referred to as town gas. Once large natural gas fields were discovered in the late twentieth century, we ultimately stopped using coal gas. Natural gas is far safer and cheaper than coal gas ever was.
We extract natural gas from the natural gas fields and transport it via pipeline to where it is needed. Natural gas in a gaseous state can take up a lot of room. Therefore, we cool it to a temperature that puts it into a liquid state. Old aquifers are designed to hold liquid and are a great underground option for storing liquid natural gas. Natural gas is too flammable to store above ground in tanks where it can be exposed to heat, so underground options are preferable.
Natural gas can also be stored in old salt mines or old gas reservoirs. Gas reservoirs are underground and are composed of porous rock. This rock held natural gas at one time and makes a well-suited location for storing natural gas. We usually store natural gas in gas reservoirs that we expect to use within about a year’s time. It can be time consuming to extract the gas that we need from gas reservoirs, so other methods are used for gas demands that are unexpected.
We store natural gas in aquifers and salt mines for unexpected needs. These locations offer a quick retrieval of natural gas when we have a sudden demand. The reserve of gas in an aquifer or salt mine usually only lasts a few days or weeks. Companies like Triple Diamond Energy provide us with the natural gas that we need year round.
About the Author: Bob Jent is the president of Triple Diamond Energy. Triple Diamond Energy specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties. For more information, visit http://www.triplediamondenergycorp.blogspot.com.
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