What makes natural gas

Natural gas wells can be drilled vertically and horizontally into natural gas-bearing formations. In conventional natural gas deposits, the natural gas generally flows easily up through wells to the surface. In the United States and in a few other countries, natural gas is produced from shale and other types of sedimentary rock formations by forcing water, chemicals, and sand down a well under high pressure. This process, called hydraulic fracturing or fracking , and sometimes referred to as unconventional production, breaks up the formation, releases the natural gas from the rock, and allows the natural gas to flow to and up wells to the surface.

At the top of the well on the surface, natural gas is put into gathering pipelines and sent to natural gas processing plants. Because natural gas is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, natural gas companies add mercaptan to natural gas to give it a distinct and unpleasant odor to help detect leaks in natural gas pipelines. Mercaptan is a harmless chemical that smells like rotten eggs. Natural gas withdrawn from natural gas or crude oil wells is called wet natural gas because, along with methane, it usually contains NGL—ethane, propane, butanes, and pentanes—and water vapor.

Wellhead natural gas may also contain nonhydrocarbons such as sulfur, helium, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon dioxide, most of which must be removed from natural gas before it is sold to consumers. From the wellhead, natural gas is sent to processing plants where water vapor and nonhydrocarbon compounds are removed and NGL are separated from the wet gas and sold separately. Some ethane is often left in the processed natural gas. The separated NGL are called natural gas plant liquids NGPL , and the processed natural gas is called dry , consumer-grade , or pipeline quality natural gas.

Some wellhead natural gas is sufficiently dry and satisfies pipeline transportation standards without processing. Chemicals called odorants are added to natural gas so that leaks in natural gas pipelines can be detected. Dry natural gas is sent through pipelines to underground storage fields or to distribution companies and then to consumers. In places where natural gas pipelines are not available to take away associated natural gas produced from oil wells, the natural gas may be reinjected into the oil-bearing formation, or it may be vented or burned flared.

Reinjecting unmarketable natural gas can help to maintain pressure in oil wells to improve oil production. Coalbed methane can be extracted from coal deposits before or during coal mining, and it can be added to natural gas pipelines without any special treatment.

Most of the natural gas consumed in the United States is produced in the United States. Some natural gas is imported from Canada and Mexico in pipelines. A small amount of natural gas is also imported as liquefied natural gas.

Natural gas explained. What is energy? Units and calculators. Use of energy. Energy and the environment. Also in What is energy? Forms of energy Sources of energy Laws of energy. Also in Units and calculators explained Units and calculators Energy conversion calculators British thermal units Btu Degree days. Normally, natural gas is trapped under layers of rock that prevent it from flowing easily to the surface. Watch how natural gas was formed in our Virtual Tour! Natural gas resources are known as either conventional or unconventional.

Unconventional natural gas is primarily located in northeast British Columbia and northwest Alberta. Nova Scotia produced natural gas until late Two natural gas projects — the Sable Offshore Energy Project and Deep Panuke — finished producing in and the projects are being decommissioned.

The Government of Nova Scotia estimates there is a potential trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 8 billion barrels of oil offshore.

In turn, this revenue helps governments pay for health care, education, infrastructure and social programs. Following purification gas preparation , natural gas is typically transported via international gas pipeline systems to national gas transmission systems — and then through traders to gas distribution pipelines and finally to consumers.

Because it is colorless, odorless — but really flammable, the natural gas producers typically use unpleasant odor like ethyl mercaptan ethanethiol to make it easily recognizable and less dangerous. But why do we use it when we have great, renewable green energy? Because the natural gas has some really beneficial properties:. Energy Insight.