Chemicals called odorants are added to natural gas so that leaks in natural gas pipelines can be detected.

Some wellhead natural gas is sufficiently dry and satisfies pipeline transportation standards without processing. The separated NGLs are called natural gas plant liquids (NGPLs), and the processed natural gas is called dry, consumer-grade, or pipeline quality natural gas. Some ethane is often left in the processed natural gas. 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.įrom 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. Natural gas withdrawn from natural gas or crude oil wells is called wet natural gas because, along with methane, it usually contains NGLs-ethane, propane, butanes, and pentanes-and water vapor. Natural gas is processed for sale and consumption Mercaptan is a harmless chemical that smells like rotten eggs. At the top of the well on the surface, natural gas is put into gathering pipelines and sent to natural gas processing plants.īecause 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. 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. 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. In conventional natural gas deposits, the natural gas generally flows easily up through wells to the surface. Natural gas wells can be drilled vertically and horizontally into natural gas-bearing formations. If the results from a test well show that a geologic formation has enough natural gas to produce and make a profit, one or more production (or development) wells are drilled. Drilling natural gas wells and producing natural gas The results of the test provide information on the quality and quantity of natural gas available in the resource.

If the results of seismic surveys indicate that a site has potential for producing natural gas, an exploratory well is drilled and tested. Seismic surveys conducted in the ocean use blasts of sound that create sonic waves to explore the geology beneath the ocean floor. Sometimes small amounts of explosives are used. Seismic surveys on land may use a thumper truck, which has a vibrating pad that pounds the ground to create seismic waves in the underlying rock. Seismic surveys create and measure seismic waves in the earth to get information on the geology of rock formations. Geologists often use seismic surveys on land and in the ocean to find the right places to drill natural gas and oil wells. They locate the types of geologic formations that are likely to contain natural gas deposits. The search for natural gas begins with geologists who study the structure and processes of the earth. Source: Stock photography (copyrighted) How do we find natural gas? Operators preparing a hole for the explosive charges used in seismic exploration

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