Natural Gas From the Ground to your Home

Natural gas is a mixture of gases that formed fromThe sweetened gas is pumped into a network of steel
the fossil remains of ancient plants and animals buriedtransmission pipes that range in size from 20 to 42
deep in the earth. The main ingredient in natural gas isinches in diameter. About every 50 to 60 miles the gas
methane. Methane is odorless and colorless. So, whypasses through a compressor station. Compressor
does natural gas smell? The gas company adds astations pressurize the gas to make it flow faster. It
chemical called mercaptan, which gives natural gasreduces the volume so more gas can flow through the
that funny sulfur-like or rotten egg odor. This odor ispipes.
added for safety reasons so that people will knowThe pipeline eventually splits off to storage tanks for
when they have a leak.future use or to a natural gas utility company who
Natural gas gives off a lot of heat and light when itdelivers natural gas to your home. The pressure is
burns, but doesn't produce smoke. That makes it areduced at the utility and mercaptan is added. Natural
good fuel for use in the home. Today, more than halfgas up to this point is odorless.
the homes in the U.S. are heated by natural gas.The natural gas travels through small pipes called
Natural gas is also reliable because its pipes are burieddistribution mains which are between 2 and 24 inches
safely underground reducing loss of service related toin diameter and run below the streets. The distribution
storms.mains split off into smaller service line pipes which go
Natural gas molecules are found deep beneath thedirectly to your home. The pipes go through a gas
earth's surface in gas traps. It's composed of methane,pressure regulator where the pressurization is reduced
carbon dioxide, butane, ethane, propane, pentane,and then into the gas meter which measures the
nitrogen, hexane, heptates, and water vapor. Oilamount of gas you use.
companies, like Western Pipeline Corporation, drill wellsThe natural gas exists in the gas pipes of your home
to extract the natural gas molecules from these traps.available to be used by your gas furnace or stove on
It is then pumped through a pipeline to a processingdemand. When demanded a valve opens which lets
plant. The impurities are removed; the water vapor,gas flow to the burner where a pilot light ignites the
carbon dioxide and other molecules; in a treatmentgas.
process called "sweetening" the gas.