Everything about pipes and tobacco


Natural Gas From the Ground to your Home

Natural gas is a mixture of gases that formed
from the fossil remains of ancient plants andThe sweetened gas is pumped into a network of
animals buried deep in the earth. The mainsteel transmission pipes that range in size
ingredient in natural gas is methane. Methanefrom 20 to 42 inches in diameter. About every
is odorless and colorless. So, why does50 to 60 miles the gas passes through a
natural gas smell? The gas company adds acompressor station. Compressor stations
chemical called mercaptan, which givespressurize the gas to make it flow faster. It
natural gas that funny sulfur-like or rottenreduces the volume so more gas can flow
egg odor. This odor is added for safetythrough  the  pipes.
reasons so that people will know when they
have  a  leak.The pipeline eventually splits off to storage
tanks for future use or to a natural gas
Natural gas gives off a lot of heat and lightutility company who delivers natural gas to
when it burns, but doesn't produce smoke.your home. The pressure is reduced at the
That makes it a good fuel for use in theutility and mercaptan is added. Natural gas
home. Today, more than half the homes in theup  to  this  point  is  odorless.
U.S. are heated by natural gas. Natural gas
is also reliable because its pipes are buriedThe natural gas travels through small pipes
safely underground reducing loss of servicecalled distribution mains which are between 2
related  to  storms.and 24 inches in diameter and run below the
streets. The distribution mains split off
Natural gas molecules are found deep beneathinto smaller service line pipes which go
the earth's surface in gas traps. It'sdirectly to your home. The pipes go through a
composed of methane, carbon dioxide, butane,gas pressure regulator where the
ethane, propane, pentane, nitrogen, hexane,pressurization is reduced and then into the
heptates, and water vapor. Oil companies,gas meter which measures the amount of gas
like Western Pipeline Corporation, drillyou  use.
wells to extract the natural gas molecules
from these traps. It is then pumped through aThe natural gas exists in the gas pipes of
pipeline to a processing plant. Theyour home available to be used by your gas
impurities are removed; the water vapor,furnace or stove on demand. When demanded a
carbon dioxide and other molecules; in avalve opens which lets gas flow to the burner
treatment process called "sweetening" thewhere a pilot light ignites the gas.
gas.



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