Where does natural gas come from?
Thousands of homes across Britain use natural gas in some form or other each day - but where does natural gas come from? How does come into our homes and why does it smell?
- At the heart of all natural gas production is methane -- an odourless, colourless hydrocarbon, that unless treated exists in a gas form. The chemical formula of methane is CH4 and a single molecule consists of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms.
- Methane is found naturally all across the world; its production is the result of a number of biological and chemical reactions. The majority of the world"s commercial gas supply is found in natural gas fields deep under the earth"s surface. Over years the anaerobic decay of organic matter leads to the creation of either oil or gas, depending upon certain factors such as temperature and pressure. The gas often then seeps to the surface, or gets trapped by a non-permeable layer of rock, forming large gas fields.
Chemical of the Week -- Methane
Methane is a colorless, odorless gas with a wide distribution in nature. It is the principal component of natural gas, a mixture containing about 75% CH4, 15% ethane (C2H6), and 5% other hydrocarbons, such as propane (C3H8) and butane (C4H10). The "firedamp" of coal mines is chiefly methane.Natural methane is also produced by the fermentation of organic matter, such as manure and municipal waste. According to recent calculations cattle are responsible for 16% of the world"s atmospheric methane emissions.
HowStuffWorks "Do cows pollute as much as cars?"Agriculture is responsible for an estimated 14 percent of the world's greenhouse gases. A significant portion of these emissions come from methane, which, in terms of its contribution to global warming, is 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. The U.S.Unlike green technologies, the majority of fossil fuels must be refined before they can be used to provide electricity and power.
After identifying a natural gas deposit companies then begin the difficult task of extraction and refinement. Due to the organic process in which it is created, natural gas often contains a number of chemical elements and molecules that need to be removed, before the end product can piped into homes and power stations.
Products such as ethane, propane and butane must be removed; the majority of these chemicals are then sold on.
NaturalGas.orgOnce a potential natural gas deposit has been located by a team of exploration geologists and geophysicists, it is up to a team of drilling experts to dig down to where the natural gas is thought to exist. This section will describe the process of drilling for natural gas, both onshore and offshore.- The refinement process starts at the wellhead and the gas is then sent through low pressure gathering pipelines to the nearby processing plant. The gas continues to be refined throughout the transportation process.
- The natural gas is then sold on at wholesale prices to gas suppliers, which is in turn sold to consumers. The gas companies add the chemical mercaptan to the natural gas, in order to give it that sulphur smell for safety reasons. Gas pipes are then laid from pumping stations into homes which then provide a continual source of gas for domestic cookers and heating systems.
RWE AG - Didcot Power StationsOur site at Didcot is host to two power stations - the 2,000 MW dual-fired A station and the 1,360 MW combined cycle gas turbine B station. Together the two power stations are capable of producing enough electricity to meet the needs of over 3 million people - equivalent to the demand of three counties the size of Oxfordshire.
