1. Natural Gas Overview

2. Natural Gas is a Fossil Fuel. Fossil fuels are made from plants and animals. The energy in natural gas came from energy stored in plants and animals. That energy came from the sun.

3. The plants and animals lived millions of years ago. They were alive before the dinosaurs! When they died, they were buried on the ocean floor.

4. Over the years, layers of mud built up, covering the dead plants and animals. Heat and pressure turned the plants and animals into natural gas.

5. The main ingredient in natural gas is methane. Methane is also produced by rotting garbage! Typical hydrocarbon composition of raw natural gas is Methane 70-98%, Ethane 1-10%, Propane trace to 5%, Butane trace to 2%.

6. Natural gas is found underground in pockets of rock. It is trapped in these pockets, just like water is trapped in a sponge!

7. Natural gas is found thousands of feet underground. The term conventional is generally used to describe natural gas produced from well-understood geologic formations known through experience to hold natural gas. Examples include limestone and sandstones at depths of a few thousand feet. Conventional gas that is produced during the extraction of crude oil is commonly referred to as associated gas. By contrast, a formation targeted specifically for extraction of natural gas is said to yield nonassociated gas.

8. We drill! Deep gas is typically found 15,000 feet or deeper underground, considerably deeper than conventional gas. Therefore, deep gas is relatively expensive to find and produce. Tight gas is trapped in unusually impermeable hard rock or in sandstone or limestone that is highly nonporous (tight sand). Extraction of gas from tight formations typically requires expensive techniques such as fracturing and acidizing.

9. We drill down through layers of sand and sedimentary rock to reach the rock formations that contain natural gas deposits.

10. We drill wells into the ground. These wells pump out the natural gas, and bring it to the surface.

11. Moving Natural Gas We move natural gas in pipes under the ground.

12. Underground Pipeline

13. There are more than a million miles of pipelines in the United States alone.

14. Where do we find natural gas?

15. Texas is the top producer of natural gas!

16. We use natural gas every day. Most homes, schools, and hospitals use natural gas for heat.

17. Many stoves and water heaters use natural gas, too.

18. Factories use natural gas. Factories burn natural gas to make products like paper and cement.

19. Natural gas is also an ingredient in paint, glue, fertilizer, and many other products!

20. Sometimes, natural gas is used to run cars, trucks, and buses. Most mail trucks use natural gas instead of gasoline!

21. Power plants also use natural gas. Power plants burn natural gas to make electricity.

22. Natural gas use in the United States.

23. Natural gas has NO color or smell. You can’t see it, smell it, or taste it.

24. An organic sulfur compound called mercaptan is added to natural gas to give the gas its identifiable smell. It smells like rotten eggs so that we can detect any natural gas leaks in our homes.

25. Compared to coal and petroleum, natural gas releases much less sulfur, carbon, and ash when burned. Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel.

26. However, burning ANY fossil fuel, including natural gas, releases emissions into the air, as well as carbon dioxide- a greenhouse gas.

27. Natural gas is Non-Renewable. Natural gas formed over millions of years. We can’t make more in a short amount of time. That’s why it is a non- renewable energy source.

28. Someday, most of the natural gas we can reach by drilling underground will be gone!