Natural Gas Extraction and Transportation Overview
Natural gas extraction and transportation is a critical part of ensuring that this clean energy source reaches the end user from the point of underground resources. Below is a basic overview of natural gas extraction and transportation:
Geological exploration and drilling:
- Geological exploration: Determining the location, reserves, quality and extraction conditions of natural gas deposits by means of geological surveys, geophysical exploration (e.g., seismic wave detection), and geochemical analyses, etc. Drilling: The drilling of wells in selected natural gas fields.
- Drilling: Drilling operations are carried out at the selected location of the natural gas field to penetrate the earth's crust and reach the gas-bearing layer. After drilling is completed, wellhead equipment, including blowout preventers and casing, is installed to ensure the safety of the well.
1,Gas gathering and processing:
- Gathering Station: Extracted natural gas is first transported to the gathering station, where it undergoes pre-treatment steps such as preliminary dewatering, desanding, and separation of condensate, in order to remove impurities and ensure pipeline transportation safety.
- Compression and Boosting: At the gathering station or at boosting stations along the route, the natural gas may need to be pressurized by a compressor to overcome friction losses and terrain elevation differences during long-distance transportation.
2,Main transportation methods:
Pipeline transportation:
- Natural gas pipeline: most natural gas is transported through a network of long-distance pipelines laid, including trunk lines, branch lines and urban distribution networks. Pipeline transportation has the advantages of strong continuity, large capacity and relatively low cost. It is a better way of gas service.
- Facilities along the pipeline: There are monitoring stations, pressure regulating stations, metering stations and other facilities along the pipeline, which are used for real-time monitoring of the operation status, regulating the pressure, metering the transportation volume and so on.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) transportation:
- Liquefaction and Storage: For natural gas energy sources that are located far from consumer markets or need to be transported internationally across oceans, the natural gas is cooled to approximately -162°C at the liquefaction terminal, which reduces its volume dramatically (to approximately 1/600th of its original gaseous state), facilitating efficient transportation.
- LNG Carrier: The liquefied natural gas is loaded onto a dedicated LNG Carrier and transported across the ocean to the receiving terminal.
- Regasification and Distribution: Once at its destination, the LNG is regasified at the receiving terminal by heating or evaporation and then distributed to end-users or further injected into the local gas pipeline network via onshore pipelines or tankers.