What is Natural Gas?

When you hear the words "natural gas" what do you think of? Is natural gas the liquid that you put in your car, the gas that you use to light your stove, or the gas you use to ignite your barbecue?
Actually, natural gas in its original form is none of the above. It's really a combination of a few different components, including methane, propane, butane, carbon dioxide, and many more. This kind of natural gas is a gaseous fossil fuel, which can be found in oil fields and coal beds where it is isolated for refining.

The Natural Gas You Know

Once the gas has been refined, it becomes the natural gas you know - the stuff you use to light your stove, run your dryer, or heat your home. This natural gas is made up almost entirely of methane. For safety reasons, there is also a slight odorant added to the natural gas you have in your home. This prevents an undetectable leak which could lead to fire or explosions.
Without the odorant, natural gas is a clear, clean burning, and odor free substance. It is one of the cleanest naturally occurring fuels, and it is also abundant and economically transportable. Many places are supplied with natural gas by pipeline. Others receive it in a liquid or compressed form which can be transported by truck or boat.

Natural Gas Sources

Before it makes its way out into the world, natural gas is stored underground in natural oil and gas reservoirs. Sometimes, it is discovered through drilling and exploration. Other times, the presence of natural gas beneath the earth's surface is easily recognizable because of geological formations which have been formed above ground.
Although it is abundant, natural gas is not a renewable resource. That means that there are limited natural gas reserves around the world. The world's largest gas field is located in Qatar and the second largest is in the Persian Gulf. The United States is also an abundant source of natural gas, with the highest levels of gas reserves concentrated around Texas and the Gulf of Mexico.
To obtain natural gas for commercial use, pipelines are drilled deep into the earth. This allows the trapped gas to naturally rise to the surface, where it is then contained, separated, and refined.

The Many Uses of Natural Gas

The most common use for natural gas is at home, where it's turned into an energy source that provides heating, cooling, clothes drying, and fire for cooking. While natural gas is not the most prevalent home energy source (electricity is!), it is one of the cleanest and cheapest.



Aside from residential use, there are lots of other sectors of the economy that find natural gas to be an important, inexpensive form of energy. In the commercial sector, natural gas is used much the same way as it's used at home. Many restaurants and other parts of the food preparation industry use natural gas to heat and cook food. Other businesses use it in their central air conditioning and heating systems.
Natural gas is also used as an industrial form of energy, in the creation of fertilizer, plastics, and fabrics. The industrial sector is the largest consumer of natural gas.
One more way to use natural gas is transportation. Although there's a long way to go before natural gas is a widely available energy source for transportation, it is becoming more popular. That's because compared to standard gasoline (petrol), natural gas is a much cheaper and cleaner alternative. There are some cars that are currently available with natural gas engines, but a more realistic possibility for the present is use of natural gas in aviation, trucking, and other forms of mass transportation. Because the amount of fuel used in the transportation industry is so great, it makes sense for successful companies to search for cleaner and cheaper fuel alternatives with which to run their fleets.

Natural Gas in the Future?

With its many possible uses, from home-heating to around-the-world transportation, natural gas is one of the most important fuel alternatives available today. Perhaps in the future, more ways will be discovered to harness the awesome power of this clean and abundant fossil fuel.