Gas pipelines and the natural gas industry

Gas pipelines are essentially an elaborate and highly complex network of pipelines that transport natural gas and crude oil from the gathering system or well-head to the refinery. These pipelines are constructed from plastic or steel tubes that have a 30 cm-120 cm inner diameter. These gas pipelines run above ground wherever possible but are buried underground in potentially dangerous, more developed or environmentally sensitive areas. Natural gas travels through the pipelines at great pressure, which is maintained by a system of pump stations. These Oil and gas pipelines are the most economical transportation method for enormous quantities of natural gas or oil over land. However transportation of oil and gas at sea is done by tanker ships as the process of building oil and gas pipelines under the sea is technically as well as economically demanding. Natural gas transmission

Natural gas is supplied by gas pipeline companies to more than 175 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across the United States using an estimated 1.4 million miles of natural gas pipelines. This network of pipelines comprises of interstate as well as intrastate pipelines. The interstate natural pipelines transport gas across states clear across the country and intrastate pipelines transport natural gas within the state though the operational and technical details are the same for inter-state and intra-state pipelines. A gas pipeline company is usually a huge conglomerate.

Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines The three major kinds of pipelines that are used to transport natural gas include the gathering system, the inter-state and intra-state pipelines and the distribution system Interstate pipelines are considered the 'highways' of gas and oil transmission. Natural gas travels great distances through the interstate gas pipelines at high pressures, which range from 200 pounds per square inch to as much as 1500 pounds per square inch. This high pressure serves to decrease the volume of the transported natural gas by as much as 600 times and acts as a propellant forcing the natural gas to move faster through the pipeline. The network of the interstate natural gas pipeline is used for natural gas transportation from processing plants to areas that have high requirements of natural gas.

Professional interested in buying or using natural gas for various applications can do a natural gas pipeline map search on the Internet to ascertain locations of various kinds of pipelines across the world. Natural gas industry

The natural gas industry is only a part of the overall energy industry and is defined by the many different aspects of getting natural gas- right from drilling deep underground to get natural gas to delivering it to the end user. Some of the aspects of the natural gas industry include:

*Exploration and Extraction *Production and Processing * Transportation *Storage *Distribution *Marketing

Some giant gas and oil companies are involved in all the processes involved, however others specialize in specific aspects. Most oil and gas pipeline companies and professionals can subscribe to a variety of pipeline gas journals to keep abreast of the latest news in the natural gas and oil industry.

Natural pipeline safety Some of the important safety precautions related to natural gas pipelines include:

*Aerial Patrols - Planes are commonly employed to ensure that no unauthorized construction or digging is carried out anywhere the pipeline route as this is a major threat to the safety of the pipeline. *Gas sampling: Natural gas that is present in the pipelines is routinely sampled for contaminants and also for any indication of interior corrosion in the pipeline. * Pipeline markers: The presence of underground pipelines is indicated by signs marked above ground so as to reduce inadvertent interference. *Leak Detection: Pipeline personnel periodically check the surface for leaks using equipment for detecting natural gas. This has special significance if the natural gas is odorless. *Preventive Maintenance: Pipelines and pipeline valves are routinely tested and surface impediments removed.

About the Author

Thomas H. Lindblom is a freelance article writer looking for interesting and unusual topics to write about. Gas pipelines are of major importance in today's world, and natural gas is supplied by gas pipeline companies to more than 175 million people.