Natural gas is a fundamental source of energy in the world today. It is a fossil fuel used to generate electricity, power industries, and fuel motor vehicles. In 2022, the total natural gas consumption was 143,099 bcf (billion cubic feet) globally. With total reserves of natural gas being 6,923 trillion cubic feet as estimated in 2017, it is expected to last quite a while.
Considering how natural gas has few suitable alternatives and other sources of generating energy are in the nascent stages of being adopted, natural gas remains a major resource. Oil and gas companies are among the biggest companies in the world. Many of the world’s largest economies, like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, and UAE, rely entirely on natural gas exports.
It is a relatively clean source of energy, especially when compared to other fossil fuels like coal. Studying the process by which natural gas is extracted and the equipment necessary to do so is necessary to get a better understanding of why natural gas is critical to human activity in today’s age.
How is Natural Gas Extracted?
Most people use natural gas nearly daily. However, few understand how it is extracted and what equipment is used to extract it. Here is a brief breakdown of the steps involved and the equipment utilized to extract natural gas, process it, and have it delivered:
- Surveying the Area for Natural Gas
Since natural gas extraction and processing requires a lot of investment and is a capital-intensive enterprise, a thorough survey of the region is necessary to gauge the amount of natural gas present. Natural gas is trapped under impermeable rock formations in reservoirs.
Geological surveys involving techniques like testing the subsoil or seismic imaging of the region can help locate natural gas reservoirs. Seismic imaging can help identify off-shore reserves as well. Further inspection involves drilling to the reservoir site and using data such as the production of natural gas and pressure to determine the volume of natural gas present.
- Preparing the Site
Once the survey is completed and the site is approved for drilling, preparations are made to allow the extraction to begin. Appropriate infrastructure, such as roads and pathways, is constructed so drilling equipment, delivery trucks, etc., can move around without any problems.
Road building equipment like, asphalt pavers, rollers, track loaders, and dump trucks are used to build roads. This allows for accessibility to the drilling site.
- Drilling for Natural Gas
Since natural gas is deep beneath the earth’s surface and surrounded by a layer of tough rock, drilling is the most common method used. Heavy-duty drilling is done to extract natural gas and bring it to the surface for further processing.
There are different types of drilling methods, such as percussion drilling, fracking, directional drilling, and rotary drilling. Whichever technique is used, it is most likely done through an oil rig. An oil rig is a structure built to extract oil or natural gas on land or sea.
Drill rigs can be large or small. Offshore drill rigs, for instance, are massive as they consist of huge platforms that contain all the equipment necessary for drilling and processing oil or natural gas. The rig is used to dig a hole deep beneath the earth’s crust; this hole is called a wellbore.
Pumping equipment on a drill rig is used to lift the drill string up and down the wellbore. The drill bit, the part of the drill that breaks the rocks to make the hole has a mechanism for motion, this may be rotation or hammering. So the pumping system lowers the drill string that has a drill bit attached at the bottom. The drill bit makes the hole in the ground to reach the natural gas reservoirs.
A drilling liquid, also known as ‘mud’ is circulated to keep the drill bit from overheating. The liquid also prevents the dugout hole from collapsing on itself.
The drill apparatus is a complicated piece of equipment with multiple parts and components to it. It consists of the drill casing, drill string, drill collar, and drill bit. The idea is to create a wellbore that is wide and deep enough for the gas to be extracted easily.
Once the wellbore is dug a metal casing is placed to prevent the hole from collapsing. In addition to this, cement is poured down to create a solid barrier at the bottom to secure the metal casing and to prevent the groundwater from being contaminated.
- Onsite Processing
Once the natural gas is pumped out it needs to be processed before it can be safely transported via pipes or on trucks. Separators are used to break down the natural gas into its parts to get pure natural gas. Fossil fuels exist in mixture form, and while some sites have more high-quality fossil fuels than others, in all cases some level of purification is required.
Next, the natural gas is compressed to aid with transportation. Compression involves increasing the pressure of the natural gas to allow for an improved flow.
- Safety Measures
Safety measures are paramount in natural gas extraction. As a fossil fuel, natural gas is highly flammable, and accidents during the extraction process can have lethal consequences. This is why drilling sites have blowout preventers.
Blowout preventers consist of hydraulic valves that are used to control the pressure of the gas during drilling. Sometimes, gas pressure may be high, causing it to gush out unexpectedly. BOPs minimize the risk of such incidents. Additional safety measures are also necessary to keep the drilling site safe for everyone. Companies like ReCo Energy Solutions provide safety advice and practical solutions for ensuring that the drill site is safe and accidents are prevented. It is best to be overly cautious and implement strict safety measures to garner a safe working environment.
The Business of Extraction
Natural gas extraction is done by very large companies or by countries themselves, but more commonly through collaboration of both. The process requires a lot of investment in research in the initial phase. In addition to this, extraction means preparing the site which requires the construction of basic infrastructure and other facilities, such as housing for the workers.
Heavy-duty equipment is used for natural gas extraction, machines that have several components and complex operations. We have provided a brief overview of the process to give you an idea of how the extraction takes place.
