What is Liquefied Natural Gas? (Complete Process)

Natural gas occurs deep beneath the earth's surface. Natural gas consists mainly of methane, a compound with one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. Natural gas also contains small amounts of hydrocarbon gas liquids and non-hydrocarbon gases. We use natural gas as a fuel and to make materials and chemicals. It is also used as fuel for vehicles and as a chemical feed stock in the manufacture of plastics and other commercially important organic chemicals. Fossil fuel based natural gas is a non-renewable resource.

Natural gas is a fossil fuel. This means it originates from the remains of plants and animals that lived many millions of years ago. These organisms were buried and exposed to heat as a result of being highly compressed underneath thousands of meters of soil and rock. These forces transformed the once living organisms into natural gas. Geologists, using sophisticated technology, help locate potential pools of natural gas, so they know where to drill a well to extract gas. However, due to the complexity of locating natural gas trapped many metres, and sometimes kilometres, below the surface, the exploration process is not always successful. The natural gas withdrawn from a well is called wet natural gas because it usually contains liquid hydrocarbons and non-hydrocarbon gases. Methane and other useful gases are separated from the wet natural gas near the site of the well or at a natural gas processing plant.

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