Natural gas is an abundant clean-burning fuel that provides an important part of the overall energy usage in the United States.  Gas (CH4), also known as methane, undergoes a number of processes as it is transported from wellhead to end-user, and many of these steps require filtration of the product.  Impurities such as pipe scale, iron sulfide, hydrates, water, liquid hydrocarbons, sulfur products and carbon dioxide must be removed before it is deemed “pipeline quality”.

Natural Gas Well and “Christmas Tree”

The following map shows the network of pipelines that transport natural gas throughout the United States, as monitored by our Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Interstate Gas Pipelines

Notice the spider-webs of pipelines in the Gulf area, in western Texas, in the panhandle of Oklahoma and in western Pennsylvania.  Several pipelines come in from Canada.  Most of the gas is pumped to the upper Midwest and industrial sectors of the Northeast.

The natural gas is pumped in large underground pipelines, often 24” to 36” in diameter, at pressures of up to 3000 psig, traveling about 60 feet per second (approximately 40 miles per hour).

Natural Gas Pipeline & Compressor Station

These “compressor stations”, as they are called, are positioned about every 100 miles up the pipeline, to boost pressures and maintain flow.