Two new gas fields discovered in Saudi Arabia

Background

Natural gas lies in the ground at a depth of from a thousand meters to several kilometers. Gas is available for production at depths of up to 6,000 meters. The main method of gas production is well drilling.
In the depths, the gas is located in small pores connected by cracks, and rushes into the drilled well at a pressure that is several times higher than atmospheric pressure. In cases where the gas is contained in the sealed pores of the rock, the hydraulic fracturing method is used. At the same time, in order to destroy the partitions between the pores, water or air is pumped into the well under high pressure.
The produced gas is purified from sand, water and other undesirable impurities using special equipment, after which ethyl mercaptan is added to it, which has a characteristic odor that makes it possible to detect a gas leak.
Main pipelines are the main way of gas transportation. Gas pipelines can be ground, underground and underwater. At certain intervals, compressor stations are built on gas pipelines to maintain a pressure of at least 75 atmospheres in the gas pipeline.
Gas can also be transported in liquefied form. To do this, it is cooled below 20 degrees and / or compressed to a pressure above 100 kilopascals. After that, the gas can be transported on special gas carriers. Small quantities of liquefied natural gas (LNG) are sometimes transported in special tanks by road or rail. To use LNG, it is necessary to regasify – turn it into a gaseous state.