Processing from Field to Gas Plant

Most natural gas needs to be processed to remove impurities such as water, CO₂ and H₂S. NGLs (propane and butane) are also typically separated from the gas at this point. However, much natural gas does need to be cleaned up, either at the well (field processing) or a regional gas plant.

Getting natural gas from the wellhead to the final customer usually involves multiple processing steps. A natural gas pipeline system begins at the natural gas producing well or field. Once the gas leaves the producing well, a pipeline gathering system directs the flow either to a natural gas processing plant or directly to the mainline transmission grid, depending upon the initial quality of the wellhead product. Many times, further processing of the gas is needed before it is ready to be marketed. The actual practice of moving and processing natural gas from the wellhead to gas ready for market can be quite complex, but usually involves four processes:

• Processing of Natural Gas at the Wellhead (field processing)

• Gathering Lines/Compression Stations

• Gathering Operations-Lines/Dehydration

• Final Processing at Gas Plants

Each activity is potentially impacted by federal environmental regulations. Click on the links above to learn more.