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Oil, Gas & Mining vocabulary · Production & Offshore

Natural gas

Meaning in oil, gas & mining, with examples

/ˌnætʃərəl ˈɡæs/nounCore term

In oil, gas & mining, natural gas means: A gas fuel found underground, made mostly of methane and often found with oil. It is used for heating, cooking, power plants and as a raw material for industry.

In Turkish: doğal gaz

How it is used

In the industry often just 'gas'. Volumes are given in cubic metres (bcm, billion cubic metres) or cubic feet (Mcf, MMscf, Tcf). Gas found together with oil is called associated gas. Gas is sent by pipeline or cooled into LNG and shipped.

Example sentences

  1. The new offshore field will deliver natural gas to the onshore processing plant by pipeline.

  2. Demand for natural gas peaks in winter, when households turn on their heating.

Common collocations

  • natural gas field
  • natural gas reserves
  • associated gas
  • natural gas supply
  • methaneA colourless, odourless gas (CH4) that is the main part of natural gas. In coal mines it is released from the coal and can explode when mixed with air.
  • LNGShort for liquefied natural gas: natural gas cooled to about minus 162°C so it becomes a liquid that takes up around 600 times less space and can be shipped by tanker.
  • pipelineA long line of connected pipes, often buried or laid on the seabed, used to carry oil, gas, water or slurry over long distances.
  • compressor stationA facility along a gas pipeline that uses compressors to raise the pressure of the gas so that it keeps flowing over long distances.
  • flaringBurning unwanted natural gas through a tall pipe called a flare at a well site, platform or plant, either for safety or because the gas cannot be used or sold.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Production & Offshore

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