Chemical Composition of Natural Gas

Chemical Composition of Natural Gas

Raw natural gas is mainly methane (CH4),but may contain other compounds that must be separated from the
methane before the gas can be used commercially. Such impurities, which vary by location and characteristics of the
gas reservoir, include:
Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) are heavier hydrocarbons that are separated as liquids in processing plants. NGLs
include propane (C3H8), butane (C4H10), pentane (C5H12), hexane (C6H14), and heptane (C7H16). [1]
Condensates
Water
Gaseous components including Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Nitrogen (N2), Helium (He), Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S), and
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)
Mercury: Mercury is usually found in most natural gas reservoirs in a very small concentrations. Mercury is
removed until its concentration is below the current detectable threshold of 1ppt (parts-per-trillion).[2]
Commonly, "natural gas" or "gas" refers to a commercially viable gas from which impurities have been stripped
according to specifications established by natural gas distribution companies. The composition of the natural gas that
is delivered to customers can vary depending on characteristics of the raw natural gas. The chemical composition of
natural gas [3] is as follows:

Typical Chemical Composition of natural gas on the Union Gas system[4]

Component

Typical Analysis (mole %) Range (mole %)

Methane

95.2

87.0-96.0

Ethane

2.5

1.5-5.1

Propane

0.2

0.1-1.5

iso-Butane

0.03

0.01-0.3

normal-Butane

0.03

0.01-0.3

iso-Pentane

0.01

trace-0.14

normal-Pentane 0.01

trace-0.04

Hexane plus

0.01

trace-0.06

Nitrogen

1.3

0.7-5.6

Carbon Dioxide 0.7

0.1-1.0

Oxygen

0.02

0.01-0.1

Hydrogen

trace

trace-0.02

Specific Gravity 0.58

0.57-0.62

Chemical Composition of Natural Gas

References
[1] Schlumberegr Oil Field Services (http:/ / www. glossary. oilfield. slb. com/ Display. cfm?Term=natural gas liquids#L)
[2] UOP Honeywell (http:/ / www. uop. com/ objects/ 87MercuryRemoval. pdf) Because mercury can be so harmful to human health, it is
important to note that no traceable portion of the mercury in the air today comes from natural gas. See Effects on Human Health and
Longevity.
[3] Union Gas Limited : About Us (http:/ / www. uniongas. com/ aboutus/ #L)
[4] Union Gas Limited : Chemical Composition of Natural Gas (http:/ / www. uniongas. com/ aboutus/ aboutng/ composition. asp#L)

Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors

Chemical Composition of Natural Gas Source: http://www.shalegaswiki.com/index.php?oldid=2704 Contributors: Jswerdlow