When you fuel up your car or heat your home, do you ever think about where those products come from? Petroleum, natural gas, and other essential fuels travel through miles and miles of industrial pipeline to get from mining sites to your home, business, or local gas station. The different types of oil and gas products play a huge role in pipeline construction and repair. The type of product affects the type of pipeline materials you want to use, which pipe plugs to choose for inspections, and more. Pipeline operators aren’t the only ones who should know their products, though. While the oil and gas industry might feel like a far-off concept, it makes up a critical part of your hometown’s infrastructure. You might not even realize how often you rely on industrial pipelines and the products they deliver. Gain some knowledge about how the oil and gas industry serves you with this guide to the different products that use pipeline transportation.
Natural Gas Products
Natural gas is a fossil fuel that forms deep beneath the earth’s surface. Gas wells and other facilities gather natural gas products and transport them through pipeline systems to homes and businesses across the world. Comprised primarily of methane, natural gas has no odor, color, or taste. Natural gas is also lighter than air. Pipelines that move natural gas will often take it to processing facilities that compress or liquefy the product to make it more versatile for other applications. Some gas pipelines also transport petroleum gas, which consists of hydrocarbons such as propane, butane, and ethane. Like natural gas, petroleum gas is easy to liquefy under pressure. Both petroleum gas and natural gas serve to heat buildings, power stoves, and generate electricity.
Liquid Petroleum Products
In addition to gas, many of the products that use pipeline transportation are liquids. Petroleum pipelines transport a wide variety of these liquid products, including crude oil, natural gas liquids, or refined oil products. Like raw natural gas or petroleum gas, petroleum pipelines often distribute crude oil to processing facilities. There, the product undergoes a refining process to create petroleum products like gasoline or kerosene. As you can imagine, these products and the pipelines that distribute them are crucial for transportation. Cars, planes, and other methods of travel rely on easily accessible liquid petroleum products.
