Natural gas is a fossil fuel as well as one of the principal sources of energy for many of our day-to-day activities. It is a vital component of the world's energy supply and is one of the cleanest, safest and most useful of all energy sources.
Raw natural gas is a mixture of different gases. The main ingredient is methane, a natural compound that is formed whenever plant and animal matter decays. By itself natural gas is colorless, shapeless and odorless; a combustible gaseous mixture that gives off a great deal of energy when burned. Natural gas is considered "dry" when it consists of mostly methane. It is called "wet" when other hydrocarbons such as ethane, propane or butane are present.
Found in reservoirs beneath the earth's surface, natural gas is commonly associated with oil deposits. Production companies search for evidence of natural gas reservoirs by using sophisticated technology. Natural gas can be found in porous rock formations by itself or in petroleum deposits.
After extraction natural gas is refined to remove impurities such as water, other gases, sand and other compounds. Some hydrocarbons, including propane and butane, are removed from natural gas and sold separately. After processing, the clean natural gas is transported through a network of pipelines and delivered to end-users.
SemGroup's Involvement
In the United States, SemGas® owns and operates 800 miles of gathering pipelines in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas and processing plants in Sherman, Texas; Nash, Oklahoma and Hopeton, Oklahoma.
In Canada, SemCAMS owns and operates four processing plants located in the heart of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, the home of 80 percent of Canada’s sour natural gas production.