Natural gas liquids
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
With respect to petroleum production, Natural gas liquids are the liquids that, combined with methane, form unprocessed natural gas. These liquids include ethane, propane, butane, isobutane and natural gasoline (sometimes called condensate). These liquids are used as petrochemical feedstocks, home heating fuels, refinery blending, and can be injected as solvents to enhance heavy oil production.
Before most natural gas is marketed to a distributor or an end-user, it is processed to remove the natural gas liquids (NGLs), which usually have more value on their own than when left in the natural gas. The product that results after NGLs are removed, called plant residue gas, consists primarily, if not exclusively, of methane, which is the natural gas used as heating and cooking fuel. Plant residue gas or methane, is also commonly called natural gas.
After NGLs are removed from natural gas, they are generally reprocessed in a unit called a fractionator to break them out for individual sale as propane, butane and other products.
Natural Gas Liquids should not be mistaken for Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG), Gas to liquid products, or Liquified Natural Gas (LNG).
