Offshore GOM 101
 
 
Natural Gas Primer
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Hydrocarbons are naturally-occurring chains of carbon atoms surrounded by hydrogen atoms. Natural gas is 99+% methane (CH4), the smallest and simplest hydrocarbon, and the lightest one by molecular
 
Size matters - Smaller is better
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The small size of the methane molecule explains several advantages of natural gas as a resource and as a fuel. As a gas, it is highly compressible and has a very low viscosity; these properties make
 
Billions and Billions
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Gas and oil are commonly, though not always, found together. Most oil wells produce some gas. Many gas wells produce condensate, a natural gas liquid made up of lighter liquid hydrocarbons. Some gas
 
The Big Picture
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The United States consumes roughly 23 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas per year. About 4 TCF are imported, and 3.5 TCF of that is from Canada. The remained comes in as Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) in
 
Rigs vs. Platforms 2
Monday, August 11, 2008
The platform above houses four wells. There is a production facility that separates and measures the wells’ production. The gas and condensate are sold into a pipeline.
 
Visible at left is the
 
In which intrepid RedState diarist Vladimir attempts to illustrate some fundamentals of Gulf of Mexico energy development as they relate to current policy debates...