Natural-gas processing Natural-gas processing Natural-gas processing is a complex industrial process designed to clean raw natural gas by separating impurities and various non-methane hydrocarbons and fluids to produce what is known as "pipeline quality" dry natural gas. Natural-gas processing begins at the well head. The composition of the raw natural gas extracted from producing wells depends on the type, depth, and location of the underground deposit and the geology of the area. Oil and natural gas are often found together in the same reservoir. The natural gas produced from oil wells is generally classified as "associated-dissolved", meaning that the natural gas is
Natural-gas processing associated with or dissolved in crude oil. Natural gas production absent any association with crude oil is classified as “non-associated.” In 2009, 89 percent of U.S. wellhead production of natural gas was non-associated. Natural-gas processing plants purify raw natural gas by removing common contaminants such as water, carbon dioxide (CO) and hydrogen sulfide (HS). Some of the substances which contaminate natural gas have economic value and are further processed or sold. A fully operational plant delivers pipeline-quality dry natural gas that can be used as fuel by residential, commercial and industrial consumers. Raw natural gas comes primarily from any one