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To really understand, you must invest in your knowledge and practise continually. Know-how and skills are the basis of becoming (or staying) successful.
So I'll tell you some ins and outs about natural gas.
Human nose
In the advanced natural gas industry the last safety tests are done by the human nose, but in contrast to traditional coal gas, natural gas has no aroma. As a leak in a pipe-line would not be noticed and could lead to an explosion, a solution had to be found.
Specialists were employed to create and add an odour that makes people think they are smelling gas. These specialists, or odour analysts, smell the gas to check the test equipment.
Natural gas is extracted from below ground or from under the sea bed. The main component is methane. This is also called marsh gas because it bubbles up from the bottom of marshes.
The heavy or strong odour that accompanies marsh gas is caused by rotting plants. Methane gas itself has no aroma.
Natural gas was introduced in the USA in the 1920s but not into Europe until the 1950s. Because of its lack of smell, organic sulphur combinations were tested as a substitute.
The ideal odour had to be unique and strong. It had to be an odour that wouldn't become absorbed by soil; if it were, a leak would not be noticed. It also had to be harmless to the environment and not lead to corrosion. After intensive research the right formula was finally found.
Strong odour
The liquid odour is added to the gas when it leaves the processing plant. It is very strong; 1.5 kilograms is sufficient for 100,000 m3 gas.
Despite all aromatic additions, leaks in underground pipe-lines are still possible.
At regular intervals, gas technicians 'travel' along the pipe-lines with gauging equipment that is a thousand times more sensitive than the human nose.
It gives the expression 'having a nose for business' a whole different, safety-conscious meaning, doesn't it?
Jerry de Leeuw, Managing Director, Mercurious
