Natural Gas Term of the Week: Hydrostatic Test

What it means: A strength test of equipment, a gas transmission or distribution pipe in our case, in which the item is filled with liquid, subjected to suitable pressure, and then shut in, and the pressure monitored.

See it in … read more

Natural Gas Term of the Week: Integrated Resource Plan

What it means: A utility planning method whereby alternative resource mixes including demand-side and supply-side options, are evaluated in order to determine which resource plan minimizes the overall cost of service, subject to reliability and various other constraints.

See it … read more

Natural Gas Term of the Week: Pilot

What it means: A small flame, which is utilized to ignite the gas at the main burner(s).

See it in action: Something has to start the combustion necessary for natural gas to work in your home appliances; the pilot’s small … read more

Natural Gas Term of the Week: Throughput

What it means: Volume of natural gas that may be carried on a pipeline over a period of time. All gas volumes delivered.

See it in action: Natural gas pipelines utilize a variety of operating pressures in order to send … read more

Japan is first to tap methane hydrates

Methane hydrates are sometimes held up as the holy grail when we talk about potential energy resources. These deposits are stored as a frozen mix of methane and water in deep ocean pockets in every ocean, in total they are … read more

Natural Gas Term of the Week: 811

What it means: A national, federally mandated “call before you dig” number available to anyone. Calling 811 before digging alerts your local “one call” center about your plans to dig and sends out qualified professionals to mark the underground utilities … read more

Natural Gas Term of the Week: City Gate

What it means: A point or measuring station at which a gas distribution company receives gas from a pipeline company or transmission system.

See it in action: The city gate serves an important role in the natural gas distribution network, … read more

NWGA Gets a Mention in The Economist

In case you missed it, NWGA Executive Director, Dan Kirschner, was mentioned in “The Economist” last week, discussing hydraulic fracturing and the Western U.S.

So pull that February 16 issue off your bedside table and give it a read. If … read more

Natural Gas Term of the Week: Working Gas

What it means: Gas in storage which is available for withdrawal during a normal injection and withdrawal cycle.

See it in action: The northwest is a winter peaking region. We see our highest gas demand during the rainy winter months, … read more

Natural Gas Term of the Week: Unconventional Gas

What it means: Natural gas that cannot be economically produced using current technology.

See it in action: The past few years have seen previously unconventional gas, in the form of deep shale resources, become conventional via the successful use of … read more