Show FROM NATURAL GAS the condensation of gasoline from natural gas is the title of bulletin 88 just issued by the bureau of mines george A durrell frank al seibert and G G oberfell authors this report treats of a method of preventing some of the waste of the natural gas incidental to oil mining this method the conden astion of casolene ga solene from natural gas offers to the oil operator and others a profitable means of utilizing some of the oil well gas now being wasted the most desired constituent of crude oil is obtained tile the production of oil is not hindered and the gas after the extraction of casolene ga solene can be returned to the leased area to drive pumps or into pipe lines for uses to which natural gas is ordinarily put generally with its fuel value lessened only in a slight degree the authors says gas may be found in a sand and separate sep arate from oil it may be found in more than one sand separate from tile the oil or the gas sand may bs be just above and in contact with the oil sand A given sand may produce oil and gas in one place and in another part of a gas only gas may come from the same sand as tile the oil itself it is this manner of occurrence of gas and oil that the authors desire to emphasize for under these conditions the gas is frequently mixed with enough or of the casolene ga solene of the oil to warrant the erection of a plant for the purpose of condensing the casolene ga solene the gas usually finds its way to the atillo atmosphere sphere through the space between the casing of the well and the tubing inserted for the removal of the oil this gas is the so called casing head gas at the beginning of an oil flow when the flow is natural a large quantity of gas escapes to the air through the same tubing as the oil where the gas finds its exit to the atmosphere mo sphere apart from the oil at the casing head it is a simple matter to make pipe connections between the casing head and any desired points where the gas is to be utilized this is frequently done when the supply of casing head gas is sufficient to warrant its utilization but frequently when the supply exceeds the small demands of the lease the excess is wasted when a well is first drilled the quantity y of gas escaping with the oil from the tubing is frequently enormous being to feet or more at times this gas is wasted the flow in time diminishes when gas comes with the oil in the flow pipe the two are often separated by means of a gas trap the oil entering the top of a drum settles to the bottom and is withdrawn and the gas flows off at the top many of the plants in california utilizes gas that flows with the oil for condensing son densing casolene ga solene one casolene ga solene plant in the gushing cushing field oklahoma also uses trap gas A new type of trap for saving gas from gushers bushers and separating the gaso lene is described in this report oil wells that have passed the flowing stage and are being pumped may still continue to give off much gas at the casing head the quantity may vary from little or nothing at some wells to cubic feet or more at others when enough of the gas is available it is used for pumping on the lease the excess being wasted A steam pumping engine of fifty horsepower requires about cubic feet of gas for ten hours operation from twelve to fifteen cubic feet of natural gas is needed per horsepower hour for gas engines that are used on leases for pumping oil wells if there is not enough of the gas available for working pumps it is all allowed to go to waste or perhaps some is used for heat ing and lighting a few scattered houses on the lease tile the efficient utilization of the wasting casing head gas is a difficult problem the many miles of pipe that would have to be laid to transport it from froin a field would usually be an unwarranted expense however some towns among which may be warren pa and sisters ville W va are lighted and heated largely with casing head gas 1 as the bulletin also treats of the effect ot of drilling neighboring wells the effect effe ct ol of formation of waxy sediment the history of the making of casolene ga solene from natural gas the chemistry of natural gas and many other matters of interest along these lines in general however the oil man considers casing head gas as waste gas and its escape necessary in oil well operations to permit the maximum flow of oil into tile the well from the surrounding strata |