What is one of the functions of the gathering system in natural gas production?

The gathering system in natural gas production plays a crucial role in the early stages of the gas supply chain. Its primary function is to collect raw fuel gas from production wells. This involves the collection of gas that has been extracted from the reservoir, before it undergoes processing or transportation.

In this phase, the raw gas often contains impurities such as water, sand, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide, which need to be separated out during the subsequent processing stages. By effectively collecting this raw fuel gas from multiple wells and bringing it to processing facilities, the gathering system ensures that the gas is suitably prepared for refinement and eventual delivery to end users.

While refining, transportation, and distribution are essential components of the entire gas supply chain, they occur after the gathering system has already performed its vital function of collecting gas from the production wells.