1. Natural gas networks: a brief history

1.1 Natural gas in the United States

The United States has been a pioneer in natural gas development since the 1930s. Gas is either associated with oil or "dry". We're looking for oil, but discovering gas can be profitable if there's an accessible potential market. Natural gas is a mixture whose main constituent is methane (CH ₄ ). This gas needs to be purified and can be transported in pipelines, but must be under pressure (usually 70 bar) to increase the flow rate. It can be stored in underground reservoirs, either in aquifers or in salt caverns, in order to manage the variability of...