What is natural gas?
Natural gas is an efficient energy source primarily composed of methane and is a clean burning fossil fuel used in both power generation and as a transportation fuel. Today, natural gas makes up more than 20 percent of the world's total energy consumption, and growth of consumption for different applications is on the rise.

How is natural gas used?
Natural gas has a wide array of applications ranging from residential, such as heating homes and stove cook-tops, to the generation of electricity with natural gas turbines. Natural gas also fuels cars, buses and large machines in many areas of the world. As technologies are developed and refined, companies continue to find new uses for natural gas.

Why use natural gas?
The abundance of natural gas makes it a secure source of energy to meet power needs for generations to come. This presents the opportunity to use more of this reliable resource to meet growing energy demands with little impact to the environment due to its low emissions.

How is natural gas used in transportation?
Many companies and municipalities are considering converting or purchasing public transportation and fleet vehicles that run on natural gas due to the affordability and abundance of natural gas as a transportation fuel. Some vehicles run on what is known as compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG).

How is natural gas developed?
The natural gas industry has developed natural gas extraction and use safely and responsibly for more than sixty years. Hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling have a strong safety track record within the natural gas industry. These methods of development have enabled companies to amass vast reserves of natural gas supplies that were once thought to be too expensive.
Hydraulic fracturing involves drilling a small hole about 15 inches in diameter more than one mile into the earth's surface. The minimally invasive hole is lined with multiple layers of steel encased in cement to seal off development activities from any fresh water supplies and to allow for the safe extraction of natural gas. Pressurized water, sand and additives (less than 0.5 percent of the overall mixture) are then used to create small, often one millimeter-thick, fissures in carefully targeted sections of the shale rock. This releases the natural gas, allowing it to safely rise to the surface within the self-contained system.

Natural gas development is closely regulated at the state and federal level. Each state is responsible for enforcing these regulations and protecting local water supplies and air quality. 

Click here for a detailed explanation of hydraulic fracturing and the measures taken to protect local water supplies and the environment.

What are "spark-ignited" engines?
Spark-ignited engines only burn gas, which is ignited with a spark plug. They are typically used in continuous speed applications like electric power and gas compression. All of the current Caterpillar engines are spark-ignited.

What are "dual-fuel" engines?
Dual-fuel engines burn both gas and diesel at the same time. The gas is ignited by compression of the diesel. They are typically used in highly transient or very power-dense applications like well-fracturing, rail and mining trucks. Caterpillar will introduce a full line of dual-fuel engines and kits with two technology options: Dynamic Gas Blending (DGB) and High Pressure Direct Injection (HPDI).

Content provided by America's Natural Gas Alliance