Main-Product

Fuel gas is a broad category of fuels that exist in a gaseous state under ordinary conditions and are burned to release heat or light energy for industrial, commercial, and residential applications.

Composition

Most fuel gases consist of hydrocarbons — primarily methane (CH₄), ethane and propane (C₃H₈) — along with hydrogen (H₂), carbon monoxide (CO), or mixtures of these components. Natural gas, the most widely used fuel gas today, is composed predominantly of methane (typically ~93–95%), with smaller fractions of ethane, propane, butane, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide.

Sources and Types

Fuel gases are classified into two broad groups based on their origin:​

• Naturally occurring: Natural gas extracted from geological formations, often found alongside heavier hydrocarbons in oil and shale deposits

• Manufactured: Gases produced by chemical transformation of solids, liquids, or other gases — including syngas from coal gasification, refinery fuel gas, coke oven gas, and gases from steam reforming of natural gas

Key Properties

Fuel gases are valued for several practical characteristics:

• Easily transmitted and distributed through pipeline networks

• High calorific value (natural gas: 37.0–44.5 MJ/m³ gross)

• Cleaner combustion compared to solid and liquid fuels

• Can be liquefied for storage and transport (e.g., LPG, LNG)

Industrial Context

In refinery and petrochemical settings, fuel gas refers specifically to a process stream — often containing hydrogen, methane, ethane, and light hydrocarbons — that is recovered and used internally to provide energy for facility operations. Because fuel gases are colorless and odorless in their natural state, odorants are added for leak detection safety.