26 
BULLETIN 102, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 
conditions, part of these vapors are condensed and then precipitated 
in the form of a liquid, and will give trouble in choiring up the line, 
and the water may freeze, closing the line entirely. 
The gasoline will soften and decompose the rubbers in the couplers. 
This is due to the solvent action of the gasoline on the rubber, and 
the immediate effect will be to cause the joints to leak, thereby greatly 
increasing the leakage loss. 
The general tendency of natural gas is to become wetter as the well 
becomes older, and, therefore, natural gas from a new well that may 
be so dry as not to yield 
/00 ~Y any gasoline at all, may 
yield gasoline in com- 
mercial quantities after 
the well has been in use 
for several years. The 
removal of the gasoline 
and water vapor car- 
ried by natural gas is 
desirable from the con- 
sumers’ viewpoint for 
the following reasons : 
1. Heating value is 
little disturbed, the re- 
moval of the gasoline 
from dry natural gas 
lowering the heating- 
value only about 2 per 
cent. 
2. Gasoline vapor 
exists in such a form 
that practically none 
of it ever can be deliv- 
ered to the ultimate con- 
sumer. 
8. The condensed gas- 
oline vapors will injure 
the rubber in the cou- 
£%POPT£P TO PPPA/S/ZI/A/V/A, 
MAPTLA/VO, EE/VTOC/Of 
/A 'P/AA/A A A/P OP/O 67% 
TF/ELP AA/P MA/A/L/PE- - -7% 
/A/PPSTP/AL 
POMES77C- 
\ CAP30A/ PLACE- 
--//% 
FIG. 9. USES OF WEST VIRGINIA NATURAL GAS IN 1917 
piers and in this way increase the leakage of the transmission line. 
4. The condensed water vapor will freeze, causing interruption of 
service, or disturbed and fluctuating pressure conditions. 
5. The removal of water and gasoline by blowing the drips re- 
sults in a large waste of natural gas. 
6. The drying of the gas tends to stabilize the gas service by de- 
creasing line troubles. 
