Mercaptan serves what purpose in natural gas?

Mercaptan serves what purpose in natural gas?

• A. A cleaning solvent used in pipelines
• B. A corrosion inhibitor added to gas
• C. A fuel additive that increases energy content
• D. A chemical added to give natural gas an identifiable odor so it can be detected by customers when 0.5% gas is in the air

Answer: (D)

Gas is odorless and invisible, so mercaptan is added as an odorant to make leaks detectable by smell. This sulfur-containing compound has a very strong, distinctive odor (often described as rotten eggs) even when only a small amount is present in the gas. By odorizing natural gas, customers can notice a leak before it becomes dangerous, typically at low concentrations in the air. It’s not used as a cleaning solvent, a corrosion inhibitor, or a fuel additive that boosts energy content; those roles would not enhance safety in the way odorization does. Ethyl mercaptan and tert-butyl mercaptan are common odorants used for this purpose.

Gas is odorless and invisible, so mercaptan is added as an odorant to make leaks detectable by smell. This sulfur-containing compound has a very strong, distinctive odor (often described as rotten eggs) even when only a small amount is present in the gas. By odorizing natural gas, customers can notice a leak before it becomes dangerous, typically at low concentrations in the air. It’s not used as a cleaning solvent, a corrosion inhibitor, or a fuel additive that boosts energy content; those roles would not enhance safety in the way odorization does. Ethyl mercaptan and tert-butyl mercaptan are common odorants used for this purpose.