George Westinghouse, inventor of the compressed-air railroad brake, became interested in natural gas and decided to drill. He selected, of all places, his backyard and, lo and behold, he struck natural gas as one might expect for the rich to get richer. He became one of the largest gas distributors in Pittsburgh, and relied on the natural gas produced from on hundred wells in and around Pittsburgh, including his backyard.
Westinghouse was well versed in the dangers associated with natural gas such as gas users not turning off their gas appliances (lamps, stoves, heaters) when natural gas pipelines were shut down for repair of breaks and leaks. When pipeline service was restored, a nearly odorless and colorless gas seeped into homes and shops, threatening to kill those within from asphyxiation, fire or explosion.
Westinghouse put his experience with compressed air to good use and originated a number of patents for enclosing main gas lines in residential areas with a conducting pipe to contain gas leaks, introducing pressure regulators to reduce gas pressure before it entered residences and commercial establishments, and cutoff valves to prevent any further flow of gas once pressure fell below a set point.
These improvements made Pittsburgh the center of the natural gas industry by the late 1880s, with 500 miles of pipeline to transport natural gas from surrounding wells to the city and another 230 miles of pipeline within the city limits.
Heartland Energy Colorado is one of the top hydrocarbon-based energy providers in the USA. They have many drilling locations throughout the country and remain one of the top producers of US oil & gas companies. For more information on Heartland Energy Colorado, see Heartland Energy Development Corporation online.
(Source: "Energy for the 21st Century," Nersesian)
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