Patent ID: 7729976

Claim:
A method for short term trading in gas, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining storage rights to at least a portion of one or more low pressure underground salt formation storage facilities; connecting a natural gas pipeline directly to the interior of the one or more low pressure underground salt formation storage facilities; maintaining the pressure of the natural gas in the pipeline at nominally the same pressure as that of the one or more low pressure underground salt formation storage facilities, thereby allowing for flow both into the low pressure underground salt formation storage facilities from the natural gas pipeline and from the natural gas pipeline to the low pressure underground salt formation storage facilities through a single natural gas pipeline, and enabling rapid reversal of flow direction in a time less than twenty-four hours, such that when the supply of the gas is greater than the demand for the gas, a gas facility computer system configured for controlling gas flow into and out of the low pressure underground salt formation storage facilities diverts a portion of the natural gas from the natural gas pipeline to the low pressure underground salt formation storage facilities by using or creating a nominal pressure increase in the natural gas pipeline and when the demand of the natural gas is greater than the supply of the natural gas, the gas facility computer system diverts a portion of the gas from the low pressure underground salt formation storage facilities into the natural gas pipeline by using or creating a nominal pressure decrease in the natural gas of the low pressure underground salt formation storage facilities; and using a trading system configured to make short term trades related to natural gas to make at least one short term trade related to natural gas by receiving gas into or providing gas out of the one or more low pressure underground salt formation storage facilities using the gas facility computer system, wherein the trading system is operable to conduct at least one additional short term trade within a time less than twenty-four hours using the rapid reversal of flow direction.