Natural Gas

Gabe Reber and Joe Sheaffer

Chemistry
made up of a number of different compounds
(Essential Energy, 2015)

o
o

primarily methane (CH4)

small amounts of ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8),
and butane (C4H10)

methane is hydrocarbon -- organic, highly

combustible molecule
fossil fuel

Climate Central

History
Was first used for gas lamps in England in
the late 18th century (NaturalGas.org, 2013)
First natural gas well built in 1821 by William
Hart in Fredonia, NY
Eventually overtaken by electric lights
Wasnt used again until effective
transportation methods invented after WWII

Modern Uses

generates electricity
residential uses
industrial uses
recently, transportation
Americas Natural Gas Alliance, 2015

Residential Uses
becoming increasingly common in houses
and other residences
space heating
o

most efficient method

cooking, water heating

homes are more recently being fitted with
gas heating -- 70% of current homes
(ANGA, 2015)

Industrial Use
more space heating
o

factories, offices

manufacturing
o
o

used as raw material

fertilizer, cosmetics, electronics, plastics, etc.

ebay

industrial heating
o
o

steam
steel industry
(NaturalGas.org, 2015)

Electricity Generation
growing area of natural gas usage
one common method is called combined
cycle
natural gas is burnt in gas turbine
exhaust gases run through water
steam produced, goes through 2nd turbine
up to 50% efficiency

Diagram

http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/images/ce/NaturalGas-Combined-Cycle-Power-Plant-Diagram.jpg

Efficiency
tends to be comparatively efficient
much more efficient than oil in terms of
space heating (Scientific American, 2011)
through combined cycle have increased
efficiency of power plants (EEP, 2012)
33% vs. 68%
increased efficiency less burning,
emissions

Hydrofracking Process
1. Drill a horizontal well into shale
2. Flood well with large amounts of water, sand,
proppants and lubricants
3. Small cracks are created from this process
4. Previously unreachable gas can now be
collected
Pierce, 2012

Crawford, 2014

Availability
48 shale basins around the world, containing
70 shale formations
o
o

5760 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas

vast amount of untapped reserves

Sovacool, 2014

Business and Industry

Worlds fastest growing fossil fuel in use in 2010
(Pierce, 2012)

32% increase in production since 2005

Economic impact of Eagle Ford shale of south

Texas was more than $87 billion in 2013

(Helman, 2014)

Advantages of Natural Gas

Natural gas typically ranges from $2 to $3 per thousand
feet of cubic feet of gas
o 50-66% cheaper than conventional gas wells

Further advances in technology have potential to drive

down prices even more
Lower admissions of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and
mercury from natural gas than from coal and oil
Sovacool, 2014

Advantages (continued)
Decreasing dependency on foreign oil
o

Replacing gasoline and oil with natural gas

It is a profitable expenditure
o

Both businesses and individuals are able to prosper

Environmental Impact (Water)

Drill sites requires 2.7-3.9 million gallons of water per
well (Sovacool, 2014)
Water used in fracking process becomes contaminated
This water must be disposed of properly
There are accounts of contaminated water wells near
drilling sites
Sovacool, 2014

Environmental Impact (Air)

Methane is released into atmosphere during
fracking process
Methane is 20% more damaging than CO2
Its emissions are 130-200% worse than those
from conventional natural gas drilling.
Sovacool, 2014

Policy
The United States has had very relaxed regulation on
fracking
o This has allowed for the industry to rapidly increase
o It has led to negative environmental ramifications

Recently, the EPA has proposed stiffer regulation on the

fracking industry (Oil and Natural Gas Air Pollution Standards, 2015)
New York instituted a ban on fracking (Conca, 2014)

Conclusions
Natural gas has a lot of potential in the
immediate future
It cannot be a viable energy fuel source for
the long-term due to environmental impact
Negative environmental effects make it
dangerous to humans

References
Chemical of the Week -- Methane. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015.
Cleveland, C. (2004). Natural Gas. In Encyclopedia of energy (Vol. 3, pp. 879-884). Amsterdam: Elsevier Academic Press.
Climate Central. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2015.
Conca, J. (2014, December 27). New York Fracking Ban Contrary to State's Energy Future. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
Crawford, A. (2014, November 19). The Shale Revolution. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
Crawford, C. (2014, September 25). America's Energy Outlook Is Fracking Great, For Now. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
Ebay.(n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2015.
Energy Efficiency. (2015). Retrieved April 16, 2015.
Fossil Fuels - IER. (2015). Retrieved April 17, 2015.
Methanol Basics. (2011). Retrieved April 18, 2015.
NaturalGas.org. (2013, September 20). Retrieved April 17, 2015.
How It's Used - America's Natural Gas Alliance. (2015). Retrieved April 27, 2015.
Oil and Natural Gas Air Pollution Standards. (2015). Retrieved April 19, 2015.
Oil vs. Natural Gas for Home Heating: Which Costs More? (2011, December 30). Retrieved April 27, 2015.
Pierce, M. A. (Ed.). (2012). Encyclopedia of Energy. Ipswich, MA, USA: Salem Press.
Ramireddy, V. (2012, August 25). An Overview of Combined Cycle Power Plant. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
Sovacool, B. (2014). Cornucopia or Curse? Reviewing the Costs and Benefits of Shale Gas Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking). Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 37, 249-264.
U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis. (2015). Retrieved April 16, 2015.
What is Natural Gas? (2015). Retrieved April 27, 2015.
NaturalGas.org. (2013, September 20). Retrieved April 28, 2015, from http://naturalgas.org/overview/uses-industrial/