Natural Gas

Alex Miller
Grace Ninesling
Robia Colbert
What is Natural Gas?
Combustible mixture of hydrocarbon gases
Colorless, odorless, shapeless


http://naturalgas.org/overview/backgroun
d/
Formation
http://gasandpreservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Natural-Gas-from-
Shale-How-Where-and-Why_Ferguson_GAPP.pdf
History
First reported in 100 AD
Britain- first country to commercialize the use of
natural gas
1785- natural gas produced from coal used to
light houses and streetlights
First well in 1821 in Fredonia, New York by
William Hart
Invention of Bunsen Burner caused expansion
into heating and cooking industries
Only local until pipelines were built
After WWII, pipeline infrastructure was widely
expanded
Next advancement: Horizontal Drilling and
Hydraulic Fracturing

http://naturalgas.org/overview/history/
http://www.c2es.org/energy/source/natu
ral-gas
Traditional
Horizontal
http://energyforum.fiu.edu/pub-pres/2013/don-
mcclure-presentation-conference-natural-gas-
2013-03-26.pptx
http://sites.lafayette.edu/egrs251-fa11-fracking/what-is-hydraulic-fracturing/
http://www.eenews.net/special_reports/gas_rush/
LNG vs. CNG
Liquefied Natural Gas
Converted to liquid form for ease of
transport
Takes up about 1/600th the volume
of natural gas in the gaseous state
Liquefaction involves removal of
certain components, such as dust,
gases, water, and heavy
hydrocarbons
Condensed into a liquid at close to
atmospheric pressure by cooling into
approximately -162 C
LNG is principally used for
transporting natural gas to markets,
where it is regasified and distributed
as pipeline natural gas
Compressed Natural Gas
Can be used in place of petroleum,
diesel fuel, and propane.
Combustion produces fewer
undesirable gases
Safer than other fuels in event of a
spill
Made by compressing natural gas to
less than 1 percent of volume it
occupies at standard atmospheric
pressure
Stored and distributed in hard
containers
Used in traditional gasoline/internal
combustion engine automobiles
that have been modified or in
vehicles which were manufactured
for CNG use
http://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/AlaskaGas/Report3/Report_
OFC_2011_LongRdNaturalGasVeh.pdf
http://energyforum.fiu.edu/pub-pres/2013/don-
mcclure-presentation-conference-natural-gas-
2013-03-26.pptx
Electricity
http://www.edfenergy.com/energyfuture/generation-gas
Other
More than 62% of homes use natural gas to fuel stoves,
furnaces, water heaters, clothes dryers, and other
household appliances
The commercial sector primarily uses natural gas for heating
The largest proportion of natural gas goes to industry, where
its used for production of paper, glass, clothing, and many
other important products
Used as an essential feedstock in common products,
including fertilizer, plastics, paint, and even medicines
A small amount of natural gas goes to the transportation
sector, fueling buses, trucks, and other vehicles

Economic Impacts
Cost effective for community energy demand
Residential heating, manufacturing, shipping packaging, commercial
heating
Adds money to economy 238 billion to U.S. GDP in 2012
Creates new jobs 2.1 million new jobs in 2012
Construction, operation, transportation
Lowers cost of energy
$3.77 per thousand cubic feet, 60% lower than a decade before
Equivalent to $21 for a barrel of oil, $60 less than the $89 price of the time
Decrease will add $2700 per household that uses natural gas per
year
Eventually have option of exporting
would add 42.64 billion dollars to the U.S. GDP







http://www.lasequia.cat/montsalat/Premsa/ALERTAMINERA%202012122
6.pdf
Environment- Pros
Fewer emissions
Re-burning
Cogeneration
Fuel Cells
Environment
Greenhouse gases
Water vapor, carbon
dioxide, methane,
nitrogen oxides,
engineered chemicals



Environment- Fracking
Contamination of
groundwater
Methane pollution and its
impact on climate change
Air pollution impacts
Exposure to toxic
chemicals
Blowouts due to gas
explosion
Waste disposal
Large volume water use in
water-deficient regions
Fracking-induced
earthquakes
Workplace safety
Infrastructure degradation

Conclusion
Neither best nor worse energy resource
Best fossil fuel based on efficiency and environmental
impact
Worse than renewables environmentally
Fracking is a large negative environmentally, but a
positive economically
References

Bambrick, Gail. "Fracking: Pro and Con." Tufts Now. Tufts University, 11 Dec.
2012. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. <http://now.tufts.edu/articles/
fracking-pro-and-con>.
Ebinger, Charles K., and Govinda Avasarala. "The Case for U.S. Liquefied
Natural
Gas Exports." Brookings. The Brookings Institution, Feb. 2013. Web. 9 Apr.
2014. <http://www.brookings.edu/research/articles/2013/02/
us-lng-exports-ebinger-avasarala>.
Efstathiou, Jim. "Fracking Boom Seen Raising Household Incomes by $1,200."
Bloomberg. Bloomberg, 4 Sept. 2013. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-04/
fracking-boom-seen-raising-household-incomes-by-1-200.html>.
Fossil Energy Office of Communications. "Natural Gas Fueling the Blue Flame."
U.S. Department of Energy. U.S. Department of Energy, 12 Feb. 2013. Web. 22
Mar. 2014.
<http://www.fossil.energy.gov/education/energylessons/gas/gas_history.html>.


References Cont.
"Frequently Asked Questions About LNG." California Energy Commission. State of
California, 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2014. <http://www.energy.ca.gov/lng/
faq.html#100>.
Howarth, Robert, Drew Shindell, Renee Santoro, Anthony Ingraffea, Nathan Phillips, and Amy
Townsend-Small. Methane Emissions from Natural Gas Systems. Tech. N.p., 25 Feb. 2012. Web. 3
Apr. 2014.
"Liquefied Natural Gas: Understanding the Basic Facts." Energy.gov. U.S. Department of Energy,
Aug. 2005. Web. Mar. 27. <http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2013/04/f0/LNG_primerupd.pdf>.
"What is Fracking?" Hydraulic Fracturing in the Lehigh Valley. Lafayette
College, n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. <http://sites.lafayette.edu/
egrs251-fa11-fracking/what-is-hydraulic-fracturing/>.
"Why Natural Gas." ANGA. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. <http://anga.us/why-natural-
gas/abundant#.UzoXpfldUrV>.
Zobak, Mark, Saya Kitasei, and Brad Copithorne. "Addressing the Environmental Risks from Shale
Gas Development." Worldwatch.org. Worldwatch Institute, July 2010. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.