Natural Gasses

ME 233A: Materials Science and Engineering for ME

TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERTSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES VISAYAS

Table of contents

01 02 03
Description Origins Migration

04 05 06
History of its Uses Advantages and Conventional and
Disadvantages Unconventional Gas
Deposits
07 08
Types of Natural Gas
Others
Energy
 What is Natural Gas?
• Like oil, natural gas is a product of decomposed
organic matter, typically from ancient marine
microorganisms, deposited over the past 550 million
years.
• Sealed off in an oxygen-free environment and
exposed to increasing amounts of heat and pressure.
• Mixture of gasses which are rich in hydrocarbons.
• Naturally found in the atmosphere
• Composed of four hydrocarbon atoms and one
carbon (CH4 or methane)
• Cleanest fossil fuel; odorless and colorless in its
natural state
 Origins
• Natural gas reserves are deep inside the earth near
other solid & liquid hydrocarbon beds like coal and
crude oil.
• Began as microscopic plants and animals living in
shallow marine environments millions of years ago.
• They absorbed energy from the sun, which was stored
as carbon molecules in their bodies.
• As organic feedstock became buried deeper in the
earth, heat, combines with the pressure of compaction,
converted some of the biomaterial into natural gas.
 Migration
• Natural gas has a tendency to migrate
within the sediments and rocks.
• Some natural gas actually makes it to
the surface and shows up in seeps
• Other gas molecules travel until they
are trapped or impeded by
impermeable layers of rock, shale,
salt or clay.
(where we find natural gas today)
 The Earth’s Cleanest
Fossil Fuel
When it burns, natural gas
produces mostly carbon
dioxide, water vapor and
small amounts of
nitrogen oxides.
History of its Uses

1896 1900 After World War II Today

Gaslights Natural gas Expansion of the Natural gas is used

illuminated the had been extensively in
extensive residential,
streets of discovered in interstate pipeline commercial, and
Baltimore, Md. 17 states. network occurred. industrial applications.
Uses
1. Natural Gas was used mainly for street and household lighting in the 19th
and 20th century.
2. It is used to turn turbines for wind and solar energy generation.
3. This fossil fuel is used for the production of ammonia which itself is used for
making fertilizers.
4. It is a domestic fuel as well. It fires stoves in our houses and also runs
heaters, ovens, boilers, etc.
5. Compressed Natural Gas or CNG, that is gas stored at high pressure, is
also used in some households for heating and cooking purposes.
6. CNG is also a cheap and environment friendly alternative for a
transportation fuel used in low load vehicles requiring high fuel efficiency.
7. Liquefied Natural Gas or LNG is used to power vehicles such as off-road
trucks and trains.
Advantages:
• Natural Gas is a cleaner fuel. It is less harmful to the
environment than coal, petrol or diesel as it has less carbon
dioxide emissions.
• It can be easily stored and transferred through pipelines.
• It is relatively more abundant than other fossil fuels i.e. coal
and petroleum.
• It is also a safer fuel, as it is lighter than air and dissipates
rather than exploding.
• It provides instant energy, which is why it is used in oven
cooking, as it does not require preheating.
Disadvantages:
• Nonrenewable source
• Emits carbon dioxide
Conventional Gas Deposits

● Conventional resources
are "pockets" of gas
contained within relatively
porous rock, and they are
the most easily mined.

● Hydraulic fracturing has

allowed for more expansive
access to these deposits
(but not necessary)
 Unconventional Gas Deposits
● Coal Bed Methane - Coal bed methane is natural
gas consisting mostly of methane, which is
trapped inside coal seams.

● Shale Gas - Shale gas is natural gas found inside

a fine-grained sedimentary rock called shale.
Shale is porous

● Tight Gas - Tight gas is similar to shale gas in

that it is trapped inside a porous, non-permeable
reservoir rock.
 Types of Natural Gas Deposits
Methane
Natural gas is stripped down to methane
before being used by consumers. It is
the most abundant component of pure
natural gas..
Ethane
Ethane is the next most abundant
component of energy found in natural
gas. It is a hydrocarbon and a
byproduct of petroleum refining.
Propane
Propane is an abundant energy
source found in natural gas and
is processed in gas or liquid
form.
Butane
Butane is not as abundant as other
hydrocarbons, but it is still a viable energy
source. Isolated during natural gas
processing, butane makes up around 20
percent of natural gas composition.
 US Natural Gas Resources And Reserves

In 2009, the U.S. Energy Information

Administration (EIA) estimated that the U.S.
possesses 2,203 trillion cubic feet of
natural gas that could be recovered using
current technology. Conventional resources
represent 46 percent (1,009 trillion cubic
feet) of the total resource base. As of 2012,
the largest known gas reserves in the world
are found in Russia, which has five times
the reserves of the United States.
Exploration and Production of Conventional Natural Gas Resources

Potential natural gas deposits can be located with seismic testing methods
similar to those used for petroleum exploration. In such tests, gas
prospectors use seismic trucks or more advanced three-dimensional tools
that involve setting off a series of small charges near the Earth’s surface to
generate seismic waves thousands of feet below ground in underlying rock
formations. By measuring the travel times of these waves through the
Earth at acoustic receivers known as "geophones," geophysicists can
construct a picture of the subsurface structure and identify potential gas
deposits. Once the viability of a site is determined, vertical wells are drilled
to penetrate the overlying impermeable cap rock and reach the reservoir.
Natural buoyancy then brings the gas to the surface.
 01
Purpose
statement
 Thanks!
Do you have any questions?
JackCole@yahoo.com | +639 620 421 838
Blackhole.com

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