Natural Gas and other Fossil Fuels

Natural Gas

• History of Use

• Formation

• Production

• Reserves

History

• China—first recorded use, piped through bamboo

• Europe-gas lights used in Belgium and England (this gas was distilled from coal, wood, and peat)

• William Murdoch: Scottish Engineer– Put coal gas lights in cotton mills

History cont’d

• 1821, Fredonia New York

• William Hart drilled a well 27’ deep and piped the gas to a local inn—where it lit 66 lights

• Natural gas also found at Titusville in 1859

• 1872: long-distance pipelines made

• 1879: Thomas Edison

Modern Use of Natural Gas

• Seamless pipes available in 1920’s but it wasn’t until after World War II that it became really important for heating

• Why is it a good fuel?– No refining– Burns cleanly– More heat/unit weight than any other fossil

fuel

Natural Gas

• History of Use

• Formation

• Production

• Reserves

Formation

• Formed in the same manor as petroleum– Thermogenic-->4km and >150°C

• Formed during the petrogenesis of coal

Natural Gas

• History of Use

• Formation

• Production

• Reserves

Production

• Similar to oil but easier to release because it is much less viscous—

Composition of Natural Gas

• Mostly methane CH4

• Some ethane C2H6

• Propane C3H8

• Butane C4H10

• Hydrogen H2

• Some Nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide

Production

• Impurities removed

• Coal scent added

• Then piped– > 1.8 million km of high pressure pipe in U.S.

• Middle East, Africa, South America– LNG at -162°C

Production-past and projected

Natural Gas Production

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Report #:DOE/EIA-0484(2006)

Release Date: June 2006

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Reserves

Natural Gas ReservesOil and Gas Journal 1/1/2007

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Natural Gas

• History of Use

• Formation

• Production

• Reserves

Reserves-countries with > 200 trillion cubic feet

• U.S.A. 204

• Russia 1688

• Iran 974

• Qatar 910

• Saudi Arabia 244

• United Arab Emigrates 214– These countries account for 67% of the

world’s reserves

Reserves—how long will they last?

• At the current rate?– 100 trillion cubic feet per year—about 62

years

• At projected rates?– About 150 trillion cubic feet per year—about

41 years

Heavy Oils and Tar Sands

• Definition

• Formation

• Pilot Plants

Heavy Oils and Tar Sands

• Characterized by being– A. Dark in colour– B. So viscous that they don’t respond to

either primary or secondary recovery techniques

– High in sulphur, Ni, V– Rich in asphaltines

Heavy Oils and Tar Sands

• Example

• Bitumen—black viscous to semisolid HC material found when oil has lost its light weight volatile components

Heavy Oils and Tar Sands

• Definition

• Formation

• Pilot Plants

Formation of Heavy Oil/Tar sand

• 1. oxidation and loss of lightweight fractions

• 2. Thermal maturation

• 3. Biodegration

Heavy Oils and Tar Sands

• Definition

• Formation

• Pilot plants no more

Athabasca Tar (Oil) Sands

• In 2003, Alberta’s reserves estimates of remaining established reserves are 174.5 billion barrels (Gb), comparable with the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia. In 2001, Alberta’s production of raw bitumen and synthetic crude oil (SCO) exceeded that for conventional crude oil, accounting for 53% of Alberta’s oil production. This trend is expected to increase to about 80% of Alberta’s oil production by 2013.

http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/activities/CBM/alberta_oil_sands2.html

Countries with large tar sand deposits

• Canada

• Venezuela

• Middle East

Extracting oil from tar sands

• http://ostseis.anl.gov/guide/tarsands/index.cfm

Oil Shale

• Definition

• Formation

• Fuels of the future

• Mining techniques

Definition

• Fine-grained sedimentary rocks containing waxy insoluble hydrocarbons called kerogen

• Can be converted to oil at temperatures in excess of 500°C

Oil Shale

• Definition

• Formation

• Fuels of the future

• Mining techniques

Formation

• Deposited with fine-grained sediments (mud) that are rich in organic material. Anoxic environment. The lighter fraction is lost with temperatures in excess of 150.

• Organic material is heavy

• 5 to 25% is recoverable organic material

• Rich oil shales burn like coal

Oil shale from AAPG

• http://emd.aapg.org/technical_areas/oil_shale.cfm

Oil Shale

• Definition

• Formation

• Fuels of the future

• Mining techniques

Reserves• http://www.worldenergy.org/wec-geis/global/downloads/ser04/SER_Shale_04.pdf

World Oil Shale Reserve

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Oil Shale

Oil Shale

• Definition

• Formation

• Fuels of the future

• Mining techniques

Mining techniques

• Revert to notes

Comparison of Major Types of Fossil Fuel

• 1. Carbon content

• 2. Heat Content

• 3. Efficiency in Producing Electricity

• 4. Environmental Concerns

Carbon Content

• Oil contains 17% less C/unit energy than coal

• Natural gas contains 43% less C/unit energy than coal

• Natural gas contains 31% less C/unit energy than oil

• Gas<Oil<Coal

Comparison of Major Types of Fossil Fuel

• 1. Carbon content

• 2. Heat Content

• 3. Efficiency in Producing Electricity

• 4. Environmental Concerns

Heat content

Unit Heat (106 Btu)

Coal Short ton 21.266

Anthracite Short ton 22.244

Natural Gas 1000 ft3 1.029

Gasoline gallon 0.125071

Heating Oil Gallon 6.49

Electricity Kwh 0.003412

Wood Cord 21.5

Comparison of Major Types of Fossil Fuel

• 1. Carbon content

• 2. Heat Content

• 3. Efficiency in Producing Electricity

• 4. Environmental Concerns

Efficiency in Producing Electricity

• From Coal 28%

• From Oil 35%

• From Natural Gas 40%

http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epa/epat2p2.html

• US existing power plants http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epa/epat2p2.html

Electric Power USA 2005

Comparison of Major Types of Fossil Fuel

• 1. Carbon content

• 2. Heat Content

• 3. Efficiency in Producing Electricity

• 4. Environmental Concerns

US CO2 emissions

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World Per Capital Energy

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Annual U. S. Per Capita Energy Use

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