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Natural Gas. Energy Density Generally produces around 49 megajoules per kilogram of natural gas; this is less than that of coal or oil Renewable/ Non-renewable Non-renewable Intermittency Non-intermittent. Reliability In the past, natural gas was considered an unreliable fuel
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Energy Density • Generally produces around 49 megajoules per kilogram of natural gas; this is less than that of coal or oil Renewable/ Non-renewable • Non-renewable Intermittency • Non-intermittent
Reliability • In the past, natural gas was considered an unreliable fuel • Nowadays, with improvements in technology and a greater known number of reserves, this is no longer the case Storage • Almost all natural gas is stored and transported in large pipelines • Natural gas is usually stored under pressure, which reduces its volume • Pressure is then lowered in preparation for domestic use of natural gas
Resource • As a fossil fuel, natural gas is certainly running out • The reserve of natural gas that Britain relies upon- in the North Sea- is diminishing quickly, as it is a relatively small reserve Geographical and locational factors • There are large deposits of natural gas in the Middle East, in western USA and in mid-Siberia (Russia) • Natural gas fields are often found alongside oil reserves • Natural gas is generally found below the ground, and is extracted by drilling
Natural gas extraction by countries in cubic meters per year
Technology • To begin with, little technology was used in the extraction of natural gas • This has changed; technological developments now mean natural gas extraction is less wasteful and produces greater quantities Environment • Natural gas produces significantly lower quantities of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, sulphur dioxide and particulates than oil and gas • However, natural gas contains fairly high quantities of methane • Where natural gas deposits are found alongside oil, natural gas is often not collected, but instead burned off- this is a huge waste which is contributing significantly to the accumulation of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere • The fact that natural gas is generally distributed along pipelines means that road/ rail transportation is not needed, making the transportation of natural gas ‘greener’ than other fossil fuels
Politics and trade • Many European countries buy natural gas from Russia; poor political relations between Russia and other European nations makes this difficult • Many people worry that Russia will at some point cut-off supplies of natural gas to countries like Ukraine, as it has in the past • Many other parts of the world rely on natural gas from the Middle East; another part of the world which is experiencing political troubles Economic issues • When reserves of natural gas were first discovered in the North Sea, gas was very cheap in Britain • The price of natural gas is steadily increasing though, as it runs out • As gas reserves tend to be unevenly distributed across the world (i.e. some countries have lots and others have none), the price of natural gas is tightly controlled
Applicability to uses • Natural gas is well-suited to its use with cooking appliances • Natural gas is generally considered the best fossil fuel for domestic use as it is cleaner, that is, it produces no soot or smoke (particulates) • It is not suitable however as a fuel for vehiclesbecause it is not a liquid, although it can be liquefied