Natural Gas and other Fossil Fuels

3. Natural Gas and other Fossil Fuels

4. Natural Gas • History of Use • Formation • Production • Reserves

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. Natural Gas • History of Use • Formation • Production • Reserves

9. Formation • Formed in the same manor as petroleum • Thermogenic-->4km and >150°C • Formed during the petrogenesis of coal

10. Natural Gas • History of Use • Formation • Production • Reserves

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

12. Composition of Natural Gas • Mostly methane CH4 • Some ethane C2H6 • Propane C3H8 • Butane C4H10 • Hydrogen H2 • Some Nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide

13. 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

14. Production-past and projected

15. In Billion cubic feet

16. Reserves

17. Natural Gas • History of Use • Formation • Production • Reserves

18. 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

19. 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

20. Heavy Oils and Tar Sands • Definition • Formation • Pilot Plants

21. 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

22. Heavy Oils and Tar Sands • Example • Bitumen—black viscous to semisolid HC material found when oil has lost its light weight volatile components

23. Heavy Oils and Tar Sands • Definition • Formation • Pilot Plants

24. Formation of Heavy Oil/Tar sand • 1. oxidation and loss of lightweight fractions • 2. Thermal maturation • 3. Biodegration

25. Heavy Oils and Tar Sands • Definition • Formation • Pilot plants no more

26. Athabasca Tar (Oil) Sands

27. 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.

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

29. Countries with large tar sand deposits • Canada • Venezuela • Middle East

30. Extracting oil from tar sands • http://ostseis.anl.gov/guide/tarsands/index.cfm

31. Oil Shale • Definition • Formation • Fuels of the future • Mining techniques

32. Definition • Fine-grained sedimentary rocks containing waxy insoluble hydrocarbons called kerogen • Can be converted to oil at temperatures in excess of 500°C

33. Oil Shale • Definition • Formation • Fuels of the future • Mining techniques

34. 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

35. Oil shale from AAPG • http://emd.aapg.org/technical_areas/oil_shale.cfm

36. Oil Shale • Definition • Formation • Fuels of the future • Mining techniques

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

38. Oil Shale

39. Oil Shale • Definition • Formation • Fuels of the future • Mining techniques

40. Mining techniques • Revert to notes

41. Comparison of Major Types of Fossil Fuel • 1. Carbon content • 2. Heat Content • 3. Efficiency in Producing Electricity • 4. Environmental Concerns

42. 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

43. Comparison of Major Types of Fossil Fuel • 1. Carbon content • 2. Heat Content • 3. Efficiency in Producing Electricity • 4. Environmental Concerns

44. Heat content

45. Comparison of Major Types of Fossil Fuel • 1. Carbon content • 2. Heat Content • 3. Efficiency in Producing Electricity • 4. Environmental Concerns

46. Efficiency in Producing Electricity • From Coal 28% • From Oil 35% • From Natural Gas 40%

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

48. Electric Power USA 2005

49. Comparison of Major Types of Fossil Fuel • 1. Carbon content • 2. Heat Content • 3. Efficiency in Producing Electricity • 4. Environmental Concerns