Natural Gas: Definition, Types and Importance

Natural gas, commonly known as methane gas or natural methane gas, is a colourless, highly flammable gas composed largely of methane and ethane. It's a form of petroleum that's commonly found with crude oil. Natural gas is a fossil fuel that is used to generate electricity, heat, cook, and fuel for certain vehicles. It is used as a chemical feedstock in the production of plastics, as well as a range of other chemical products such as fertilizer and dyes.

This is the simple definition of natural gas. Examples of natural gas include Methane, Nitrogen Carbon Dioxide and so on.

Now that we have learned about what is natural gas. Let us study the other concepts of natural gas, the example of natural gas and more from this article.

Where is natural gas found?

There are many locations of natural gas. Let us dig into where is natural gas found here.

At the high pressures present in a reservoir, natural gas is frequently found dissolved in oil, and it can also be present as a gas cap above the oil. The pressure of natural gas exerted on the subterranean oil reserve provides the drive to force oil to the surface in many cases. Associated gas is a type of natural gas that is commonly thought to be the gaseous phase of crude oil and this natural gas contains light liquids like propane and butane. As a result, related gas is sometimes referred to as "wet gas."

There are also reserves with gas but no oil. Nonassociated gas is the name given to this type of gas. Dry gas is a type of nonassociated gas that is produced in reservoirs that aren't connected to any known liquid petroleum source. Also, natural gas contains minor amounts of non-hydrocarbon gases including carbon dioxide and water vapour, as well as natural gas liquids (NGLs), which are also hydrocarbon gas liquids.

History of use

Discovery and early application of natural gas

Between 6000 and 2000 BCE, the first natural gas seeps were discovered in Iran. Many early writers described natural petroleum seeps in the Middle East, particularly in what is now Azerbaijan's Baku region. The "eternal fires" of the ancient Persians' fire-worshipping religion were supplied by the gas leaks, which were probably first ignited by lightning.

Natural gas was first mentioned in China around 900 BCE. The first known natural gas well was drilled in China in 211 BCE, to recorded depths of 150 metres (500 feet). The Chinese used bamboo poles and primitive percussion bits to drill wells in limestones from the Late Triassic Epoch (approximately 237 million to 201.3 million years ago) in an anticline (a stratified rock arch) west of current Chongqing in order to look for gas. The gas was used to dry the interbedded rock salt in the limestone.

Wells was eventually drilled to depths of over 1,000 metres (3,300 feet), with over 1,100 wells drilled into the anticline by 1900.

Natural gas was unknown in Europe until 1659 when it was discovered in England, and even then it was not widely used. Instead, from 1790 onwards, gas derived from activated carbon coal (known as town gas) became the primary fuel for lighting streets and homes over much of Europe.

Natural gas from a shallow well near Fredonia, New York, was the first commercial application of a petroleum product in North America in 1821. The gas was delivered to consumers via a small-bore lead pipe for lighting and cooking.

As stated above, the definition of natural gas is simple. Natural gas is an abundant and essential component of the global energy supply. It is one of the cleanest and most powerful kinds of energy available when burning natural gas. It enables us to cook, use electricity, and carry out daily tasks. Natural gas is mostly methane and carbon dioxide, but other hydrocarbons also play a role in its composition. Individual hydrocarbons can be used as various sources of energy after natural gas has been refined.

                                            (Image will be uploaded soon)

Types of Natural Gas

Let us study a few of the types of natural gas here.

Methane

Before being used by consumers, natural gas is broken down to methane. It is the most abundant component of pure natural gas, is extremely flammable, and can be used for a variety of energy applications.

Ethane

Ethane is the second most abundant energy component in natural gas. It is a hydrocarbon that is produced as a byproduct of the petroleum refining process. It is used in a variety of ways after being separated from natural gas because it has a higher heating value than methane.

Propane

Propane is an abundant energy source found in natural gas that may be processed as either a gas or a liquid. Propane, which is commonly found in pipeline gas, can be used for a variety of applications. It's frequently used to fuel engines, cook on stoves, and heat homes and larger buildings.

Butane

Butane, which is found in natural gas, is not as abundant as other hydrocarbons, but it is still a useful energy source with a wide range of applications. Butane is a gas that is isolated during natural gas processing and makes up around 20% of the natural gas composition.

Composition and properties of natural gas

Hydrocarbon content

Natural gas is a hydrocarbon mixture made up mostly of saturated light paraffin like methane and ethane, which are both gaseous at room temperature. Other hydrocarbons, such as propane, butane, pentane, and hexane, may be present in the mixture. Because of the higher pressures in natural gas reservoirs, even the heavier hydrocarbons are mostly found in gaseous form.

Non Hydrocarbon content

Nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and noble gases such as helium and argon are commonly found in association with hydrocarbon gases. Nitrogen and carbon dioxide are non-combustible gases that can be found in large quantities. Nitrogen is inert, but it affects the heating value of a mixture if it is present in significant amounts; as a result, it must be eliminated before the gas can be sold commercially. To increase heating value, reduce volume, and maintain even combustion qualities, carbon dioxide is removed.

Application of Natural Gas

Let us look at the application of natural gas here.

Natural gas is used to produce energy, which is the most common application. Industrial, home, and commercial natural gas use follow power generation—primarily as a source of energy, but also as a feedstock for chemical compounds, for example. Over time, a number of specialised applications have developed. The clean-burning of natural gas features have made it a popular choice as a nonpolluting transportation fuel, despite the fact that it produces the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Compressed natural gas is being used by many buses and commercial automotive fleets.

Key Advantages

Let us look at the key advantages of natural gas.

• Natural gas is widespread. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that there are enough recoverable resources to last roughly 230 years if consumption remains constant.

• It's versatile. A gas-fired power plant begins and ends much faster than a coal-fired unit. This flexibility makes it an effective addition to renewable energy sources like solar and wind, which are only available when the sun shines and the wind blows.

• Gas creates half the carbon dioxide (CO2) and a tenth of the air pollutants produced by coal when burning natural gas to generate electricity. Using gas instead of coal has huge potential for reducing CO2 emissions and air pollution in the near future.

• Gas, in the form of LNG, is now so widely available that it can assist countries in dealing with short-term supply disruptions. Following the Fukushima disaster, Japan shut down its nuclear reactors and depended heavily on LNG to replace lost electricity.