Using Natural Gas and Liquid Natural Gas

Oil and natural gas companies have developed a way to drill for natural gas, a process called hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. Natural gas is a flammable gas mixture consisting of methane and several other hydrocarbons that occur naturally underground. Natural gas is used as fuel for heating, cooking, and even in some automobiles like the “RideOn” buses. This technique has only recently become economically feasible with the rising prices of fossil fuels, and there is much potential for recovering natural gas through fracking. However, fracking has many waste products and unusual side effects caused by the unnatural forces and materials used. Fracking has a detrimental effect on the surrounding environment through

Natural gases are the most important source of energy in the modern world of technology and electricity production, which makes the skyrocketing gas production in the U.S. due to hydraulic fracturing incredibly valuable in terms of global trade and economy. The United States has always been reliant on the Middle East and other European and Asian countries for energy, but is very quickly becoming energy independent. "By 2020, the Energy Information Administration predicts that the USA will become a net exporter of natural gas", reaching energy independence from other countries and starting to export gas to provide revenue and pay off debts (Hassett and Mathur). Even

Natural gas is a fossil fuel that plays a critical role in the demand and supply of energy in the United States. It is considered to be a clean burning transition fuel. Compared to coal and oil, natural gas combustion does not generate as much pollution and is therefore considered an ideal partner for renewable energy resources. Natural gas is extracted from shale formations underground that require horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing – “hydrofracking” or “fracking”. This drilling and extraction method is currently considered a global widespread issue due to the rapid increase in the amount of new gas wells that threatens the quality of water around the source (Entriken, Evans-White, Johnson & Hagenbuch, 2011).

The pipelines are drilled down far into the earth and then span out horizontally. Huge quantities of water combined with sand and chemicals created "fracking fluid", which is pumped down the pipelines. Fracking enables us to reach natural gas that was not usable before. Natural gas is a better alternative to coal, which does not burn as cleanly. However, harmful substances are contained in the fracking fluid that is pumped into the pipes to crack the shale and release natural gas. Sadly natural gas is not the only thing flowing back up the

W hy does everyone care so much about natural gas? Why is it such an essential part of modern culture? Sure, it's an exciting and up and coming technology, which is fuel for the technological generation that we've grown up in, but we need to take a closer look to see the methods and impacts that could affect generations after us.

Natural gas is a mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons that can be found in sedimentary rocks. This mixture may consist of ethane, nitrogen, helium, propane, and butane. Shaling is composing a rock of sedimentary mixture which is formed by compressing fine layers of clay rich sediment together. Fracking is the process where pieces of the rock that is located below the surface of the earth is opened by chemical injections at high pressure. The impact of fracking on health is currently being examined due to its phenomenal scale of drilling.

Before fracking starts a fluid is made to pump underground and recover the natural gas. The fracking fluid mixture is made up of lots of water, sand and chemicals, which cracks the rock layer and helps retrieve the natural gas. Once they have all the gas the fluid

Shale gas is defined by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) as natural gas that is trapped within shale formations. Shale formations are geologic formations that contain hydrocarbon mixtures that naturally form an

The first step of the fracking process is to find land that will be suitable for fracturing. It must be an area that contains natural gas and is easily accessible to the gas company. Geologists survey the land long before hand and have exact calculations and measurements upon where natural gas is located. After buying the mineral rights from the land-owners a drilling rig is built in a few days along with the well pad. Then, layers of steel pipes are lowered about 1,000

I found some information on the greensourcedfw.org on gas drilling also called fraking. Fraking is a process that injects large amounts of water, sand, and chemicals into the rock so it can break up rock formations and releases the natural gas. During the fraking process 2 to 7 million gallons of fresh water with sand and gallons of industrial chemicals so that the wate can penetrare more easily. After the natural gas is released it goes up the well and to the storage tanks, then it is sent to market.

When natural gas is looked for, the process to look for it as pollution in the air because people drive around looking for where to find the natural gas. The natural gas also is taken from the ground using a process called fracking. This means that dirty water, chemicals and other stuffs are put into the ground to make natural gas, up out of the ground. All of this process creates pollution which goes into the

Economic benefits of the natural gas industry are intimately tied to the market price of natural gas – which historically, has demonstrated high volatility. Recently the price for oil and gas has plummeted. While natural gas supplies steadily accumulated in the US, Canada’s main export market, decreasing revenue and profits. This has resulted in consolidation of oil and gas companies, loss in jobs, and delay/cancelling of new projects (e.g., LNG projects on BC’s coast). Given this financial context, the Canadian gas industry needs to streamline their operations (i.e., increase efficiency and productivity) and explore alternative markets by, perhaps, moving methane up the value chain and creating value-added products (i.e., petrochemicals).

While vertical wells do yield gas, they are mainly used as a base to connect several horizontal wells, which is where the money lies in the industry. After drilling, about “2 million to 10 million gallons of water [is used] to extract the gas” (Marsa 3-4). However, high pressured water alone will not break away the shale rock, therefore sand is added to enable further fracturing. The controversial issue fueling the debate is the third substances added to the water which allow the natural gas to escape for collection. “A cocktail of friction-reducing lubricants [are used] to make the water slick enough to slide through the pipes swiftly” (Marsa 4). A geochemist by the name of Tracy Bank conducted a study at SUNY Buffalo which concluded that the lubricant contained an abundance of toxic metals, “including uranium, barium, chromium, zinc and arsenic” (Marsa 2). This is just a short list of the negative compounds used in fracking. It is likely that the public will never get the full story as to the composition of the lubricants, as major fracking companies refuse to release that information, “claiming that doing so would reveal trade secrets” (Rahman 1). So where do these contaminants end up? After reaching the surface, the waste is emptied into tanks for storage. However, sometimes ponds are also used to hold the pollutants, therefore releasing the harmful toxins into runoffs. Once the gas has

The importance of natural gas is to replace the role of oil in the economy. Natural gas is good for the US because it can produce natural gas domestically. It has plenty of energy for use in people’s homes and in industry. It will help the US economy cope with the depletion of peak oil production. Crude oil is nearly three times as expensive as Natural gas. (Pipeline, 2009-2013)

Most of the natural gas transportation in the USA is done through 305,000 miles of transmission pipelines. Existing LNG degasification facilities allow for limited international trade of LNG (Table 2). Due to free market pricing when natural gas cost less in summer period, gas-storing facilities are widespread over the country including more than 400 underground storages and 113 LNG peaking facilities (EIA, 2008).