Last updated on September 15th, 2023
Much like coal and oil, natural gas is also a fossil fuel. Although it will last a while, it is not renewable. It is often found close to coal and oil deposits, making it easily accessible for fast extraction. Most people know that this fuel is efficient and economical to extract. We can use it for many different industrial and domestic applications. Natural gas can easily replace coal and oil for many modern-day applications. With these facts about natural gas let us learn more about this energy source.
History of Natural Gas
Bamboo for piping
1. Chinese engineers used bamboo to create a pipe system to deliver natural gas for heating water. This is one of the earliest uses of natural gas recorded in the ancient history of humankind.
From place to place
2. Improved welding techniques made constructing pipelines to deliver natural gas further away from the source easier. Arc welding is a commonly used method to weld these pipes that carry natural gas to remote destinations.
Miles long
3. After World War 2, the United States started to build a pipeline network that carried gas and oil to refineries and consumers. Today more than 3 million miles of main pipelines and other lines link the natural gas network throughout the country.
Economic benefit
4. It is interesting to know that even though it may have been a heated discussion point, pipelines help win the war. Also, keep in mind that the economy of the US relies a great deal on these pipelines to deliver energy where it is needed.
To the Moon and back
5. Most pipelines transporting natural gas to different sites around the country were built during the ‘50s and ‘60s. If all the pipelines laid in the US were added together, it would stretch to the moon and back nearly twice.
Natural phenomenon
6. Many eternal flames in history come from natural gas leaking to the surface. Some are man-made, but others, like the Eternal Flame Falls, are natural phenomena. Plutarchs’ writings from 100 to 125 AD talked about the ancient eternal flames in the area known as Iraq.
From inside of a lake
7. Native Americans discovered natural gas even before anyone else in the world. French explorers noticed them igniting the gas seeping from a lake in the area now known as New York in 1626.
For street lights
8. The first country to commercialize natural gas for use was Britain in 1785. It was exclusively used to light up street lamps and lighthouses until later when other services for this handy resource were discovered.
During the 18th century
9. Because there were no pipelines to carry the gas to private homes, gas was solely used for lamp fuel. During the 1800s, other uses for gas were researched, and new uses were discovered by the end of the century.
The first well
10. The first well that was drilled to obtain natural gas was done by William Hart in 1825. A 27-foot well was drilled in Fredonia, New York, to increase the flow of gas seepage to the surface.
Some practical applications
11. A burner was discovered by Robert Bunson in 1885 that allows air to be mixed with natural gas. The Burner, known as the Bunsen Burner, showed how to heat the gas to warm buildings and for cooking.
To homes and factories
12. Pipelines were needed to bring the gas to private homes and businesses. The US’s first vital pipeline to convey gas to homes and factories was built in 1891. It was 120 miles long and carried gas all the way from the gas fields in Indiana to Chicago.
Existed but never used
13. Natural gas could have been discovered in the Middle East by around 6000 to 2000 BC. Unfortunately, people from that time didn’t know what it was or how to use it as a resource to provide energy.
A renowned painter
14. A portrait painter from Baltimore, Rembrandt Peale, discovered a natural gas utility way back in 1816. He used it as an energy source to light up his gallery and museum in all of his exhibitions, making it an early discovery.
Beginning of the American Industrial Revolution
15. In 1859, Colonel Edwin dug the first well and discovered natural gas and oil 69 feet below the ground. This happened after he left his job as a rail conductor for health reasons and started the American industrial revolution with this discovery.
A legend
16. According to legend, at around 1000 BC, a goat herder discovered a burning natural gas seep on Mt Parnassus in Greece. They saw it as a gift from the gods, and soon a temple was built on this site.
Methane!
17. Between 1792 and 1798, the Scottish inventor and chemist William Murdoch researched and experimented with coal gas. This led to the discovery of methane which he then used for lighting and learned to purify and store the gas.
Volta and Franklin
18. Alessandro Volta first discovered and scientifically identified natural gas in 1776. That was after he read a paper by Benjamin Franklin about methane and flammable air. Volta studied the chemistry of gasses and is also the father of the first electric battery.
The Natural Gas Act
19. In 1938 the United States government started to regulate the natural gas industry for the first time. The Natural Gas Act provides the Federal Power Commission authority to set reasonable rates for interstate distributions and to permit construction.
Increase in utility
20. Between 1992 and 1998, the USA’s annual use of natural gas increased by 17 percent. That is due to a price drop and the expansion of the natural gas distribution network in the country.
How Is Natural Gas Obtained
From matter to gas
21. Natural gas is formed by decomposing organic matter that is compressed in the layers of the Earth’s crust. Organic matter includes animals and plants, which are processed for millions of years to form gas in the Earth.
From source to surface
22. Some gas makes it to the surface and seeps through wells where it is easily obtainable. Other gas molecules are trapped in the sediment and shell of the Earth and need to be drilled to rise to the surface.
Under the surface
23. Trapped gas deposits, also known as reservoirs, are the ideal places where gas can be extracted to the surface for use. The natural gas reservoirs are anywhere from 4000 to 15,000 feet beneath the surface.
Effects of drilling
24. Drilling for natural gas is only sometimes good and may impact different levels. Contamination of drinking water and local streams may be impacted by chemical pollutants released because of the drilling.
Gas deposits
25. Gas deposits are found deep under the sea and are usually solid crystalline because of the low temperatures and high pressure. Most of the time, gas deposits are typically found where sediment covers the ocean floor.
The extraction process
26. Fracking is another method of extracting natural gas from underneath the surface of the Earth. It is also known as hydraulic fracturing, where water is injected to break up the bedrock underground. This method allows the gas to break free and seep to the surface where it can be gathered.
The largest resource
27. The largest recoverable shale gas resource in the world can be found in China. This country has more than one and a half times the natural gas reserves the rest of the world has available.
Interesting Facts About Natural Gas
The advantage
28. What is excellent about natural gas is that it is cleaner than other types of fossil fuel. It produces fewer pollutants like carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide than other fossil fuels when it is burned.
The odor is artificial
29. Gas companies add chemicals to smell like rotten eggs so people can smell the gas. That is so people can detect it because natural gas has no odor, and users can’t smell it in case of a leak.
Seen from the space
30. Some countries consider natural gas worthless and burn it in huge burners to eliminate it, which is thus wasted. Some of these burning gas flares are so big that they can be seen from outer space.
Good for the environment
31. When Methane gas is burned, it is completely consumed, and no ashes are left. It is highly flammable and burns quickly, and there are no residues, so there is no air pollution with this type of natural gas.
Meets the energy needs of many households
32. About one-fifth of energy usage in the US comes from natural gasses. Nearly fifty percent of heat used for cooking in America comes from natural gas. Some home appliances are also fueled by natural gas.
Types of natural gases
33. Up to four different types of natural gas are present on the Earth that can be used in raw form. The different gas types are Methane, Propane, Butane, and Ethane. These different gasses are used in various industrial applications and other domestic uses.
34. Raw natural gas is purified to remove most pollutants and leave mostly methane. Absorption is the standard method to remove water and other impurities from the gas to be used in homes and industries.
Can be used as a backup
35. Natural gas can be a backup energy resource, making it very flexible. Utilities that rely on gas and other energy sources can help reduce the demand for renewable energy, such as solar and wind energy systems.
36. Affordability is another factor when it comes to the use of natural gas in homes. It will be much cheaper to heat water in your home with gas than it will cost to heat it with electricity.
37. Natural gas efficiency has improved to about 90 percent conversion in recent years, making it a reliable resource. This is due to advancements in delivery systems and faster extraction techniques used in the gas industry.
Safety is important
38. Safe delivery of gas to consumers is high on the list with gas companies in the US. Much money is spent on regularly replacing pipelines to ensure the gas reaches the consumer safely and promptly.
39. Natural gas is an excellent way to help reduce the demand on the electrical grid in any country where gas is available. It can also provide flexibility in the short and long-term demand for electricity. Power outages will have a negligible impact on consumers with gas as an alternative.
Reserves vs production
40. Most of the world’s natural gas resources are in the Middle East. More than 36 percent of the total natural gas on Earth is in that region. The problem is that they only produce about nine percent of the natural gas used worldwide.
World’s reserve
41. Natural gasses are measured in standard cubic feet or cubic meters in the United States. Estimated total reserves of natural gas globally measure just over 6200 trillion cubic feet. This is what is still left on Earth.
42. Every vertically drilled well only has access to the reservoir it encounters during the drilling process. The method provides better control and increases the overall productivity of every well drilled underground for better economic purposes.
Environmental harm while extraction
43. Advanced methods to gain access to gas wells, like fracking and acidizing, increase the available gas. However, these unconventional methods may harm the environment and reduce available water from the water table.
44. Due to the negative impact, it may have, fracking has been banned in some areas. Banning these practices may cause job losses of more than seven million worldwide. It may also cause Gross Domestic Product(GDP) losses of up to seven trillion dollars worldwide by 2030.
A man-made volcano
45. Every hour a man-made volcano emits flames in front of the MGM Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. The volcano is filled with natural gas scented with pina colada flavor, and it happens on the hour every night.
Natural gas in the US
46. Natural gas is extracted in the United States in at least 32 states. This accounts for just over four percent of the total gas reserves worldwide, and half of that comes from only five states.
47. Natural gas comes either in a dry form or in a wet configuration. Dry gas contains about 85 percent methane, while wet gas consists of some methane primarily out of the other three types of gasses – propane, ethane, and butane.
48. Dry gas is usually referred to when experts discuss gas for energy conversion. It is this gas that is used for heating, cooking, and the generation of electricity and is the primary resource of energy.
Gas in the tank!
49. Over 11 million vehicles worldwide run on natural gas as their primary fuel source. The gas is compressed and in a liquified state to make it easier to use in trucks, cars, and buses.
For the near future
50. As part of the global energy mix, natural gas has seen enormous growth in use worldwide. Natural gas accounts for more than 21 percent of primary fuel consumption globally. Reserves of natural gas resources worldwide will be able to support gas usage for more than 60 years.
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