Creating heat or electricity by burning natural gas produces less CO2 and other pollutants than using coal or oil. Hence the gas industry argues that shale gas is good news for the climate, as it could limit coal consumption while renewables and nuclear are scaling up.
The last and most prevalent myth about shale gas is that it's a clean, even green, alternative energy. Compared to oil and coal, natural gas does indeed produce less CO2 gas when it's burned. But shale gas is not conventional natural gas.
Answer and Explanation: Shale gas is a fossil fuel, a unique type of non-renewable resource. Because it comes from renewable plant resources, it technically could be renewed
In addition to air and water pollution, fracking also increases the potential for oil spills, which can harm the soil and surrounding vegetation. Fracking may cause earthquakes due to the high pressure used to extract oil and gas from rock and the storage of excess wastewater on site.
Like traditional petroleum, natural gas, and coal, oil shale and kerogen are fossil fuels. A sedimentary rock, oil shale is found all over the world, including China, Israel, and Russia. The United States, however, has the most shale resources.
Shale oil is a high-quality crude oil that lies between layers of shale rock, impermeable mudstone, or siltstone. Oil companies produce shale oil by fracturing the rock formations that contain the layers of oil. Since 2014, U.S. shale oil has created a boom in domestic crude oil production.
Shell is the market leader through approximately 25,000 Shell-branded gas stations in the U.S. which also serve as Shell's most visible public presence. At its gas stations Shell provides diesel fuel, gasoline and LPG.
One of the incredible advantages to fracking is that it can recover both crude oil and natural gas from shale deposits in unprecedented amounts. By aiding in the transition from coal to natural gas, fracking has actually improved emissions more than many other sustainable energy initiatives.
Massive shale gas production would also help improve our energy security, and help reduce our dependence on expensive foreign fossil fuels. Shale gas could also provide cleaner energy option for many developing countries that are currently heavily relying on coal, the dirtiest energy source of them all.
Hydraulic fracturing is a well-stimulation technique used commonly in low-permeability rocks like tight sandstone, shale, and some coal beds to increase oil and/or gas flow to a well from petroleum-bearing rock formations. A similar technique is used to create improved permeability in underground geothermal reservoirs.
Gas hydrates are a crystalline solid formed of water and gas. Gas hydrates are important for three reasons: They may contain a major energy resource. It may be a significant hazard because it alters sea floor sediment stability, influencing collapse and landsliding.
4.2 Shale Gas
Shale gas refers to natural gas that is trapped within shale formations. Shales are fine-grained sedimentary rocks that can be rich sources of petroleum and natural gas (see Fig. 1.4). Shale gas is trapped within the pores of this sedimentary rock.According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), “Coal, crude oil, and natural gas are all considered fossil fuels because they were formed from the buried remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.” So, to answer the headline question – yes, natural gas is a fossil fuel.
Shale gas is natural gas that is found trapped within shale formations. Shale gas has become an increasingly important source of natural gas in the United States since the start of this century, and interest has spread to potential gas shales in the rest of the world.
The term refers to methane adsorbed into the solid matrix of the coal. It is called 'sweet gas' because of its lack of hydrogen sulfide. The open fractures in the coal (called the cleats) can also contain free gas or can be saturated with water.
Dust from the sand used in fracking fluid can become airborne and is dangerous to breathe. Hydrocarbons – such as benzene and toluene – also get into the atmosphere and can cause leukemia and other types of cancer as well as other health problems.
Fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside. Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas to flow out to the head of the well.
George P. Mitchell has been called the "father of fracking" because of his role in applying it in shales. The first horizontal well in the Barnett Shale was drilled in 1991, but was not widely done in the Barnett until it was demonstrated that gas could be economically extracted from vertical wells in the Barnett.
Fracking requires more water than conventional gas drilling; but when natural gas is used in place of coal or nuclear fuel to generate electricity, it saves water. Unconventional drilling's water demand can be better or worse than alternative energy sources, the study finds.
That translates to 21 states, from California to Texas, Michigan to West Virginia, currently employing this high-intensity form of energy extraction, and five others may soon follow. Called high-volume hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the controversial process became commercially viable in the late 1990s.
In what countries is fracking done? According to the publication of the US Energy Information Administration, only four countries in the world produce shale gas or shale oil commercially. Only the United States, Canada, China and Argentina extract enough volumes of shale gas and shale oil to market them.
Fracking is expensive, but still less costly than the methods used to obtain oil from the wells mentioned above. According to Reuters, estimates put the break-even point for fracking at around $50 per barrel, but other estimates put it as low as $30 per barrel.
Citric acid, sodium erythorbate and thioglycolic acid are among those used to stop metal oxides from precipitating within the fluid. Also, polyacrylamide and hydrotreated light petroleum distillate are used to lubricate the water and reduce friction. Other chemicals are used to stabilize clay or carry chemicals.
Natural Gas Without Fracking. Accessing this untapped resource requires a process called Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking). You can read all about fracking at Wiki, but the bottom line is by using this process, we are injecting all kinds of nasty chemicals into the ground and contamination is unavoidable.
“In the last year there have three well-documented earthquakes that occurred during the frack job and were probably related to fracking.
Based on BP's Statistical Review of World Energy 2016, we'd have about 115 years of coal production, and roughly 50 years of both oil and natural gas remaining.
| WTI Crude | 47.85 | +1.10 |
|---|
| Natural Gas | 1.788 | +0.032 |
| Mars US •13 hours | 47.35 | +2.14 |
| Opec Basket | 50.16 | -1.73 |
| Urals •1 day | 44.90 | -1.70 |
Natural gas is transported on specially designed ships as liquefied natural gas (LNG). LNG is natural gas that is cooled to -260° Fahrenheit, the temperature at which natural gas becomes a liquid. The volume of the liquid is 600 times smaller than the gaseous form.
The industrial sector makes similar use of natural gas liquids as a
fuel for process heating and raw material to produce chemicals, fertilizers, and hydrogen.
2) Use in the Industrial Sector
- Antifreeze.
- Plastics.
- Pharmaceuticals.
- Fabrics.
- Ammonia.
- Methanol.
- Ethane.
- Propane.
The truth is, any of the fossil fuels that are usually in the discussion, like oil and natural gas, probably won't be running out for generations, if ever. Some resources are able to be recycled, and others can be recovered. So as our reserves dwindle down, they'll just start becoming more expensive to produce.
Pros of Natural Gas
- Produces Less Soot: Natural gas is always pointed towards when it comes to producing less pollution than other fossil fuels in its production as its byproducts are in gaseous form.
- Abundant Supply: It is abundant and available worldwide.
Some clear advantages to natural gas are as follows: Natural gas is environmentally friendly because it burns cleaner than other fossil fuels. It's safer and easier to store when compared to other fossil fuels. Natural gas is extremely reliable, unlike electric power that can be knocked out during a storm.
