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NexPlan Recycling & Renewable Energy
Natural Gas
There is a lot of talk in the media these days about Natural Gas. Natural gas is widely available and offers greenhouse gas reductions and produces fewer emissions compared to other traditional and alternative fuels. Natural gas can be used either as compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) or even blended with hydrogen.
What is Natural Gas?
Natural gas is a gasseous fossil fuel consisting primarily of methane, but also including significant quantities of propane, ethane, butane and pentane-heavier hydrocarbons removed prior to use as a consumer fuel -as well as carbon dioxide, nitrogen, helium and liquefied natural gas (LNG). For those unfamiliar with LNG, it is super-cooled natural gas. When gas is cooled to around minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 162 degrees Celsius), it condenses into a liquid. Better still, as gas cools, it takes up less space; LNG takes up roughly one-six-hundred-and-tenth the volume of gas in its natural gaseous state. LNG frees gas from the pipeline grid. If you're able to turn natural gas into a liquid, it can be loaded onto tankers just like crude oil and transported anywhere in the world. Gas reserves once considered stranded and useless can be exploited using LNG technologies. The vast majority of natural gas has been transported in its normal gaseous state by pipelines. Pipelines are being constructed across North America to carry liquefied natural gas from LNG facilities to markets around the continent.
Commercial uses for Natural Gas:
Commercial uses of natural gas are very similar to residential uses. The commercial sector includes public and private enterprises, like office buildings, schools, churches, hotels, restaurants, and government buildings. The main uses of natural gas in this sector include space heating, water heating, and cooling. Natural gas can also be used in restaurants and other establishments that require cooking facilities. Natural gas is an economical, efficient choice for large commercial food preparation establishments. In addition to traditional uses of natural gas for space heating, cooling, cooking and water heating, natural gas is used to increase energy efficiency in commercial settings. Many buildings have on-site generators that produce their own electricity. Natural gas powered reciprocating engines, turbines, and fuel cells are all used in commercial environments to generate electricity. These examples of 'distributed generation' units offer commercial settings more independence from power disruption, high-quality consistent electricity, and control over their own energy supply.
Home uses of Natural Gas:
In addition to space heating, versatile natural gas is used for water heating, cooking, clothes drying, barbecuing, pool and hot-tub heating, and decorative lighting and powering certain appliances. Natural gas ranges provide instant cooking heat and a flame that can be adjusted to meet a wide range of cooking needs. They are economical to use and come in a variety of sizes and styles, with a number of options available. A natural gas clothes dryer, is also a good investment, will dry about two loads of clothes for the same energy cost it takes to dry one load electrically. Natural gas furnaces offer cost and energy savings over oil and electricity. A high-efficiency natural gas furnace may also increase the value of your home. A natural gas water heater - basically a burner in a storage tank, controlled by a thermostat to heat water and keep it warm - has a fast recovery rate and low operating cost.
Natural Gas Fireplaces:
The market for natural gas fireplaces has experienced considerable growth in recent years due to increased consumer responsiveness to environmental, convenience and cost-savings needs. Natural gas fireplaces, in comparison with those, which burn wood, greatly reduce air pollution and fuel costs. In making the switch to natural gas fireplaces many consumers, have also eliminated the noxious gases and particulates often associated with the burning of wood, which can lead to eye irritations and damaged lung tissue. Convenient and easy to use, natural gas fireplaces can be turned on and off at the flick of a switch. There is no need to haul, split or store wood and, because wood isn't being burned, you don't have to concern yourself with wood chips, bark, insects or ashes. What's more, gas fireplaces burn so cleanly they can be used anytime, even if your community enforces mandatory no-burn days. Natural gas fireplaces are now among the leading optional features in new homes. Stand-alone gas fireplaces are typically freestanding units with doors. Natural gas fireplaces are virtually free of maintenance - no logs, no mess, and no fuss - and natural gas is always available when you need it. Natural gas fireplaces provide the rich, warm flames and comfort of traditional fireplaces but with distinct advantages.
Why use Natural Gas?
Natural gas also offers a number of environmental attributes. Natural gas, due to its unique molecular structure, is the cleanest burning fossil fuel. During combustion, natural gas produces fewer polluting emissions than other fossil fuels and its combustion does not damage the ozone layer. Natural gas production and use contributes less to global warming, as compared to other fuels. In addition, switching to natural gas alleviates our dependence on oil in North America. According to 2006 statistics released by the Energy Information Administration approximately 22 percent of the energy consumption of the U.S. comes from natural gas. More than 62.5 percent of the homes in the U.S. use natural gas as their main heating fuel.
Natural gas is also an essential raw material for many common products, such as: paints, fertilizer, plastics, antifreeze, dyes, photographic film, medicines, and explosives. We also get propane when we process natural gas. Propane is the fuel many of us use in our barbecue grills.
Prices of Natural Gas:
The price of natural gas is determined greatly by supply and demand. . As a result of this interrelation between fuel markets, when oil prices rise, the competitive pressure to maintain low gas prices diminishes, and the shift in demand to natural gas drives prices upward. The natural gas production still has not kept pace with increasing demand on the national market. Boosting natural gas production would moderate market prices in the short term, and result in more reasonable prices in the long term.
Dangers of Natural Gas:
Natural gas isn't dangerous when it's sealed up tight inside pipes and used in the right way. The natural gas pipes underground and inside your house are designed to keep the gas safely inside. There are also rules for digging, building houses and using appliances to make sure accidents don't happen. The danger happens when natural gas leaks out - it's flammable, which means that if there's a flame or even a spark in the area of a leak, it could cause a fire or explosion. A gas leak can happen if a gas pipe is damaged - like if someone is digging a hole and accidentally breaks an underground gas line. Natural gas can also leak out if an appliance like a stove isn't hooked up right. Entire buildings have been leveled by powerful blasts resulting from natural gas leaks. But when natural gas is confined, such as within a house, gas concentrations can reach explosive mixtures and, if ignited, result in blasts that could destroy buildings. Another danger of poorly maintained or improperly used appliances using natural gas is carbon monoxide poisoning. In addition to that, natural gas is poisonous to breathe and can affect the health of humans and animals.
Just like mostly any other energy source today, there are debates on the safety and dangers and the benefits of using natural gas. Without a doubt, however, natural gas is going to play a huge part in our energy source in the near future.
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal at Mispec Point, New Brunswick
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