Natural gas : fuel for the 21st century

Natural gas is the world’s cleanest fossil fuel; it generates less air pollution and releases less CO2 per unit of useful energy than liquid fuels or coals. With its vast supplies of conventional resources and nonconventional stores, the extension of long-distance gas pipelines and the recent expansion of liquefied natural gas trade, a truly global market has been created for this clean fuel. __Natural Gas: Fuel for the 21st Century__ discusses the place and prospects of natural gas in modern high-energy societies. Vaclav Smil presents a systematic survey of the qualities, origins, extraction, processing and transportation of natural gas, followed by a detailed appraisal of its many preferred, traditional and potential uses, and the recent emergence of the fuel as a globally traded commodity. The unfolding diversification of sources, particularly hydraulic fracturing, and the role of natural gas in national and global energy transitions are described. The book concludes with a discussion on the advantages, risks, benefits and costs of natural gas as a leading, if not dominant, fuel of the 21st century. This interdisciplinary text will be of interest to a wide readership concerned with global energy affairs including professionals and academics in energy and environmental science, policy makers, consultants and advisors with an interest in the rapidly-changing global energy industry. Title Page 5 Copyright Page 6 Contents 9 Preface 11 Acknowledgments 13 Chapter 1 Valuable Resource with an Odd Name 15 1.1 METHANE’S ADVANTAGES AND DRAWBACKS 18 Chapter 2 Origins and Distribution of Fossil Gases 27 2.1 BIOGENIC HYDROCARBONS 28 2.2 WHERE TO FIND NATURAL GAS 33 2.3 RESOURCES AND THE PROGRESSION OF RESERVES 41 Chapter 3 Extraction, Processing, Transportation, and Sales 51 3.1 EXPLORATION, EXTRACTION, AND PROCESSING 54 3.1.1 Exploration and Drilling 55 3.1.2 Well Completion and Production 59 3.1.3 Natural Gas Processing 64 3.2 PIPELINES AND STORAGES 68 3.2.1 Modern Pipelines 70 3.2.2 Storing Natural Gas 76 3.3 CHANGING PRODUCTION 79 Chapter 4 Natural Gas as Fuel and Feedstock 85 4.1 INDUSTRIAL USES, HEATING, COOLING, AND COOKING 88 4.1.1 Industrial Uses of Natural Gas 89 4.1.2 Natural Gas for Space Heating and Cooling 91 4.1.3 Cooking with Natural Gas 93 4.1.4 Liquefied Petroleum Gas 94 4.2 ELECTRICITY GENERATION 95 4.2.1 Gas Turbines 96 4.2.2 CCGTs 99 4.3 NATURAL GAS AS A RAW MATERIAL 102 4.3.1 Ammonia Synthesis 104 4.3.2 Plastics from Natural Gas 109 4.3.3 Gas-to-Liquid Conversions 112 Chapter 5 Exports and Emergence of Global Trade 117 5.1 NORTH AMERICAN NATURAL GAS SYSTEM 119 5.2 EURASIAN NETWORKS 123 5.3 EVOLUTION OF LNG SHIPMENTS 132 Chapter 6 Diversification of Sources 143 6.1 SHALE GAS 146 6.1.1 American Shale Gas Extraction 149 6.1.2 Shales outside the United States 154 6.2 CBM AND TIGHT GAS 156 6.2.1 Tight Gas 158 6.3 METHANE HYDRATES 160 Chapter 7 Natural Gas in Energy Transitions 165 7.1 FUEL SUBSTITUTIONS AND DECARBONIZATION OF ENERGY SUPPLY 169 7.2 METHANE IN TRANSPORTATION 175 7.2.1 LNG 176 7.2.2 CNG 180 7.3 NATURAL GAS AND THE ENVIRONMENT 182 7.3.1 Methane Emissions from Gas Industry 183 7.3.2 Methane from Shale Gas 189 7.3.3 Water Use and Contamination 194 Chapter 8 The Best Fuel for the Twenty-First Century? 203 8.1 HOW FAR WILL GAS GO? 206 8.2 SHALE GAS PROSPECTS 213 8.3 GLOBAL LNG 222 8.4 UNCERTAIN FUTURES 228 References 235 Index 259 EULA 266

Natural gas is the world's cleanest fossil fuel; it generates less air pollution and releases less CO2 per unit of useful energy than liquid fuels or coals. With its vast supplies of conventional resources and nonconventional stores, the extension of long-distance gas pipelines and the recent expansion of liquefied natural gas trade, a truly global market has been created for this clean fuel.

Natural Gas: Fuel for the 21st Century discusses the place and prospects of natural gas in modern high-energy societies. Vaclav Smil presents a systematic survey of the qualities, origins, extraction, processing and transportation of natural gas, followed by a detailed appraisal of its many preferred, traditional and potential uses, and the recent emergence of the fuel as a globally traded commodity. The unfolding diversification of sources, particularly hydraulic fracturing, and the role of natural gas in national and global energy transitions are described. The book concludes with a discussion on the advantages, risks, benefits and costs of natural gas as a leading, if not dominant, fuel of the 21st century.

This interdisciplinary text will be of interest to a wide readership concerned with global energy affairs including professionals and academics in energy and environmental science, policy makers, consultants and advisors with an interest in the rapidly-changing global energy industry.

Natural gas is the world s cleanest fossil fuel; it generates less air pollution and releases less CO2 per unit of useful energy than liquid fuels or coals. With its vast supplies of conventional resources and nonconventional stores, the extension of long-distance gas pipelines and the recent expansion of liquefied natural gas trade, a truly global market has been created for this clean fuel. Natural Gas: Fuel for the 21st Century discusses the place and prospects of natural gas in modern high-energy societies. Vaclav Smil presents a systematic survey of the qualities, origins, extraction, processing and transportation of natural gas, followed by a detailed appraisal of its many preferred, traditional and potential uses, and the recent emergence of the fuel as a globally traded commodity. The unfolding diversification of sources, particularly hydraulic fracturing, and the role of natural gas in national and global energy transitions are described. The book concludes with a discussion on the advantages, risks, benefits and costs of natural gas as a leading, if not dominant, fuel of the 21st century. This interdisciplinary text will be of interest to a wide readership concerned with global energy affairs including professionals and academics in energy and environmental science, policy makers, consultants and advisors with an interest in the rapidly-changing global energy industry. "The book discusses the place and prospects of natural gas in modern high-energy societies. Vaclav Smil presents a systematic survey of the qualities, origins, extraction, processing and transportation of natural gas, followed by a detailed appraisal of its many preferred, traditional and potential uses, and the recent emergence of the fuel as a globally traded commodity. The unfolding diversification of sources, particularly hydraulic fracturing, and the role of natural gas in national and global energy transitions are described. The book concludes with a discussion on the advantages, risks, benefits and costs of natural gas as a leading, if not dominant, fuel of the 21st century."--Provided by publisher