Natural gas is a mineral that lies in the bowels of the Earth in a gaseous state. It can represent either individual accumulations (gas deposits) or the gas cap of oil and gas fields. Natural gas and its components are widely used in the national economy.
Composition of natural gas
Natural gas consists of 98% CH4 methane, the properties of which almost completely determine the properties and characteristics of natural gas. It also contains homologues of methane - propane C3H8, ethane C2H6 and butane C4H10. Sometimes natural gas may contain hydrogen sulfide, helium and carbon dioxide.
Methane (CH4)- a colorless and odorless gas, lighter than air. Methane is flammable, but can be stored quite easily. Most often used as fuel in industry and everyday life.
Ethane (C2H6)- a colorless and odorless gas, slightly heavier than air. It is no less flammable than methane, but is not used as a fuel. It is used primarily to produce ethylene, which is the most sought after organic substance throughout the world. This is the raw material for the production of polyethylene.
Propane (C3H8)- also a gas, odorless and colorless, poisonous. It has a useful property: at low pressure propane liquefies, which greatly facilitates the process of separation from impurities and its transportation. Lighters are refilled with liquefied propane.
Butane (C4H10)– very similar in properties to propane, but has a higher density. Twice as heavy as air. Propane and butane are widely used today as alternative fuels for cars.
Carbon dioxide (CO2)– a low-toxic, colorless gas that is odorless but has an acidic taste. Unlike other components of natural gas (except helium), carbon dioxide is not flammable.
Helium (He)– an inert colorless gas, the second lightest (after hydrogen), odorless. Under normal conditions it does not react with any substance. Non-flammable and non-toxic, but can cause anesthesia at high blood pressure. The lightness and non-toxicity (unlike hydrogen) of helium have found their application. Airships, balloons and balloons are filled with helium.
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S)– can sometimes be part of natural gas. It is a heavy, colorless gas with a pungent odor of rotten eggs. Extremely poisonous, even small concentrations can cause paralysis of the olfactory nerve. Despite its toxicity, hydrogen sulfide is used in small doses for hydrogen sulfide baths, as it has good antiseptic properties.
Natural gas is the best fuel type
Natural gas is an important source of energy that reduces pollution and helps maintain a healthy environment. Compared to other energy sources, it has a number of advantages:
- when burned, it emits only carbon dioxide and water vapor, this is the mixture that we usually breathe on the street;
- does not emit soot or smoke during combustion;
- ignites quickly and its combustion process is easy to control;
- contains almost no solid impurities and other harmful components;
- relative cheapness, thanks to an easier method of extraction and transportation.
In terms of its energy properties, natural gas is second only to oil, which releases more energy during combustion. But unlike oil, which must first be processed, natural gas requires virtually no pre-processing.
Natural gas is a mineral resource. Gas, just like oil and coal,
formed in the bowels of the earth from organic substances of animal origin
(that is, deposits of long-lived organisms) under the influence of high pressures and
temperatures
Living organisms that died and sank to the seabed fell into such
conditions where they could not decompose as a result of oxidation (after all, in the sea
there is no air or oxygen at the bottom), nor can it be destroyed by microbes (they simply weren’t there).
The deposits of these organisms formed silty sediments. As a result
geological movements, these sediments penetrated to great depths. There under
influenced by pressure and high temperature for millions of years
the process by which carbon contained in sediments is converted into compounds
called hydrocarbons. They got their name because they
molecules are made of carbon and hydrogen. Hydrocarbons with large molecules
(high molecular weight) are liquid substances from which oil was formed. A
low molecular weight hydrocarbons (which have small molecules) are gases. They-
then they formed natural gas. But only the gas was formed under the influence of more
higher temperatures and pressures than oil.
This is why oil fields always contain natural gas.
Over time, these deposits went deep down - they were covered by layers of sedimentary rocks.
Natural gas is not a homogeneous substance. It consists of a mixture of gases.
The main part of natural gas (98%) is methane gas. In addition to methane,
The composition of natural gas includes ethane, propane, butane, and also some
non-hydrocarbon substances - hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide.
Natural gas is found in the ground at a depth of 1 to several kilometers. IN
In the depths of the earth, gas is found in microscopic voids - pores. Pores
connected to each other by microscopic channels - cracks. According to these
channels, gas flows from pores with high pressure to pores with lower pressure
pressure.
Gas is extracted from the depths of the earth using wells. Gas comes out of the depths through
wells outward due to the fact that the formation is under pressure, repeatedly
exceeding atmospheric. Thus, the driving force behind gas production is
depth is the pressure difference between the reservoir and the collection system.
Currently, natural gas is widely used in the fuel, energy and chemical industries.
Natural gas is widely used as a cheap fuel in residential private and apartment buildings for heating, water heating and cooking. It is used as fuel for cars, boiler houses, and thermal power plants. This is one of the best types of fuel for domestic and industrial needs. The value of natural gas
fuel also lies in the fact that it is an environmentally friendly mineral fuel. When burned, much less harmful substances are formed compared to other types of fuel. Therefore, natural gas is one of the main sources of energy in human activity.
In the chemical industry, natural gas is used as a raw material for the production of various organic substances, for example, plastics, rubber, alcohol, and organic acids. It was the use of natural gas that helped synthesize many chemicals that do not exist in nature, for example, polyethylene.
At first, people had no idea about the beneficial properties of gas. During oil production, it is often an associated gas. Previously, such associated gas was simply burned right at the production site. At that time, it was unprofitable to transport and sell natural gas, but over time, effective methods were developed for transporting natural gas to consumers, the main one being pipelines. With this method, gas from wells, previously purified, enters the pipes under enormous pressure - 75 atmospheres. In addition, a method is used to transport liquefied gas in special tankers - gas carriers. Liquefied gas is safer during transportation and storage than compressed gas.
And the burning of natural gas is prohibited by law in a number of countries, but in some countries it is still practiced today...
Did you know that...
Pure natural gas is colorless and odorless. To be able to detect a domestic gas leak by smell, a small amount of substances that have a strong unpleasant odor are added to it. Most often, ethyl mercaptan is used for this purpose.
The 20th century is considered to be the century of oil and natural gas. And although today we are in the 21st century, the leading place in the world economy still belongs to them. Along with coal, oil and gas are the main types of fuel. It’s hard to believe, but three centuries ago humanity was not familiar with the word “gas.” It first appeared in the 17th century thanks to the Dutch scientist Van Helmont. This is what he called a substance (from the Greek “chaos”), which under normal conditions is capable of filling all the space available to it without abrupt changes in properties, which is the difference between gas and liquid and solid bodies. is a mixture of gases that are formed in the bowels of the earth through anaerobic decomposition of organic substances.
Humanity has been faced with the release of natural flammable gas to the surface of the earth since ancient times. When reaching the surface, the gas often ignited. Such a torch could exist for a long time; it was called the “eternal flame.” Such fire was considered sacred, it was worshiped as a deity and temples were erected nearby. The first information about the “sacred fire” is found in Masudi (10th century). Most often, gas torches were found in Mesopotamia, Iran, India, China, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains, and in North America. Marco Polo noted in his notes that in some areas of China natural gas was used for heating and lighting. According to the famous traveler Kaempfer, the inhabitants of the Absheron Peninsula used flammable gas for burning limestone and cooking food (1682-1686). However, only in the middle of the 19th century. Its practical use began; for industrial purposes, natural flammable gas began to be widely used in the 20s of the twentieth century.
Natural gas is extracted from the depths of the earth through wells. Gas is usually found underground under pressure. This pressure is many times higher than atmospheric pressure. The pressure difference between the gas-bearing formation and the collection system is the driving force. As soon as the well reaches the formation, a powerful gas stream bursts to the surface. To prevent the gas fountain from damaging the drilling rig and to prevent spontaneous combustion, it is closed with special steel valves, after which it is directed under regulated pressure (75 atm) into pipelines with a diameter of up to 1.42 m. 
Moving through the pipeline, the gas loses its potential strength, because overcomes the friction force between the layers of gas. Friction of the gas also occurs with the walls of the pipe. Therefore, special compressor stations are installed at certain distances, where the gas is pressurized to the required pressure (from 55 to 120 atm) and cooled. Despite the high costs associated with constructing and maintaining the pipeline, it is the most economical way to transport gas over hundreds of kilometers. Special vessels (tankers) are also used to transport gas. In these gas carriers, gas is transported in specialized isothermal containers in a liquefied state. This method of gas delivery is more economical and safe. There are also technologies for delivering gas using railway tanks. Gas is stored in gas tanks - special sealed steel tanks in a compressed or liquefied state. In order for gas storage facilities to withstand the pressure of liquefied gas, they are made spherical. The voids in the bowels of the earth that appear after mining can be used as gas storage. These can be depleted oil and gas deposits, aquiferous sand layers, covered above and below by clayey rocks.
For domestic and industrial purposes, both natural and artificial gases are used, obtained by oxidation of solid or liquid fuels with air, carbon dioxide, oxygen or water vapor. Among the natural minerals that belong to the fuel and energy group, natural gas occupies one of the main places in the area of its use in the national economy. This is the best type of fuel, which is characterized by: ease of ignition; complete combustion without smoke, soot and ash; regulation of the combustion process; high heat of combustion. Natural flammable gas is used as fuel in the furnaces of industrial enterprises, in central heating boiler houses, and 
also in everyday life (gas stoves). In large cities with a centralized gas supply, natural or artificial gas is supplied through pipelines directly to the burners of gas stoves. In addition, local gas supply is also provided. In this case, gas in liquefied form is delivered to consumers in cylinders, road and rail tanks, and in special containers. Gas is no less important for the chemical industry, where it is used as a raw material for the production of various synthetic substances and materials, many of which do not exist at all in nature (for example, polyethylene). World natural gas reserves are estimated at 630 billion tones, or 4.9% of the total amount of fuel resources. The gas industry has enormous potential in the global economy. Many entrepreneurs and businessmen have been investing considerable amounts of money in this industry for a long time. Today you can buy Novatek shares on the Internet. Among the countries with the largest reserves of natural gas, it is worth highlighting first of all such countries as Russia, Iran, the USA, Canada, and the countries of the Persian Gulf. Among European countries, Norway and the Netherlands should be highlighted, and from the countries of the former USSR - Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Russia is one of the leaders in the world in gas production.
A mixture of hydrocarbons, an object of religious worship, a dispute between scientists and the most important raw material resource. It is invisible and odorless. There is more of it in Russia than anywhere else in the world.
What does natural gas consist of?
The basis of natural gas is methane (CH 4) - the simplest hydrocarbon (an organic compound consisting of carbon and hydrogen atoms). Usually it also contains heavier hydrocarbons, homologues of methane: ethane (C 2 H 6), propane (C 3 H 8), butane (C 4 H 10) and some non-hydrocarbon impurities.
Natural gas can exist in the form of gas deposits located in certain rock layers, in the form of gas caps (above oil), and also in dissolved or crystalline form.
Smell of gas
Interestingly, none of these gases have either color or odor. The characteristic unpleasant odor, which almost every person has encountered in everyday life, is artificially given to gas and is called odorization. Sulfur-containing compounds are usually used as odorants, that is, unpleasant-smelling substances. A person can smell one of the most common odorants - ethanethiol - even if one part of this substance is in 50 million parts of air. It is thanks to odorization that gas leaks can be easily identified.
Odorant addition step
with an unpleasant odor.
Odorless natural gas
Natural gas
with an unpleasant odor
Scientists' dispute
There is still no consensus among scientists regarding the origin of natural gas (as well as oil). Two main concepts - biogenic and mineral - assert different reasons for the formation of hydrocarbon minerals in the bowels of the Earth.
Mineral theory
The formation of minerals in rock layers is part of the process of degassing the Earth. Due to the internal dynamics of the Earth, hydrocarbons located at great depths rise to the zone of lowest pressure, resulting in the formation of gas and oil deposits.
Biogenic theory
Living organisms that died and sank to the bottom of reservoirs decomposed in airless space. Sinking deeper and deeper due to geological movements, the remains of decomposed organic matter were transformed under the influence of thermobaric factors (temperature and pressure) into hydrocarbon minerals, including natural gas.
Invisible pores
A fairly common misconception is that gas is located underground in some kind of voids, from which it is easily completely extracted. In fact, the gas may be inside a rock that has a porous structure so fine that it cannot be seen by the human eye. Holding a piece of sandstone in your hands, extracted from great depths, it is quite difficult to imagine that natural gas is contained inside.
Gas Worship
Humanity has known about the existence of natural gas for a long time. And, although already in the 4th century BC. e. in China they learned to use it for heating and lighting; for a long time, a bright flame that leaves no ashes was the subject of a mystical and religious cult for some peoples. For example, on the Absheron Peninsula (modern territory of Azerbaijan) in the 7th century, the temple of fire worshipers Ateshgah was erected, services in which took place until the 19th century.
By the way, not far from the Ateshgah temple in 1859, the first attempt in Russia (rather short-lived) to use natural gas for industrial purposes was made - at an oil refinery in Baku.
Thermal lamp and the first gas in Russia
The history of the Russian gas industry begins in 1811. Then the inventor Pyotr Sobolevsky created the first installation for producing artificial gas - thermal lamps. Having made a report on this at a meeting of the All-Russian Society of Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Arts, by decree of Alexander I, Sobolevsky was awarded an order for his invention. A few years later, in 1819, the first gas lamps were lit on Aptekarsky Island in St. Petersburg. Thus, the history of the gas industry in Russia began almost 200 years ago - in 2011 it celebrated its anniversary.
In the mid-1920s, 227.7 million cubic meters of gas were produced throughout the USSR. In 2010, the Gazprom Group produced 508.6 billion cubic meters of gas.
Russia ranks first in the world in terms of natural gas reserves. Gazprom's share in these reserves is about 70%. Thus, Gazprom has the world's richest natural gas reserves.
With the advent of the 20th century, the active development of the Russian gas industry began: gas fields were developed for the first time, associated (petroleum) gas was utilized.
Russian ingenuity
However, until the 20th century in Russia, natural gas was a by-product of oil production and was called associated gas. Even the very concepts of gas or gas condensate fields did not exist. They were discovered by chance, for example, when drilling artesian wells. However, there is a known case when, while drilling such a well, a resourceful Saratov merchant, seeing flames instead of water, built a glass and brick factory in this place. Industrialists gradually began to realize that natural gas could be extremely useful.
Price for natural gas revised for EU countries. In 2016, the price for 1,000 cubic meters of fuel was $167. In 2017, according to the February statements of the chairman of Gazprom, about 180 conventional units will be requested.
At the same time, the share of the European market of the Russian corporation is growing. Last year the figure was 31%, this year it is already 34%. In particular, supplies to non-CIS countries increased by 12.5%.
In general, there is both demand and prospects. The lack of competitors allows prices to be raised, leaving Europe as a priority market. The volume of gas pipelines speaks volumes about the scale of fuel demand not only in the West, but also in the West itself.
Their total length in the Federation, for example, is equal to 20 equators. Moreover, this is not enough. They plan to build new networks. So, it’s worth talking about promising fuel. Let's find out what it is, how it differs and how it turns out.
Properties of natural gas
The hero has a mixed composition. Natural gas volume consists of several. The main one is methane. Him in composition of natural gas includes more than 90%.
The remaining 10% comes from propane, butane, carbon dioxide, etc. Combining them under one name, experts place natural gas in 3rd place in terms of abundance on Earth. In fact, bronze goes to methane.
The fuel is called natural because it is not synthetic. Gas is born underground from the decomposition products of organic matter. However, there is also an inorganic component in the fuel, for example.
The exact composition depends on the area and the resources present in its soils. Initially, natural gas reserves originated in the muddy sediments of water bodies. Dead microorganisms and plants settled in them.
They could neither oxidize nor decompose, since there were no microbes in the environment, and oxygen did not penetrate there. As a result, organic deposits awaited movements of the earth’s crust, for example, a fault in it.
The sludge fell through, finding itself in a new trap. In the depths of the earth, organic matter was affected by pressure and heat. The pattern is similar to the formation of oil. But, lower temperatures and lower pressure are sufficient for it.
In addition, they have large hydrocarbon molecules. Natural gas - methane low molecular weight, like other fuel components. Its particles are microscopic.
The interaction between natural gas molecules is weak. This is what distinguishes matter from other states of aggregation, that is, liquids and stones. The main properties depend on the structure natural gas. Combustible.
The substance is highly flammable, and spontaneously ignites at 600-700 degrees Celsius. At the same time, the octane number of the fuel is 120-130. This parameter characterizes detonation resistance.
The ability to resist spontaneous combustion is important during compression. It's no secret that they mainly use liquefied natural gas. It is created from ordinary material at low temperatures and high pressure.
The octane number of a gas is calculated by the ratio of flammable components to those that are difficult to oxidize during compression. In gasoline, these are, for example, n-heptane and isooctane. Hence, in fact, the name of the number.
The calorific value of the hero of the article is close to 12,000 kilocalories per cubic meter. That is, natural gas combustion provides 4 times more energy than combustion and 2 times more than when working with.
The calorific value of gas is equal to oil. At the same time, the hero of the article wins over high molecular weight hydrocarbons. In particular, natural gas application smokeless. Both oil and smoke. In addition, the gas burns without leaving a residue. Coals, for example, have unprocessed ash.
Despite its environmental friendliness, natural gas is dangerous. If you add 5-15% of the hero of the article to the air, it will spontaneously ignite. The process, of course, takes place indoors. Home natural gas, as in workshops, rises to the ceilings.
The fire starts from there. The reason is the ease of methane. Air is almost 2 times heavier. So the molecules of natural gas rise to the ceilings. It is difficult to recognize the phenomenon, because natural gas has no color, no smell, no taste.
From a chemical point of view, the hero of the article meets the parameters of methane, that is, it enters into substitution reactions, pyrolysis and dehydrogenation. The first are based on the exchange of two or more substances with atoms. Pyrolysis is decomposition when heated and in the absence of oxygen. Dehydrogenation is the name given to reactions involving the elimination of hydrogen from organic matter.
Already at 4 percent content of heavy hydrocarbon impurities in natural gas, the properties of the hero of the article change. The parameters indicated in the article are averaged. However, any gas. What a natural the material goes in depends on the goals.
Compositions with a predominance of methane are used for fuel. Gas in which it is less than 90% is considered technical gas and is used in the chemical industry. We will tell you the details of the process in a separate chapter. In the meantime, let’s look at the places where gas is located in nature.
Natural gas production and fields
In nature, gas is just that: gas. It is liquefied after extraction. Therefore, world fuel reserves are calculated not in kilograms or liters, but in cubic meters. 200 trillion and 363 million have been explored on the planet.
Annual production reached 3.6 billion cubic meters. They are supplied by Iran, Qatar, Turkmenistan, USA, Arabia, United Emirates and Venezuela. Countries are listed in descending order of gas reserves.
As the leader of the list, he has the super-giant Urengoysky natural gas field. The deposit was named after the village near which it was found back in 1966. In terms of fuel reserves, the Urengoyskoye field ranks third on Earth.
16 trillion cubic meters of gas are hidden in the depths. They have been developed since 1978, and exported to Europe since 1984. By 2017, 70% of the reserves had been depleted, that is, about 5 trillion cubic meters remained of 16 trillion cubic meters.
The Yamburskoye field is also considered gigantic. Located in the same Yamalo-German district, it was opened 2 years later than Urengoy. Natural gas production has been carried out on an industrial scale since 1980. Initially, the deposit's reserves were estimated at 8.2 trillion cubic meters. By 2017, gas reserves had become depleted by 4 trillion cubic meters.
Consumption of natural eider from a field where wells are drilled in permafrost conditions, indicates the importance of the resource. To extract Yambur fuel, they overcome from 1 to 3 kilometers of soil. 50 meters of them are permafrost.
On the Yamal Peninsula there is another northern gas field - Bovanenkovskoye. Its reserves are equal to 4.9 trillion cubic meters. They were discovered back in 1971, but mining began only in 2012. Therefore, in terms of current reserves, the deposit is comparable to the Yamburskoye and Urengoyskoye fields.
About 90 billion cubic meters are produced annually at the Bovanenkovsky field natural gas. For the population peninsula enterprise - income and place of employment. Although, some go to fish outside the mainland.
Natural gas in Russia found in its marine expanses. Thus, the Shtokman field is being developed between Murmansk and Novaya Zemlya. In other words, gas reserves are based on the bottom of the Barents Sea.
The depth at the gas production site does not exceed 400 meters. The field is not being fully developed. For now, the process has been postponed until 2019. The volume of the deposit is estimated at almost 4 trillion cubic meters of gas.
Another offshore natural gas field is located in the south of the Kara Sea. For its proximity to St. Petersburg it was called “Leningrad”, opened during the times of the USSR. The deposit's fuel reserves are estimated at 3 trillion cubic meters.
The Rusanovskoye natural gas field was discovered on the continental shelf of the Kara Sea. So far, we are talking about 779 billion cubic meters of fuel. Forecasts predict an increase in the figure to 3 trillion cubic meters. The depth of gas occurrence complicates production. It has to be removed from 1.5-2 kilometers.
Supply of natural gas from the ground into wells is carried out naturally. The light substance simply seeps through the pores in the rock. A low pressure area is created in the well.
Where natural gas is based, it is high. Naturally, fuel tends to flow into holes drilled by humans. The deepest well goes to a depth of 6 kilometers and is located at the Urengoy field.
Large gas deposits require several wells. They are drilled at the same distance from each other, making them equal. Otherwise, natural gas pressure in the layers of the earth's crust it is distributed unevenly.
Some wells will simply remain unfilled. If you make only one hole in the ground, it quickly becomes flooded, that is, filled with water. Moisture rushes into the pores of the rocks previously occupied by fuel, in general, follows behind it.
Application of natural gas
The obvious use of the hero of the article is fuel. To transport gas through pipes, it is dried. Moisture in the gas causes corrosion of pipes, and at subzero temperatures it forms ice plugs, clogging passages.
The hero of the article is also freed from hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide. The latter is not regulated, but is not economically profitable. Hydrogen sulfide should be no more than 2 grams per 100 cubic meters.
To prevent accidents, natural gas is odorized. In other words, the fuel is saturated with odorous components. They signal a gas leak. Since the fuel itself is odorless, millions of cubic meters can be lost without treatment.
In addition to fuel in cars and boiler houses, gas serves as a fuel. Heating boilers and stoves operate on it. Some people buy gas lamps to illuminate their homes and yards.
Offshore natural gas production
In the chemical industry, natural gas, or more precisely methane from it, serves as a raw material for the production of a number of plasticizers. Acetylene, methanol and hydrogen cyanide are also synthesized from natural gas. For example, acetate silk is made from acetylene. Hydrogen cyanide is also largely used for synthetic fibers.
They extracted gas without wells. They stumbled upon the fossil while searching for underground cooking solutions. They searched for her using bundles of bamboo stems. Metal spears were attached to their ends. Here comes the replacement of drills.
The salt solution was pumped outwards using valves. They resembled blacksmith's bellows. The gas came to the surface along with the solution. The Chinese decided to burn it in order to evaporate the mineral.
After draining the salt, they decided to carry the fuel through bamboo pipes to their huts. In general, the simplest version of a gas pipeline existed 8 centuries ago. In those days they did not pay for natural fuel. In modern times, every cubic meter is . Let's take a look at the price tags.
Natural gas price
Gaza is largely determined by political factors. , as a market monopolist, dictates the rules. Among the objective factors, fuel is influenced by the form of its transportation. Liquefaction and transportation in cylinders is expensive. Supplying gas in its natural form directly through pipes is more profitable.
Sometimes nature influences the price of gas. After Hurricane Katrina, for example, the US reduced fuel production. Accordingly, the price tag on it jumped. The hurricane swept through gas-producing areas.
Gas, as a rule, is divided into costs for strangers and for our own. Thus, the cost of a cubic meter of Russian gas within the country does not exceed 8.80 kopecks. This is the 2017 tariff in the Saratov region.
In Pskovskaya, for comparison, they pay 5 rubles 46 kopecks. This tariff is close to the current one in most gasified regions. Accordingly, 1,000 cubic meters costs no more than 8,800 rubles, and usually about 5,500.
The minimum price tag for the current year for Europeans is about 11,000 rubles. This is the purchase price from the Russians. Westerners will naturally pay more for fuel in their homes.
