Our land is generous natural resources and one of these resources is natural gas. It is formed in the depths of the earth from organic substances of animal origin under the influence of high temperatures.

Living organisms that died and sank to the bottom of the sea penetrated into an environment where they did not decay as a result of oxidation and were not destroyed by microbes. The deposits of such organisms formed silt sediments. During geological movements, sediments settled on large sea ​​depths. There under the influence high temperature and pressure, over several million years, a process occurred in which the carbon that was present in the sediments was converted into hydrocarbons. They inherited this name due to the fact that the molecules contain carbon and hydrogen. High molecular weight hydrocarbons are liquid substances from which oil is obtained, and with small molecules they are gases. They create natural gas. But gas is formed under the influence of higher pressures and temperatures than oil.

For this reason, natural gas is always present in fields where oil is located.

After some time, the sediments settled even deeper, as they were covered with a large layer of sedimentary rocks.

Natural gas includes a mixture of gases. Its main part (about 98%) is methane. In addition to methane, natural gas includes propane, butane, ethane, and also a large number of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and hydrogen sulfide.

Natural gas is located in the bowels of the earth, the depth of which can be from one to several kilometers. In the depths of the earth, gas is found in the form of microscopic voids, so-called pores. The pores are connected to each other by channels invisible to the naked eye. Through these channels, gas enters from pores with more high pressure into pores with low pressure.

Gas is produced using wells. It comes out from the bowels of the earth through wells. This occurs due to the fact that the natural gas in the interlayer is under pressure several times higher than atmospheric pressure. Consequently, the lever of natural gas production with great depths is the difference in pressure in the interlayer and the collection system.

On this moment Natural gas is widely used in the fuel and energy, as well as the chemical industry.

Natural gas is also widely used as an inexpensive fuel in homes for water heating, heating and cooking. It is used as fuel for thermal power plants, boiler houses and machines. Natural gas is one of the best views fuel for industrial and domestic needs. The value of this gas as a fuel also lies in the fact that it is an environmentally friendly mineral fuel. During combustion, a significantly smaller amount of harmful substances is formed compared to other types of fuel. Therefore, natural gas is considered one of the main sources of energy in human activity.

In the chemical industry, it is used as a raw material for the extraction of various organic substances, for example, rubber, plastic, etc. It was the use of natural gas that made it possible to synthesize a large number of chemicals that do not exist in nature, for example, polyethylene.

Initially, people did not know about beneficial properties natural gas. Always present during oil production. Previously, it was simply burned at the mining site. At that time, the transportation and sale of natural gas was unprofitable, but after some time they were found effective ways transportation of natural gas to the buyer, the main one of which is pipeline. In addition, a method of transporting liquefied gas using special tankers is used. Liquefied gas is considered safer during transportation and storage than compressed gas.

Natural gas is the most valuable energy carrier, which is an environmentally friendly type of fuel. Gas production increases annually, which is associated with growth industrial production and an increase in the planet's population.

The largest importer of gas is Russia. Most of Russian gas supplied via pipelines. It mainly goes to Europe. The most gas goes to Germany (39.8 billion m³), ​​Turkey (26.2 billion m³) and Italy (24.9 billion m³). A small part of Russian gas in the form of liquefied natural gas goes to Japan and South Korea.

The role of gas in the modern world

In the modern economy, energy resources play a leading role. An indicator of the economic development of each state is its level of energy consumption. Their importance is evidenced by the fact that more than 70% of mined minerals are classified as energy resources. One of the most important species energy resource is natural gas. Currently the gas volume is energy balance of the planet is about 25%, and by 2050 it will increase to 30%.

The largest consumers of gas are the USA (646 billion m³, 2009) and Russia (389.7 billion m³). Their gas consumption is respectively 22% and 13.3% of global gas consumption.

Since the role of such an energy resource as in the global economy is very large, then great importance gas importing countries also have. To estimate gas imports, you can use the latest statistical collection from British Petroleum, released in the middle of last year.

In accordance with this document, the United States is in first place in natural gas production, producing 687.6 billion m³, which is 20.5% of all gas produced in the world.

In second place is Russia with 604.8 billion m³ (17.8%).

It should be noted that the rise of the United States to first place in gas production is associated with the development of shale gas technology in this country. This technology involves pumping an aqueous solution under high pressure into a well drilled at a depth of 500 to 3,000 m, passing through a layer of shale. As a result, hydraulic fracturing of the formation occurs and cracks are formed through which gas enters the well. The cost of such gas is quite high, so at low gas prices they become unprofitable.

Gas usage

Natural gas can be used primarily as a fuel in industry and in everyday life. At the same time, it has a number of advantages. These advantages of gas are:

• complete combustion without soot and smoke;
• after its combustion, no ash is formed;
• ease of ignition and adjustment of flame size;
• ease of transportation to the consumer;
• absence harmful products combustion.

The relative cheapness of gas production plays an important role. If gas is compared with coal, then the cost of 1 ton of gas in terms of fuel equivalent will be only 10% of the cost of coal.

Gas is used in the metallurgical, cement, light and food industries National economy as fuel. Gas is also used as a raw material for the chemical industry. Gas often replaces conventional fuels such as coal, fuel oil or peat. Due to the high qualities of the gas, production efficiency increases when used. For example, in the metallurgical industry, the use of gas allows saving expensive coke, increasing the productivity of furnaces and improving the quality of the metal produced. The use of gas in thermal power plants allows significant savings on fuel transportation, increasing the operating time of boilers, automating power plant control and reducing the number of required personnel.

IN Lately An important application of gas is its use as fuel for cars. This approach makes it possible to reduce the emissions of harmful substances generated during the operation of a car engine by 40–60%.

Gas consumption by various sectors of the economy is divided approximately as follows:

• 45% of gas is used in industry;
• 35% is used in thermal power plants;
• 10% of gas goes to the needs of the housing and communal services industry.

Gas reserves

Due to big role the role natural gas plays in the planet's economy, serious importance is attached to gas reserves. At the same time, with The data is updated every year. There are several sources of information on gas reserves issued by such reputable organizations as the CIA, OPEC or British Petroleum. According to this information, explored and confirmed gas reserves on the planet amount to approximately 185 trillion m³. According to scientists' calculations, this amount of gas can last the inhabitants of the planet for 63 years.

The American Geological Survey estimates that approximately 140 trillion m³ of undiscovered reserves and 85 trillion m³ of hard-to-reach reserves need to be added to these reserves. And in total, as this service suggests, there may be about 290 trillion m³ of potential gas reserves on the planet, in addition to explored and confirmed ones.

The largest number of proven gas reserves is located in Russia (48.7 trillion m³), ​​which is almost a quarter of the volume on Earth. Iran is in 2nd place (34 trillion m³), ​​Qatar is in third (25 trillion m³).

Natural gas fields and production methods

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When the impact of natural gas is compared to other types of fuel, gas creates fewer greenhouse gases. This is due to his chemical composition and greater heat transfer. However, burning natural gas also produces greenhouse compounds. For example, carbon emissions from natural gas have doubled in 30 years.

Countries with developed industries bear the main blame for this. Thus, the United States emits 20% of the total volume, European countries – 18%, and Russia – 15%.

New mining technologies can cause certain harm to the environment if they are used carelessly. Firstly, this is the possibility of contamination of groundwater with chemicals, secondly, the possibility of micro-earthquakes in places of hydraulic fracturing, and thirdly, the possibility of leaks of methane, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. All this requires careful preparation for drilling wells and analysis of the consequences of this method of gas production.

conclusions

• The development of the global economy requires a large amount of energy resources such as natural gas.
• Russia is one of the largest producers and importers of gas.
• The planet has large gas reserves, and almost a quarter of these reserves are located in Russia.
• To improve the Earth's ecology, it is necessary to optimize gas use technologies in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Natural gas is a mineral of a group of sedimentary rocks, which is a mixture of gases. This resource arose as a result of the decomposition of organic matter in the bowels of the Earth. Environmentalists recognize natural gas as the cleanest type of fossil fuel.

Characteristics and types of natural gas

The characteristics of natural gas depend on its composition. It is 1.8 times lighter than air, the spontaneous combustion temperature is 650°C. Dry gas has a density from 0.68 kg/m3 to 0.85 kg/m3, and liquid gas has a density of 400 kg/m3. A mixture of gas and air from 5% to 15% of the volume is explosive. Specific heat combustion from 8-12 kW-h/m3. When using natural gas in internal combustion engines, the octane number is between 120 and 130.

Most natural gas is a mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons. The main part is methane (CH 4 - up to 98%), as well as heavy hydrocarbons - ethane C 2 H 6, propane C 3 H 8, butane C 4 H 10. The composition also includes other non-carbon substances: hydrogen H2, hydrogen sulfide H2S, carbon dioxide CO2, nitrogen N2, helium He.

In its pure form, natural gas has neither color nor odor. To make it easier to determine the location of the leak, odorants, substances with an unpleasant odor, are mixed into it.

Types of natural gas:

• liquefied (LPG);
• swamp;
• oil;
• carbonic;
• gas hydrates;
• slate;
• lighting;
• coke;
• compressed or compressed (CNG);
• associated petroleum;
• by tiers and sub-tiers of the earthen layer Cretaceous period, where it is mined today - Turonian, Cenomanian, Valanginian, Achimov.

Natural gas field

Basically, natural gas deposits are found in the sedimentary shell of the earth's crust. Russia owns huge reserves of natural gas (Urengoy field), in Europe - Norway, the Netherlands, and most countries Persian Gulf, Iran, Canada, USA, there are large deposits in Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Gas hydrates are present in huge quantities at great depths under the seabed, as well as underground.

Natural gas production

Before mining, exploration is first carried out - gravitational, magnetic, seismic or geochemical. However, the only reliable way to find out whether there is a gas reserve underneath you is to drill a well. Natural gas is found at a depth of one kilometer. In the bowels of the Earth, gas is located in microscopic pores, which are connected by channels - cracks, through which, under high pressure, this important resource penetrates into the pores more low pressure until it is inside the wells. All this is carried out in accordance with Darcy's law - the filtration of gases and liquids in a porous medium. Gas comes out of the depths as a result of the fact that in wells it is under pressure, which is several times higher than atmospheric pressure.

Gas is extracted using wells, which are evenly distributed throughout the entire field area. This is done to ensure a uniform drop in reservoir pressure in the reservoir. The extracted gas is prepared for transportation. Gas is transported by pipelines, special gas tankers, and railway tanks.

Use of natural gas

Natural gas is used as a highly economical fuel for power plants, the cement and glass industries, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, the production of building materials, and the production of various organic compounds. This important resource is used for municipal and domestic needs. An energy source for megacities, motor fuel, paint, glue, vinegar, ammonia - we have all this thanks to natural gas.

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 the need for fuel not only in the West, but also 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 silty 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 low temperatures and high blood pressure.

Octane number 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 that remove hydrogen from organic matter.

Already at 4 percent content in natural gas impurities of heavy hydrocarbons, 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 dislocated 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, of 16 trillion cubic meters, about 5 remained.

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 conditions permafrost, 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. Bye, we're talking about 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 in 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 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.

Currently, natural gas is widely used in the fuel, energy and chemical industries.

Natural gas is widely used as a cheap fuel in residential and private 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 as a 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 chemical substances 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 they developed effective methods transportation of natural gas to the consumer, the main of which is pipeline. 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 bad smell. Most often, ethyl mercaptan is used for this purpose.