NATURAL GAS

By Hannah Lee, Stephanie Magvas, Theresa Farnan

ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT WILDFIRES

What Is Natural Gas?

Natural gas is a fuel that’s used to heat buildings, cook food, dry clothes, heat water, and to even help produce electricity.

The main ingredient in natural gas is methane.

Methane is odorless shapeless, and colorless.

Two other main components used in natural gas are called butane, and propane

Who and Where was Natural Gas Founded?

The Chinese discovered natural gas in 600 B.C. In the 1950s natural gas pipelines were built for common use of natural gas in the United States.

Colonel Edwin Drake built the first natural gas well In 1859 in the United States.

In 600 B.C. Confucius wrote about wells that are 100 feet below the earth’s surface, supplying water and natural gas along the Tibetan border.

America’s Natural Gas

Natural gas usage was recognized in America as early as 1926, when French explorers found native Americans igniting gases that were seeping into and around Lake Erie.

The first natural gas well was built in the United States in 1821 by Gunsmith named William Heart.

William Heart is considered to be the father of natural gas, and in 1858 he founded the Fredonia Gas Light Company.

Natural Gas Vehicles

1.NGVs burn natural gas. This is packed and stored in cylinders.2.When the engine starts, natural gas flows into a fuel line. 3.The gas then enters a controlled area where its pressure is reduced.4.The natural gas goes into the engine through a fuel injection system where it’s combined with air. The fuel/air mixture is adjusted to burn most productively and with the least possible leaks5. Natural gas burns in the engine just like gasoline.6.NGVs can be refueled by attaching a hose at the fueling point.

Advantages

Burns more cleanly than other fossil fuels

It is easily transported through pipelines

The natural gas can be stored in small tanks where it can be brought into homes that are not connected to pipes

Can be used to fuel cars

There is a lot of natural gas

It is less expensive than electricity

Disadvantages

It produces large amounts od carbon dioxide

Can cause explosions because it is highly flammable and can leak

It can be very expensive if it is not instaslled in your house correctly

It requires high voltage which can be dangerous and costly

Because it is colorless oderless and tasteless, it makes it hard to find out if it leaked and where the spill happened.

In gas pipelines a natural gas contains contains carbon monoxide which can cause death if it is inhaled.

Where Do You Find It And How Do You Use It?

You find natural gas underground deep within the crust.

It can be brought to the surface by digging wells and using pipelines to bring it to factories and homes.

You can’t actually use natural gas in its original form, it is a combination of many other components.

Once it is mixed, this natural gas is now a fossil type fuel that can be found in oil fields and coal beds where it is isolated processed.

How Does Natural Gas Come to Your Home?

Pipes that lead through out the United States bring natural gas to power plants, factories, and processing plants

From these places, its gets cleaned, seperated and converted into usable fuel for homes and businesses

It is then sent to underground reservoirs where it is then distrubuted to smaller pipelines that lead to homes and places that use natural gas.

Sometimes it is transported by trucks to more rural areas where pipelines don’t reach

From the trucks the gas is stored in small metal tanks.

What Do You Need?

To get natural gas to your house you need a series of pipe lines.

If you do not have pipe lines you may have small metal tanks that store the gas.

People dig wells and then put valves connected to the wells to bring natural gas to the surface.

The valves work like gateways to allow natural gas to flow freely or the can be used to stop natural gas from flowing through a certain pipe.

Brainpop

You will watch this Brainpop about natural gas.

What did you learn?

Well, LETS TAKE A QUIZ!!

www.brainpop.com/ 3.webloc

www.brainpop.com/ 2.webloc

Natural Gas Deposit

Here is an interesting video on natural gas deposit in the North Sea

video.nationalgeographic.#8003E

Interesting Facts

Natural gas was formed under the earth about 100 million years ago.

There are more than 1 million miles of underground gas pipes across the united states.

In 1816, gas was first used to light street lamps, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Natural gas is lighter than air!

More than 62 million families use natural gas.

Bibliography

About Natural Gas." 302 Found. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.safegasohio.org/about/about_oga.html>.

"Cascade Natural Gas." Cascade Natural Gas Home Page. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.cngc.com/community/gasinfo.asp>.

"National Geographic Home Page." National Geographic. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.nationalgeographic.com/>.

"NaturalGas.org." NaturalGas.org. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.naturalgas.org/>.

"NGVA." NGVA. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.ngvc.org/>.

"What Is Natural Gas?" Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center:. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/natural_gas_what_is.html>.