My Science School

Although new areas of gas are being found from time to time, we are using up our known supplies of natural gas very quickly. Scientists are now looking for alternative sources of natural gas. They are also trying to find fuels that do not cause as much pollution.

 

There are natural gas supplies deep in the Arctic ice.

This natural gas has been found in wet snow and ice. The Arctic could be a useful new source of natural gas. However, extracting the gas might seriously damage the natural balance of the area.

 

 

 

 

New ways of drilling for gas do not damage the natural environment.

Powerful laser beams of light can be used to drill into the ground. This causes less pollution than a huge mechanical drill. Instead of building offshore rigs, robotic machines are sent to the bottom of the ocean.

 

 

 

 

Seaweed can be turned into gas.

Ocean plants, such as sea kelp, can be turned into methane gas that we can burn for energy. Sea kelp farms have been set up in the ocean to grow the seaweed. In the future, huge kelp farms could produce renewable gas energy.

 

We can’t replace natural gas but we can use less energy. Insulation and double glazing in your home help to save heat. Even just turning off lights when not needed can make a big difference! Saving energy also reduces pollution.

 

 

 

Recycling can save energy.

Materials such as glass and plastic can be recycled. This means that they can be broken down and used to make something new. Recycling uses less energy than making objects from new glass or plastic. If you recycle two glass bottles it saves enough to boil five cups of tea!

 

 

 

 

 

Turning down the heating can save gas.

In most homes, more than half of the energy used is for heating. You can save gas by turning the heating down slightly and wearing a jumper instead. Boilers that only heat your water when you need it are also a good way to save energy.

 

 

 

Factories could also save a lot more energy.

Gas is widely used in industry. Factories need to reduce the amount of energy that  they are using. Some factories are buying more efficient equipment that needs less energy to work. Factories are also looking at ways to reduce the amount of polluting gases that they release into the air.

 

 

Natural gas from the ground is not the only gas that we can use for fuel. There are other types of gas that we can use. We can also make natural gas from other materials, such as coal, or rotting plants or vegetables.

 

 

 

 

 

Cow manure can be used to make gas.

Methane is a gas found in cow manure, human waste and rotting rubbish. We burn the methane gas from cow manure to make fuel. The manure is put in special tanks to collect the methane which we call ‘biogas’. This gas can be used for heating and lighting, or to generate electricity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waste dumps create gas that can be used as a fuel.

Scientists are looking at other ways to make natural gas from rotting waste material. Methane is taken from landfill sites where it collects as the rubbish breaks down. The vegetable remains that we throw away can also be turned into gas.

 

 

 

 

 

Gas can be taken from coal.

Heating and refining coal in a power station can remove polluting gases like sulphur. The remaining gases can then be heated to turn gas turbines that produce electricity. There is currently mare coal than gas in the world. If gas runs out, some countries may use coal to make energy.

 

We are using up natural gas supplies very quickly. One day, we will run out of this form of energy. We need to find alternative sources of energy before it is too late.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some countries do not use fossil fuels very often. Other countries use them all the time.

In the industrialized world, we depend on fossil fuels for energy. Burning fossil fuels causes pollution. Pollution has an effect around the world, causing problems such as extreme weather patterns. Even countries that have limited energy sources are affected by pollution.

 

 

 

 

 

We can’t reuse or replace natural gas.

Natural gas is a non-renewable fuel. When supplies have been used up, it will take millions of years to make any more. However, some fuels, like wood, are renewable. We plant new trees so that there are always supplies of wood.

 

 

 

 

We are using up fossil fuels very quickly.

In 2003, scientists estimated that, at the rate we are using energy, there is enough natural gas left for about 66 years. Other scientists argue that new discoveries of natural gas deposits mean that we won’t run out of this fuel quite so soon.

 

 

Natural gas burns easily, which makes it useful for providing energy. But this also means that gas can be dangerous. Great care must always be taken when taking gas from the ground, moving gas from place to place or using gas in the home.

 

 

 

 

 

 When gas is transported it has to be carried safely.

A single spark can cause gas to burn. Ships that carry gas (called tankers) now have to be specially made so that they are less likely to leak if they crash. Empty spaces in the tankers are also filled with a gas which will not catch fire.

 

 

 

Gas leaks are very dangerous.

If gas escapes and comes near to a flame or other chemicals, it can explode. In 2004, 23 people were killed when a gas pipeline exploded in Belgium. In 1988, an explosion on a drilling rig in the North Sea, called Piper Alpha, also caused many deaths.

 

 

 

 

Gas smells like rotten eggs!

When natural gas comes out of the ground, it does not smell. A chemical is added to make it smell unpleasant, but very noticeable! If you smell natural gas you should tell a grown-up straightway. People from a gas company can find the leak and make it safe.

 

Each day, we use fossil fuels to drive our cars and to make electricity for computers and lights. These fuels release chemicals into the air that can harm our world. This is called pollution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burning huge amounts of gas creates pollution.

In some parts of the world, oil is drilled to be used as fuel. Any natural gas released from the same area is left to burn in blazing fires, because it is too costly to store and transport. This is called flaring. These raging fires release many chemicals that harm the local area. It would be better if this gas could be stored and then used for fuel.

 

 

 

 

Pollution is making the Earth hotter.

Fossil fuels release a gas called carbon dioxide when they burn. This gas acts like a blanket, trapping the Sun’s heat around the Earth. This extra heat can cause extreme weather conditions, from terrible storms to hotter weather.

 

 

 

 

Natural gas is one of the cleanest fossil fuels.

When gas is burned it does not produce as many harmful chemicals as other fossil fuels. A gas-powered car or bus creates less pollution than a petrol-powered vehicle. Many people are now using this cleaner fuel.

 

 

We use natural gas to heat our homes and to make electricity in a power station. But there are also other hidden ways that we use this fuel. Helium balloons are filled with a type of natural gas, for example.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We use the chemicals in gas to make things.

Before natural gas reaches our homes, some of its chemicals and gases are taken out. These are made into other chemicals that can be used to make washing powders, plastics and even medicines. Natural gas is used in many areas of our lives!

 

 

 

 

Continue reading "Unusual uses of natural gas"

 

Natural gas gives off lots of energy when it burns. Energy makes things work. We use energy to heat our homes with gas central heating. We also use gas to heat water for washing and for warm baths and showers.

 

 

 

 

 

At home your gas comes from a pipe in the street or from a tank.

In towns and cities, most houses are supplied with gas from ‘the mains’ – a network of gas pipes under the road. In smaller areas, the network of pipes may not be available. Instead, these houses may have a tank of liquid gas in the garden. This is refilled from a lorry when the gas is running low.

 

 

 

The energy from gas can be used to cook.

When natural gas burns, the energy can be used to heat soup on a gas ring or roast a chicken in a gas oven. A gas metre measures how much gas you use in your home. You then pay for gas that you use.

 

 

 

The heat energy from natural gas can be turned into electricity.

You use electricity from the moment you wake up and turn on the light to when you go to bed and listen to a CD. Fossil fuels are often used to make electricity. In a power station, natural has heats water to make steam which turns a turbine. This turns coils of copper wire that pass through magnets, creating electricity.

Gas can be taken from the ground and sent through a network of pipes to homes around the world. Gas can also be carried in metal containers for camping equipment or portable heaters.

 

 

 

Some gas pipes are as wide as a person.

A country with large natural gas deposits, such as Russia, sends the fuel under the sea and overland to other countries. In Norway, the 1,200 kilometre Langeledd pipeline transports gas to the UK along the seabed. Gas usually travels at about 24 kilometres an hour along these large pipelines!

 

 

 

 

Liquid gas can be moved in a lorry.

Chilling gas turns it into a liquid. This takes up less room than its gassy original form. It is easier and cheaper to transport liquid natural gas to areas that cannot be reached by gas pipes.

 

 

 

 

 

Small containers of liquid gas can be used anywhere.

Other types of gas can be turned into a liquid. Propane, a gas taken from oil or natural gas, is stored as a liquid in small containers. Liquid propane can be used to heat up camping stoves or even to power this huge hot-air balloon.

 

 

 

Have you ever dug a hole in some sand or in the earth? How far could you dig? To reach large areas of natural gas, people drill deep under the earth. The drill makes a hole (or a well) in the solid rock that surrounds the natural gas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This platform is drilling for gas in the middle of the sea.

There is a lot of gas deep beneath the seabed. A gas rig is built and then transported to the middle of the ocean. This is called an offshore rig. From here, drillers are able to reach the depths of the sea. They live for months at a time on the rig. Some rigs are the size of villages!

 

 

 

 

Natural gas is cleaned before it reaches our homes.

When a drill hits an area of natural gas, the gas collects in a well and is sent along a pipe to a processing plant. Here, any unwanted gases or chemicals are removed. These can be used later for other products or fuels.

 

 

 

Drilling for natural gas can harm the natural world.

Huge drilling rigs and massive pipes spoil the beauty of the natural world. Pipelines can destroy the habitats of plants and animals, and the chemicals and fuels can upset the natural balance of the area.

 

 

Natural gas forms deep under the ground or under the seabed. It is usually found near oil. Large areas of natural gas are found all over the world, from Nigeria to Russia.

 

 

 

 

 

Scientists search for gas in rocks and soil.

Small amounts of natural gas rise up from the ground and escape through tiny holes in rocks and soil. The gas disappears safely into the air. But, when the gas meets rocks without any holes, it becomes trapped. Geologists use a geophone to scan and record movements underground.

 

 

Continue reading "Where do we find natural gas?"

Natural gas is invisible. It has no colour, shape or smell. But when gas burns, a flame gives off heat and light. Natural gas is a fossil fuel made from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.

Natural gas is an important source of light and heat energy.

Natural gas is made up of different chemicals and gases. The main ingredient is methane, a gas that burns easily. When we burn natural gas, it gives off a lot of energy. This energy is used for cooking and heating. We can even use it to power cars.

 

 

There are many gases in the air.

Most of the air that surrounds us is made up of the gases oxygen and nitrogen. We need the gases in the air to breathe. Natural gas is a mixture of different gases and chemicals that form underground.

 

 

 

 

Natural gas formed millions of years ago from the rotten bodies of dead animals and plants.

Over millions of years, dead plants and animals sank deep into the earth or the seabed. They were pushed down by soil and water. Some remains were squeezed at high temperatures to form rocks. Lower down, oil and natural gas formed.