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Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking)

Natural gas is a clean-burning fossil fuel composed primarily of methane. It is found deep underground, trapped within permeable rock formations, and can be extracted through drilling wells. The main uses of natural gas are to generate electricity and heat homes and buildings. It supplies over 20% of the world's energy needs and produces lower emissions than coal when burned. Large new reserves have recently been found in shale rock formations, making natural gas an increasingly important energy source.

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25 views2 pages

Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking)

Natural gas is a clean-burning fossil fuel composed primarily of methane. It is found deep underground, trapped within permeable rock formations, and can be extracted through drilling wells. The main uses of natural gas are to generate electricity and heat homes and buildings. It supplies over 20% of the world's energy needs and produces lower emissions than coal when burned. Large new reserves have recently been found in shale rock formations, making natural gas an increasingly important energy source.

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Anonymous JOOQkGbwoR
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What is Natural Gas?


Natural Gas is colorless, shapeless, and odorless in its pure form. Unlike other fossil
fuels, natural gas is clean burning and emits lower levels of potentially harmful
byproducts into the air. It is therefore called "Clean Gas'.
While natural gas is formed primarily of methane, it can also include ethane, propane,
butane and pentane. It is one of the gases that are formed by the same formation of fossil
fuels.
The main ingredient in natural gas is methane, a gas (or compound) composed of one
carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms.
Natural gas supplies about 23.8 percent of the world's energy. Gas is extracted by drilling
wells deep into the ground, through many layers or rock to reach the gas deposits.
Natural gas comes in two main types:
The first and conventional type is found in permeable sandstone reservoirs. The second,
unconventional types are found in other places such as in coal deposits (eg. Coal Steam
Gas, CSG) or shale rock formations (eg. Shale Gas)
In recent time, shale gas has become very popular in the USA and is mainly drilled by a
process called Hydraulic Fracturing (fracking). It is popular because its carbon emission
is about half that of coal, and is seen as environmentally friendlier. The USA is known to
be the worlds largest producer of shale gas.
The International Energy Agency currently estimates that global recoverable shale gas
resources stand at 7,345 trillion cubic feet, so it's conceivable that this resource could one
day offer similar benefits to other countries.
Source: Chevron
Similar to other energy types, natural gas is burned to produce pressurized gas that spins
the blades of turbines. The spinning causes some metal
coils and magnets in a generator to produce electrical
current, that is connected to a transformer and further
supplied to homes.

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