Natural Gas Products

Natural gas is a major source of electricity generation through the use of gas turbines and steam turbines.   Particularly high efficiencies can be achieved through combining gas turbines with a steam turbine in combined cycle mode.   Natural gas burns cleaner than other fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, and produces less greenhouse gas per unit energy released.   For an equivalent amount of heat, burning natural gas produces about 30% less carbon dioxide than burning petroleum and about 45% less than burning coal.   Combined cycle power generation using natural gas is thus the cleanest source of power available using fossil fuels, and this technology is widely used wherever gas can be obtained at a reasonable cost.   Fuel cell technology may eventually provide cleaner options for converting natural gas into electricity, but as yet it is not price-competitive. ^{Wiki n.p.}

Natural gas can be used to produce hydrogen, with one common method being the hydrogen reformer.   Hydrogen has various applications: it is a primary feedstock for the chemical industry, a hydrogenating agent, an important commodity for oil refineries, and a fuel source in hydrogen vehicles.   Compressed natural gas (methane) is used as a clean alternative to other automobile fuels such as gasoline and diesel.   As of 2005, the countries with the largest number of natural gas vehicles were Argentina, Brazil, Pakistan, Italy, India and Bangladesh.   The energy efficiency is generally equal to that of gasoline engines, but lower compared with modern diesel engines, because of the lower compression ratios used by the natural gas engine.   Research is ongoing to improve this efficiency.   Natural gas is a major feedstock for the production of ammonia, via the Haber process, for use in fertilizer production.   Natural gas is also used in the manufacture of fabrics, glass, steel, plastics, paint, and other products. ^{Wiki n.p.}

Liquified petroleum gas (a propane and butane blend) is also used to fuel vehicles.   LPG and CNG vehicle fuel systems are not compatible.   CNG also requires higher pressure tanks which are typically much heavier than those used for LPG.   Natural gas is supplied to homes, where it is used for such purposes as cooking in natural gas-powered ranges and/or ovens, natural gas-heated clothes dryers, heating/cooling and central heating.   Home or other building heating may include boilers, furnaces, and water heaters.   CNG is used in rural homes without connections to piped-in public utility services, or with portable grills.   However, due to CNG being less economical than LPG, LPG (Propane) is the dominant source of rural gas. ^{Wiki n.p.}

To 1859

1859-1869

1870-1879

1880-1889

1890-1899

1900-1909

1910-1919

1920-1929

1930-1939

1940-1949

1950-1959

1960-1969

1970-1979

1980-1989

1990-1999