subject: The Validity Of Natural Gas [print this page] Like oil and coal, natural gas is also a fossil fuel. Fossil fuels are products of dead animals and plants and other organisms that lived on Earth millions of years ago.
This fossil fuel that is a mixture of hydrocarbon gases, mostly methane gas although it can also have pockets of butane, pentane, propane or ethane has taken nature millions of years to create.
Natural gas is extremely combustible even when it is being pumped out by gas wells. Its significance in the world's energy use is because of its clean burning properties unlike oil and coal. It is mostly methane in its pure form. Methane is a chemical that is composed of 4 hydrogen atoms and 1 carbon atom and is charted as CH4. The designation of wet and dry refers to its composition of either all methane or mixed with other gases. Like all fossil fuels, it is a naturally formed product that is pumped from underground deposits.
Deposits are tapped by drilling into the rock formations that frequently lie on top of the fossil fuel deposit. After it is tapped and pumped out of the ground, it goes to a refinery where it is cleaned of sand, dirt, other gases and water. Those compounds that have been removed that can be used, such as butane and propane, are also sold as fuel for manufacturing products.
The fuel is then transported through pipelines in the United States. It is used in heating homes and in generating electricity. Natural gas, because it burns clean, is also utilized in cooking and integrated into ranges. Once the fuel has been pumped and cleaned it is sent through the pipelines and delivered to consumers. The cost of this fuel is measured in Btu's to determine the price to the consumer. A cubic foot of natural gas is equal to 1,027 Btus.
