CHAPTER 2: SELECTION OF FUEL

This chapter discusses all the necessary data and information about Natural Gas and the
criteria for the selection of plant fuel to be used. The fuel properties will serve as the basis to
consider in the selection.

2.1 Natural Gas

Natural gas is generally considered a nonrenewable fossil fuel. Natural gas is considered
a fossil fuel because natural gas was formed from the remains of tiny sea animals and plants that
died 300 to 400 million years ago. Most scientists believe that the pressure, combined with the
heat of the Earth, changed this organic mixture into petroleum and natural gas. Eventually,
concentrations of natural gas became trapped in the rock layers like sponge traps water. Raw
natural gas is a mixture of different gases. The main ingredient is methane, a natural compound
that is formed whenever plant and animal matter decays. By itself, methane is odorless, colorless,
and tasteless. As a safety measure, natural gas companies add a chemical odorant called
mercaptan (it smells like rotten eggs) so escaping gas can be detected. Natural gas should not be
confused with gasoline, which is made from petroleum.

Natural gas, because of its clean burning nature, has become a very popular fuel for the
generation of electricity. In the 1970s and 1980s, the choices for most electric utility generators
were large coal or nuclear powered plants. However, due to economic, environmental and
technological changes, natural gas has become the fuel of choice for new power plants built since
the 1990s. In fact, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that between 20092015, 96.65 gigawatts (GW) of new electricity capacity will be added in the U.S. Of this, over 20
percent, or 21.2 GW, will be natural gas additions. In Figure 2.1 below shows how, according to
the EIA, natural gas-fired electricity generation is expected to account for 80 percent of all added
electricity generation capacity by 2035.

Source: EIA Annual Energy Outlook 2010

Figure 2.1: A Bar Graph showing the Electricity Generation Capacity Additions by fuel
type, 2010-2035 (gigawatts)

2.1.1 Types of Natural Gas

Natural gas occurs deep beneath the earth's surface. There are two categories of Natural
Gas, these are: Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).
2.1.1.1 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
Compressed Natural Gas or CNG is stored on the vehicle in high-pressure tanks - 20 to
25 MPa (200 to 250 bar, or 3,000 to 3,600 psi). Natural gas consists mostly of methane and is
drawn from gas wells or in conjunction with crude oil production. As delivered through the
pipeline system, it also contains hydrocarbons such as ethane and propane as well as other gases
such as nitrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, sulphur compounds, and water vapour. A sulphurbased odourant is normally added to CNG to facilitate leak detection. Natural gas is lighter than
air and thus will normally dissipate in the case of a leak, giving it a significant safety advantage
over gasoline or LPG.

2.1.1.2 Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

Liquefied Natural Gas or LNG is natural gas stored as a super-cooled (cryogenic) liquid.
The temperature required to condense natural gas depends on its precise composition, but it is
typically between -120 and -170C (-184 and 274F). The advantage of LNG is that it offers an
energy density comparable to petrol and diesel fuels, extending range and reducing refuelling
frequency.

2.1.2 Advantages of using Natural Gas

The advantages of using Natural Gas for Power Plant Application are as follows:

Easy handling, since it can be received directly through pipelines;

Has clean burning process, does not produce ashes;
Has high heating value compared to other fuel;
Environment friendly, it emits 30% less carbon dioxide than burning oil and 45% less

carbon dioxide than burning coal (Naturalgas.org);

Emissions of particulates from natural gas combustion are 90 percent lower than from the

combustion of oil, and 99 percent lower than burning coal (Natural Gas Organization);
Costly environmental control system is not required (Woodruff, 8th Edition);
Natural gas is non-toxic and is not poisonous to humans if inhaled in small volumes; and
Increase efficient utilization of electricity and cooling system by 80% while the
conventional system has 50% efficiency.

2.2 Properties of Natural Gas

Table 2.1: Natural Gas Specifications from Different Suppliers

Property or
Composition

Supplier

Methane (%)

86.26

89.6

90.9

Ethane (%)

8.23

5.31

6.43

Propane (%)

3.29

3.00

1.66

Butane (%)

0.96

1.47

0.74

Nitrogen (%)

1.26

0.61

0.27

Carbon Dioxide (%)

0.00

0.00

0.00

Gas Density (kg/m3)

0.65

0.64

0.61

Wobbe Index(MJ/m3)

55.70

55.70

55.56

43.29

44.42

43.43

42.668

42.352

41.412

4435

1207

7463

Lower Heating
Value(MJ/kg)
Actual Air-Fuel Ratio
(m3air/ m3NG)
*Approximate distance
from the Philippines
(km)

Source: International Group of Liquefied Natural Gas Importers 2013

*Google Map 2015

2.3

Criteria for Natural Gas Selection

For the selection of Natural Gas to be used in the design, the researchers come with the

criteria to be used. These are: Wobbe Index, Lower Heating Value, Air-fuel Ratio, and the
Distance of the Supplier from the Philippines.

2.3.1 Wobbe Index

The Wobbe Index is a measure of the interchangeability of fuel gases and their relative
ability to deliver energy. It gives an indication of whether a turbine or burner will be able to run
on an alternative fuel source without tuning or physical modifications. The Wobbe index is
defined as:

WI=

LHV
MJ
; 3
d m of gas

where d is the relative density of natural gas compared to air.

The fuel gases consist of three ranges or families and agreed internationally based on
Wobbe index. Family 1 covers manufactured gases, family 2 covers natural gases (with high and
low ranges) and family 3 covers liquefied petroleum gas.