Introduction

Naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture

consisting primarily of CH4
varying amounts of other higher alkanes
small percentage of CO2 ,N2, H2S, or He
Natural gas is found in deep underground rock
formations or associated with other hydrocarbon
reservoirs in coal beds and as methane clathrates

Formation
when layers of decomposing plant and animal matter
are exposed to intense heat and pressure supplied by
existing under the surface of the Earth over millions
of years
The energy that the plants originally obtained from
the sun is stored in the form of chemical bonds in the
gas

Types
Dry natural gas refers to a purified product that is
almost entirely methane
Wet natural gas contains compounds other than
methane and ethane
Sour natural gas contains larger amounts of H2S,
which is highly undesirable due to corrosion, and
results in SO2 formation upon combustion
Sweet natural gas contains smaller amounts of H2S

Uses
Fossil fuel : used as a source of energy for heating,
cooking, and electricity generation
Fuel : for vehicles
Chemical feedstock : in the manufacture
of plastics and other commercially important organic
chemical
Non-renewable source

Creation
over time by two mechanisms: biogenic and
thermogenic
Biogenic gas is created by methaneogenic organisms
in marshes, bogs, landfills, and shallow sediments
Deeper in the earth, at greater temperature and
pressure,
Thermogenic gas is created from buried organic
material

Methane hydration formation

In biogenic formation:
the methane is produced by biological activity as
microorganisms attempt to decompose the remains of
marine life (as above, primarily marine phytoplankton
and zooplankton)
In this case, methane is produced by the anoxic
behaviors of methanogenic bacteria

Cont
In thermogenic formation:
the gas is formed in the same manner as natural
gas through catagenesis of kerogen
In fact, this may be the same natural gas that was
formed above, it just migrates to a region (remember,
gas is lighter than earth material and wants to reach the
surface) where the formation of hydrates is favorable

Cont
Through either method of formation (biogenic or
thermogenic) the gases, once formed, are thought to
migrate (perhaps through geologic faults) and, upon
contact with cold sea water, to crystallize into ice-like
structures.

 Conventional gas is found in large permeable

sandstone reservoirs and is easier to get out of the
ground through traditional well-drilling techniques
Unconventional gas is just standard natural gas, but
found in places other than permeable sandstone
reservoirs

Types of unconventional gas:

Coal seam gas (CSG), found in coal deposits, usually

200 to 1,000 metres below the ground
shale gas, found in shale rock deposits.
The wells for extracting this gas are generally a lot
deeper than those for CSG