Posts Tagged ‘coal methane’

Unconventional Gas

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

In today’s world unconventional gas is becoming more and more relied upon. For centuries we turned to conventional natural gas to mine. This is the easiest and the cheapest to extract from.

Unconventional gas then would be those deposits which are not as easy or economical to mine. While that seems simple enough, the explanation doesn’t end there. As technologies improve, and new processes evolve to mine these gases, what is considered unconventional today may be considered the conventional gas of tomorrow, and some others may take their place in the unconventional sector.

Places like Anadarko basin in Western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle were once considered to have unconventional gas deposits. Not any more, because in the 20 years or so there have been laws passed, polices changed, like the Natural Gas Policy Act, and more.. Today they have become conventional areas.

Incentives were given to explore, extract, and develop deep exploration technologies in this area, as well as others. Costs were driven down as new ways to drill were discovered, and the shift occurred.

What Is Unconventional Gas?

1 – Coalbed Methane is coal that is deep underground and runs in seams; this is where methane gas builds up. It still is dangerous for miners but it is a great form of unconventional gas.

2 – The second is Deep Natural Gas. This is natural gas that is found deep in the earth. It is normally at lest 15,000 ft beneath the earths surface. This gas is much harder to get to than others. The advancement in technology has made it possible over recent years; it is still easier to extract conventional gas.

3 – When clay is compressed very quickly a natural gas is formed, and deposited into porous materials like salt and sand. This is called geopressurized zones. The zones can be located anywhere for 10,000 ft 25,000 ft down deep under the earth’s surface.

4 – Shale Gas is formed from shallow seas years before. This soft rock will not disintegrate over time when it gets wet. A gas is formed when a small piece of this rock is trapped between two bigger pieces. This is still an unconventional gas and it difficult and more expensive to extract.

5 – Methane Hydrates: This type of unconventional gas is still in its infancy, as it is the most recent to have been discovered. In simplest terms, methane molecules are caged within frozen water. It is thought that this gas may contain more organic carbon than unconventional gas, coal, and oil combined.

Reference: “Unconventional Natural Gas Resources”. NaturalGas.org. June 9, 2010

Strike Energy is a global leader in the exploration oil industry. To learn more visit StrikeEnergy.com.

Exploration Oil Future

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

It is thought that unconventional gas production will account for more than half of America’s gas supply in twenty years. One of the main methods being used is barnett shale production, amongst others. Developments in technology have made way for new and exciting energies to reach fruition.

Drilling for oil is no longer simply this. Scientists and improvements in technology are constantly looking for ways to use the existing methods and resources of drilling for oil to create new and prosperous energy. The earth contains many gases and minerals and by products from the oil. Harnessing these resources whilst drilling for oil not only makes sense financially, but practically as well.

Long into the future oil will continue to provide the human race with energy. Oil and petroleum products have powered the world in the form of motor fuels for more than a century, and the demand is only growing. Analysts believe energy demand will only double in decades to come and at present the world is looking to oil and gas to meet these demands.

We use oil everyday in ways that do not initially spring to mind. Oil is also a key ingredient in making thousands of commercial products that make our lives comfortable and easier. For example, petroleum is found in Vaseline and hundreds of moisturizers. Oil refineries use chemical processing that turn crude oil into mixtures that produce products such as plastics, synthetic rubber, synthetic fiber, drugs, and detergents. These products help us make materials more flexible and productive, make the clothes we wear everyday more comfortable and create drugs that help us fight disease and life threatening illnesses.

Top 3 Types of Petroleum Products:

There are three major types of petroleum based products. Firstly you have fuels such as gasoline and diesel. Secondly there are non fuel based products such as solvents and lubricating oils. Lastly but not least there are feedstocks such as naphtha.

Whether we like it or not, humans are dependent on oil. We need it daily, for transportation, in not only our vehicles on the ground but planes, ships, and more. In fact, the airline industry is one of the biggest consumers, and no viable alternative has been found. Coming in second is the industrial market, and rounding out the petroleum consumption are the commercial and home users.

Over one trillion barrels of oil has been extracted and/or produced by humans to date. Since our demand is set to double in the coming decades, we are set to effectively double our oil exploration and extraction – in less than one quarter of the time. Needless to say, gas discoveries and unconventional oil are vital to our future. The most likely resources are both yet to be discovered conventional oil reserves and unconventional gas resources. Scientists and the industry as a whole are in a race against time to perfect the most efficient ways and methods of finding, extracting, and producing oil and its by-products to meet our heavy demands. Now more than ever, exploration and resource management is key.

Strike Energy is a leader in the exploration oil industry. To learn more go to StrikeEnergy.com.

What Are Top Three Uses Of Unconventional Gas

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Unconventional gas, in essence, may be the exact same as traditional gas, and is therefore used in the exact same methods. The major difference between conventional gasoline and unconventional gas is in the way it’s harvested.

Why is unconventional gas known as that? It is all within the places in which it’s discovered. It’s from places that are harder to extract from than typical ‘conventional’ gas. It is more expensive to mine. Scientists have to figure out the best ways to not only discover new deposits, but then to recover those in the earth. Some examples of this are shale and coalbed methane gases.

Read on for the top 3 ways by which both traditional and unconventional gas are used in today’s society:

1. Electricity generation – Natural gasoline has turn out to be the fuel of choice for many companies to generate electricity. At one time, nuclear or coal plants were the power providers of choice. Because of price, technological advancements, and environmental concerns, gasoline is now the clean burning choice.

2. Industrial – Many industries depend on gas. Right here are a few: steel manufacturing, cement, fertilizers, and processing forest products.

3. Domestic uses – Without having unconventional gas, we will be in the dark, cold, and without having the capability of air travel, or travel by vehicle. It is used for our home’s heat, our vehicle’s fuel, and our stoves to cook with.

We can’t deny the importance from the exploration oil industry. The companies involved in discovering these unconventional gas deposits, and then finding new and innovative ways to mine them, are as integral today as they ever have been, and will carry on to fuel our future.

Strike Energy is a global leader in the unconventional gas business. To find out more go to StrikeEnergy.com.