Fossil Fuels I: Coal, Natural Gas and Oil
Conventional fossil fuels
-Coal -Natural Gas -Liquid Petroleum (Crude oil)
unconventional fossil fuels
-Coal-to-liquids -Petroleum (tight oils?) from sands, shales or heavy oils -Natural Gas from shales (tight gas?), coalbed methane, and gas-to- liquids
coal price rn
3$/MMBTU
how are fossil fuels formed (petroleum and nat gas)
300 million years ago tiny plants and animals died, buried on ocean floor .... covered by sand 100 million years ago plants buried further ... heat and pressure turned them into oil and gas today we drill down to get to oil and gas deposits
sub bitumiouls coal
35-45% carbon 100 million years old hgher heating value than lignite used for electricity leading state- wyoming
non combustion use of fossil fuels =
5 quads
green energy
A form of energy that has small life-cycle environmental impact -From its extraction/production • Implies renewable or non-depletable resource base -From its processing • Implies low energy intensity for production -From its use • Implies low in carbon and toxicity
Coal and Price vs nat gas or petroluem
Advantages: It is Less Expensive and Less Volatile Than Oil and Gas
alternative energy
Any form of energy that is NOT based on fossil fuels -Sometimes used interchangeably with "renewable" • Technically includes the "N" word -Nuclear • Term of art is changing such that "alternative" means "something other than the standard fuel choices" • Includes renewable energy
renewable energy
Any form of energy that is renewed continually or annually • Some forms of renewable energy are not considered depletable -Wind, solar, hydro,... • Renewable energy and sustainable energy are not synonymous -It is possible to deplete bioenergy resources (for example, through deforestation) -Rate of renewal vs. rate of consumption is the key distinction for sustainability • What about geothermal? -Some resources seem perpetual, some play out,...
osurces of nat gas
Associated gas: co-located with oil reserves • Non-associated gas: reserves are independent from oil Sometimes called "stranded gas" if isolated from markets • Shale gas: trapped in the cracks/pores of shale Coal gas: associated with coal deposits • Renewable natural gas: from decomposing organic matter -Biogas, biomethane
The Domestic Coal Mining Industry Faces Several Key Headwinds
Automation and mechanization has competed for jobs for decades • Long trend towards western surface mines Mercury emissions and other rules that require scrubbers low export
chemicals oil industry piece
Chemicals: chemicals, intermediates, synthetics, polymers
how does consumption of coal compare to production of coal
Coal Consumption and Production are Closely Matched
coal and sectors its in
Coal Use Has Shifted From Other Sectors to Electric Power very small use in residential and industrial
bitumious coal
Contains 45-86% carbon (2-3× heat of lignite) • Most abundant rank of coal in the United States (50%) • Used for electricity and as a raw material for the steel and iron industries • 100 to 300 million years old • Leading states: West Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania
anthracite
Contains 86-97% carbon (highest rank) • Lower heating value than bituminous coal • Very rare in the United States
Different Classifications of Energy
Conventional energy • Alternative energy • Renewable energy • Green energy • Unconventional energy
dry and clean nat gas
Dirty and Clean -Dirty gas has high fractions of CO2 (also "acid" gas)
down stream
Downstream: refining, fuels marketing, lubes •
drawbacks of coal
Drawbacks of coal -Significant land disturbance for its extraction -Carbon intensive -Coal is nature's Brita carbon filter: burning coal releases trapped pollutants including sulfur, mercury, heavy metals
energy is useful in many forms what are the four forms how is energy typically sold
Primary energy resources are typically consumed in four forms: -To make Heat: (residential & commercial) -To make Work: • Motive (transportation) • Mechanical (industry) -To make Electricity: (which makes Heat & Work) -As a feedstock for materials • Energy is typically sold in two retail forms: -Liquid/gaseous/solid fuels -Electricity -Sometimes heat (steam) or cold (chilled water) is also sold
four ranks of coal
anthracite bituminous subbituminous lignite rank depends on amount of carbon lower carbon = lower rank lower rank to higher rank (low carbon to high carbon content) high moisture to lower moisture lignite sub bitumimonous bitumious anthracite
Coal Mining Has Moved West From ____ to _____ why
appalacia to wyoming benefits: -Western coal is cleaner (lower-sulfur) -Western coal seams are more economical • Thicker coal seams • More automation -Surface production in the west is safer and less topographically impactful than underground or surface mining in the East • Disadvantages: -Far from market, which requires rail (duopoly) and diesel for shipping
what type of coal is higherst % of world reserves
bituminous sub biit lignite anthrracite
coal % production in us
bituminous 48%= about 450 million short tons sub biit 44% lignite 8% anthrracite
BBL
blue barrel
world biggest coal consumer
china
exports of coal
china and europe VVVVVV small compared to domestic use of coal less than 200 million short tons exported but use 1000 domestically
pro con nat gas
clean abundant affordable today used in many sectors sig flaring leaks volitale prices historcallt
how are fossil fuels traded fuel, measure of trading, energy density
coal, ton (2000 us pounds), 20MMBTU/ton nat gas, ft^3 or mcf or kcf (thousand cubic feet), 1MMBTU/ mcf petroleum, 1 BBL (42 us gallons), 5.8 mmbtu/ barrel BBL= blue barrel
coal employment vs fatalities
dropped for decades
Three Original Fuel Sources
earth- nuclear, geothermal moon- tidal sun- Solar, wind, wave, hydro, current, salinity, ... ‣Bioenergy (via photosynthesis) ‣Fossil fuels: oil, gas, coal, ... (via old photosynthesis)
nat gas consumption has primarily grown for what
electircity residential, commerical,, transportation has stayed mostly constant
what is the primary use of coal
electrical power
how are fossil fuels formed (COAL)
from ancient organic matter 300 million years ago animals and plants died in swamps 100 million years ago plants buried under water and dirt heat and pressure turned dead plants into coal
fossil fuels are primarily used for _____
fuels fossil fuel consumption by use 6% products 94% fuels
LNG
liqufied nat gas
NG
natural gas
petroleum was once a key fuel for what
power sector decreased alot in early 1980s
RNG
reneable nat gas
nat gas imports have ____ while domesitc production _____
shrunk, increased
types of coal mining which is mostly used in usa and where
surface and underground coal production by mining method in usa 2013 underground 35% surface 65% prodcution by location relative to the mississippi west 59% east 41%
sweetness crude light or heavy crude
Sweetness: Refers to sulfur content -sweet = low sulfur content -sour = high sulfur content • Lightness: Refers to viscosity -light = low viscosity -heavy = high viscosity most nations prefer light, sweet crude -light crudes are easier to refine -sweet crudes have lower emissions
wet and dry nat gas
Wet and Dry -Wet gas has higher fractions of liquids such as ethane, butane and propane -Dry gas has higher fractions of methane •
USA and coal vs world
USA leads in largest coal reserve
upstream
Upstream: Exploration and production (E&P), development, gas & power marketing
natural gas displaces what other fuel.... what was a result of this
coal. lowed CO2 emissions
CNG
compressed natural gas
nat gas composition
mostly methane then ethane propane and butane add SH4 for smell
conventional energy
not well defined • Often used interchangeably with "fossil fuels" • Fuels used from the industrial revolution to the birth of the environmental movement • Standard fuels from 20th century U.S. • Wood and cow dung not typically included
petroleum primarily grown for what
transportation
coal states
wyoming is the greatest 7.5 billion short tons (recoverable coal reserves)
lignite coal
youngestd coal brown coal high moisture power plants to make electricity leading states: texas and ND 25-35 % carbon
merits of coal
• Merits of coal -Abundant -Domestic -Cheap (historically) -Easy to store
midstream
• Midstream: pipelines •
sweet sour nat gas
• Sweet and Sour -Sour gas has high concentrations of sulfur -Sweet gas has low concentrations of sulfur