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