THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES HELPING GAS TO BRIDGE THE PLANET'S ENERGY GAP

摘要

Natural gas. Why is it being talked about so much? And what makes it so important for the future? This naturally occurring mixture is mostly methane, with other alkanes (including ethane and propane) and carbon dioxide. But, simply put, it's made of short strands of hydrocarbons. The gas is formed from the decay of organic matter. Like other hydrocarbons (such as oil and coal) it was generated deep underground over millions of years, and lies in reservoirs, or fields, of various accessibility. New developments in horizontal drilling techniques and hydro-fractal extraction have introduced the possibility of tapping the previously hard-to-reach reserves of tight gas, shale gas and coal-bed methane. The IEA World Energy Outlook estimates that, if effective, this could roughly double global gas-reserves to over 750 trillion m~3.