Transport and Chemical Conversion Methods of Natural Gas

Consumption of natural gas has been increasing rapidly making it one of the most important energy resources in the world. During the last decade the consumption of natural gas increased by almost 25%.By 2020 natural gas is predicted to increase its world energy share to as much as 50% from the present of 22%.The scale of its reserves and its environmental advantages favor its use,(The lower carbon emissions compared to oil and coal along with other reduced emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulates) for fast growing activities such as the precision industries and the generation of electricity. During the twenty last year natural gas reserves have increased about twice. However the technical costs of the production, processing and, above all, the transport of natural gas nonetheless remain high and represent a handicap. This difficulty is made worse because the proportion of natural gas reserves located offshore and in difficult zones (Arctic,Siberia) is tending to grow. In this situation the technical advance that help to reduce these costs should play a major role in the future in the growth of the international natural gas trade. Therefore ways of transporting the gas from offshore reserves and overseas sources have generated considerable and renewed interest.Existing means of transporting natural gas consist primarily of pipelines and LNG (Liquefied of natural gas). Pipelines account for 75%, with LNG making for the rest.Pipelines are the obvious means for the onshore transport of natural gas. But for offshore transport (As the water depth and distance between sources and users increase)pipelines become economically unattractive. LNG provides then an appropriate way of delivering natural gas near the facilities to support a LNG project and get acceptable returns capital investment. The Adsorbed Natural Gas (ANG) and Natural Gas Hydrate (NGH) technologies can be used readily for the transporting of gas from smaller and marginal fields. These are simple and can be easily brought in to commercial application.Industry and academic have been pursuring the chemical conversion of natural gas to higher valued products. Potential process routes include the manufactory of olefins and chemical intermediates, methanol, ethylene, gasoline and distillate fuels. Today the indirect conversion via synthesis gas is the preferred route. Although it is energy efficient and involves large investments and is expensive. The direct conversion of natural gas into products is still far from being feasible, but it represent a potential for a break-through and involves lower investments and is cheaper.