ENGLISH ASSIGMENT

I-SEARCH

Natural Gas for Better Future Life

BY:
RICKY ALANTINO (3210131010)
DENY ANDREANTO (3210131029)
3 D4 SPE

POLITEKNIK ELEKTRONIKA NEGERI SURABAYA

SURABAYA
2016

Natural Gas for Better Future Life

What I Already Knew

In the daylife we know that all human activities can not be separated from fuel , because
it used as a source of energy for heating, cooking, and electricity generation. The most people
still use unfriendly fuels , so it can make the impact of fuels for environment like air pollution .
Air pollution happen because incomplete combustion ,therefore we must have the solution from
this problem, So we have to move to alternative energy among others Natural Gas, because of
this I want to know more about the natural gas . So I want to search information about natural
gas .Air pollution can cause bad effects to humans and the environment .Effects for human life is
decline of their health condition because the air that they breathe is not clean and can damage the
lungs. And effect for environment causing the greenhouse effect and then impact on global
warming. From my knowledge about natural gas , I want to make a research about Natural gas
and I hope can give the benefit for human life and the environment

What I wanted to learn

Although alternative fuels had been discovered long time a go, but it has not been used
optimally .Therefore before I do the research about natural gas , I wanted to learn about
1.
2.
3.
4.

What is natural gas?

How to produce natural gas?
What is the function of natural gas?
What is the benefit of natural gas for human life and environment?

so with that question, I want to get the answer about what I want to learn in Natural gas with
use the several methods of my research>
What I did
To got information about my research. I had a research plan consist of study literature
from paper and research ,we compared the sources of website , blog and paper with the different
opinion for get the hypothesis as reference for the materials of discussion. And then I
interviewed with expert person about energy (lecture) ,we interviewed with the lecture in SPE
that had a high capability especially in energy , and we got some information and opinion from
the lecture that we would use for i-search materials. And then I discussion about natural gas after
we got some materials and information from many source , we analyzed and got the conclusion
that I would use as result of my research about Natural Gas for Better Futture Life.

The Search Results

1. Natural Gas
Natural gas is one of the cleanest, safest, and most useful forms of energy in present.
Natural gas is a hydrocarbon, which means it is made up of compounds of hydrogen and carbon.
The simplest hydrocarbon is methane, it contains one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms
Natural gas is found in deep underground rock formations or associated with other hydrocarbon
reservoirs in coal beds and as methane clathrates. Petroleum is another resource and fossil fuel
found in close proximity to, and with natural gas. Most natural gas was created over time by two
mechanisms: biogenic and thermogenic. Biogenic gas is created by methanogenic organisms
in marshes, bogs, landfills, and shallow sediments. Deeper in the earth, at greater temperature
and pressure, thermogenic gas is created from buried organic material.
The fact that natural gas is combustible and burns more cleanly than some other energy
sources helps reinforce its position as one of the most highly used energy sources.Natural gas can
be measured in a variety of ways, although the most common unit of measurement is the
Gigajoule (GJ), which signifies one billion joules, the metric measure for heat or energy. Other
measures are Mcf (thousand cubic feet) and Btu (British Thermal Unit).
Source : Alberta Energy, 2016)
2. How is natural gas produced
Natural gas rises up the well using natural energy. It is produced in America, Europe,
Africa, and other regions. One-fifth of the global production falls on Gazprom.

Figure 1. Source of fossil fuel

- Blind extraction
Natural gas occurs in fine pores of some rocks. Depth, at which natural gas is located, varies
from 1,000 meters to several kilometers. The process of gas production meaning its extraction

from the subsurface, collection and treatment for transportation starts upon the completion
of geological exploration after the deposits have been identified.
- Well drilling
Gas is extracted from the subsurface using specially drilled wells called producing
or operating wells. In fact, there are many types of wells, and they are used not only for
extraction, but also for studying the geological structure of the subsurface, prospecting for new
fields, supporting operations, etc.
- Why drill in a sidestep way

Figure 2. Drill in a sidestep way

- Following well
Natural gas is rising to the surface due to its natural tendency to fill areas with the lowest
pressure. Since gas produced from a well contains many admixtures, it is first taken for
treatment. Comprehensive gas treatment units are built not far from certain fields; in some cases,
gas is instantly taken to a gas processing plant.
Source : ( Informatorium ,2016)

Figure 3. Following well

3. The function of Natural Gas
Natural gas is a versatile, clean-burning, and efficient fuel that is used in a wide variety of
applications. Natural gas is a fossil fuel used as a source of energy for heating, cooking, and
electricity generation. It is also used as fuel for vehicles and as a chemical feedstock in the
manufacture of plastics and other commercially important organic chemicals. It is a nonrenewable resource.
Source : (Wikipedia ,2016)
4. The Benefit of Natural Gas for Human and Envinronment
The first is Global Warming Emission , Natural gas is a fossil fuel, though the global warming
emissions from its combustion are much lower than those from coal or oil. Natural gas emits 50
to 60 percent less carbon dioxide (CO2) when combusted in a new, efficient natural gas power
plant compared with emissions from a typical new coal plant . Considering only tailpipe
emissions, natural gas also emits 15 to 20 percent less heat-trapping gases than gasoline when
burned in todays typical vehicle
And the second is Air Polution Cleaner burning than other fossil fuels, the combustion of
natural gas produces negligible amounts of sulfur, mercury, and particulates. Burning natural gas
does produce nitrogen oxides (NOx), which are precursors to smog, but at lower levels than
gasoline and diesel used for motor vehicles. DOE analyses indicate that every 10,000 U.S. homes
powered with natural gas instead of coal avoids the annual emissions of 1,900 tons of NOx,
3,900 tons of SO2, and 5,200 tons of particulates . Reductions in these emissions translate into
public health benefits, as these pollutants have been linked with problems such as asthma,
bronchitis, lung cancer, and heart disease for hundreds of thousands of Americans .However,
despite these benefits, unconventional gas development can affect local and regional air quality.
Some areas where drilling occurs have experienced increases in concentrations of hazardous air
pollutants and two of the six criteria pollutants particulate matter and ozone plus its
precursors regulated by the EPA because of their harmful effects on health and the
environment . Exposure to elevated levels of these air pollutants can lead to adverse health
outcomes, including respiratory symptoms, cardiovascular disease, and cancer . One recent study

found that residents living less than half a mile from unconventional gas well sites were at
greater risk of health effects from air pollution from natural gas development than those living
farther from the well sites .
Source : (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2016)

Reflection

Conclusion
From my result about Natural Gas for Better Future Life, I can conclude that
Natural gas is one of the cleanest, safest, and most useful forms of energy in present .
And the step when the natural gas was produced are Blind extraction, well drilling and
following well. Natural gas is a fossil fuel used as a source of energy for heating,
cooking, and electricity generation. The benefit of natural gas for Human and
envinronment is to reduce global warming emissions and reduce air pollution. So that
will increase the level of human health.

Suggestion
After I did my research about Natural Gas and I got the results about what I
wanted to learn. I think that the lack of used of natural gas Indonesia because the people
didnot know about natural gas and the benefit of the natural gas. I have suggestion that
the government should provide more counseling about natural gas. And then peoples
knowledge about natural gas will increase.

References

1)
2)
3)
4)

Alberta, What is Natural Gas.15 February 2016

Informatorium ,How is Natural Gas Produced . 16 February 2016
Wikipedia ,Natural Gas. 16 February 2016
Union of Concerned Scientists, Environmental Impacts of Natural Gas.16 February
2016