Natural gas: the facts
Discover more about natural gas – including where it comes from, how it is produced and the various ways in which we use it every day.
What is natural gas?
Natural gas is a naturally occurring mixture of gases, mainly methane. It is formed when layers of decomposing plant and animal matter are exposed to intense heat and pressure under the surface of the Earth over millions of years.
Where is it found?
Natural gas is found in rock formations, sometimes on its own and sometimes alongside oil. Some deposits are relatively easy to extract, while others are trapped kilometres beneath the Earth’s surface.
How is natural gas produced?
Natural gas is often found in huge reservoirs called sedimentary basins. To gain access to these reservoirs, a hole or well is drilled through the rock to allow the gas to escape and be collected. Natural gas is most commonly extracted by drilling vertically from the Earth’s surface.
What is shale gas and tight gas?
Shale gas is natural gas that is trapped within shale formations of rock. The rock is impermeable, meaning liquids cannot pass through, which makes it harder to extract. Tight gas is held in rock pores 20,000 times narrower than a human hair. A special technique, known as hydraulic fracturing, is needed to extract it.
What is fracking?
A technique known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking is used to break open rock and release natural gas. This involves pumping fluids into the well at high pressure. The fluids are made up of around 99% sand and water, with 1% chemicals added to help the gas flow more freely. Hydraulic fracturing typically takes place a kilometre or more (thousands of feet) below drinking water supplies. Concrete and steel barriers are inserted into the wells to prevent any drilling or fracturing fluids from entering local water supplies.
How is natural gas transported?
Natural gas can be transported by pipeline or ship to where it is needed. By using pipes, gas can be cost effectively transported over long distances as part of an integrated gas transport network. If lined up together, the total length of the world’s natural gas pipelines would stretch to the moon and back eight times. When pipelines cannot cost-effectively reach consumers, natural gas can be cooled to make a liquid, shrinking its volume for shipping to where it is needed.
What is natural gas used for?
It is one of the few energy sources that can be used across all sectors of the
global economy. It is used to generate electricity, provide heat for essential industrial processes, heat homes and fuel the transport of people and goods.
Shell’s gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology converts natural gas into high-quality liquid products that would otherwise be made from crude oil. These products include transportation fuels, motor oils and the ingredients for everyday necessities like plastics, detergents and cosmetics.
Why can’t we replace natural gas with renewables?
Despite the significant role of renewable energy sources, they cannot provide all the world’s energy needs today. Renewables mainly power electricity, which only meets around 18% of global energy demand. For renewables to have a bigger impact, electricity must play a larger role in other key sectors of the economy.
Natural gas can help to support renewables because it can quickly compensate for dips in solar or wind power supply and rapidly respond to sudden increases in demand. Natural gas is a good partner for hydropower, providing secure electricity supply when there is limited rainfall.
Is natural gas safe?
Natural gas is naturally colorless, odorless and tasteless. Some countries require an odor to be added to gas so that, in the unlikely event of a release, the gas can be detected. Pipeline companies take steps to ensure that health, safety, security and environmental concerns are addressed throughout the planning, construction, and operational phases of pipeline operations. They work to prevent releases of gas by evaluating, inspecting and maintaining pipelines.
When gas is cooled for shipment over longer distances, it turns into a clear, colourless and non-toxic liquid. In its liquid state, liquefied natural gas (LNG) is not explosive and cannot burn. LNG tankers are specially designed with double hulls to protect the cargo systems from damage or leaks.
What is the environmental impact of natural gas?
Natural gas is the cleanest-burning hydrocarbon. Natural gas emits between 45% and 55% lower greenhouse gas emissions than coal when used to generate electricity, according to IEA data. Compared to coal-fired power plants, modern natural gas-fired power plants emit less than one-tenth of the pollutants. However, natural gas consists mainly of methane, a potent greenhouse gas with a higher impact on global warming than carbon dioxide. Read more about methane and how Shell is tacking methane emissions here.
Watch: how natural gas is providing more and cleaner energy
Title: Watch: how natural gas is providing more and cleaner energy
[Voice Over]
Shell is working to provide more and cleaner energy. Natural gas is the cleanest-burning hydrocarbon.
[Animated Sequence]
A city skyline fills the screen and CGI lines move across the screen to “indicate” the supply and distribution of natural gas for the costumer. The lines stream to the centre of the image.
Text appears over the image to highlight the LNG carrier route.
Text on screen:
More and cleaner energy
LNG carriers travel overseas
[Voice Over]
Every day we load around two cargoes of liquefied natural gas.
[Animated Sequence]
An LNG ship sits in open water which is overlaid with a grid. Background facts about the shipping in text with lines towards the ship.
Facts in animation:
~ 2 Shell LNG cargoes a day
Manage or time charter 100 LNG vessels
~ 20% of the global LNG fleet
[Voice Over]
With supply from 17 countries for customers in 25 countries.
[Animated Sequence]
A still image of planet earth slowly moves within the screen while images of carriers appear over different countries to depict the text that appears on screen.
Text on screen:
Shell LNG supply from 17 countries
For customers in 25 countries
[Voice Over]
We’re growing an LNG network for ships and trucks, making it easier for fleet customers to make the switch.
[Animated Sequence]
A still image appears of 4 trucks on a highway while text appears on the trucks and within the image. Icons appear to show a carrier and a truck and a switch.
Text on screen:
Growing
LNG network
Fleet customers
[Voice Over]
We run the world’s largest gas-to-liquids plant in Qatar, producing high-quality products for everyday life.
[Animated Sequence]
A still image of a gas-liquid-plant fills the screen while text and animation appears on screen to visualise the plant’s production.
Text on screen:
World’s largest
Gas-to-liquids plant in Qatar
[Voice Over]
We are celebrating 25 years of our Bintulu GTL plant in Malaysia…
[Animated Sequence]
Two plant operatives are stood in front of pipework. Animated lines flow throw the pipelines in the while text appears on screen and an animated graphic of the globe zooms into Malaysia where a gas-to-liquid plant icon appears.
Text on screen:
Celebrating 25 years Bintulu GTL plant
[Voice Over]
..where 98% of staff are nationals.
[Animated Sequence]
An image shows two staff members in a laboratory. Text and animated graphics appear on screen. A pie chart represents 98% of staff as being nationals next to a flag of Malaysia and the background of the image is filled with slow moving animated molecules.
Text on screen:
98% staff nationals
[Voice Over]
We’re growing our power business to meet the world’s changing energy needs.
[Animated Sequence]
An image of a cityscape at night lit slowly zooms out. Roads are filled with streaks of light to depict vehicle motion in a fast moving city.
Words move across this image relating power use within a city infrastructure.
Text on screen:
Natural gas
Energy use
Renewable electricity
Increasing power needs
[Voice Over]
As demand rises and emissions must fall,
[Animated Sequence]
An image of wind turbines slowly pans through the screen. In the background an animated circle around one of the turbines blades depicts rotary movement.
Text and icons appear around the turbine at the forefront of the screen.
Text on screen:
Each technician climbs ~ 25,000 meters a year
Blades stretch ~ 80m
[Voice Over]
natural gas plays a role in supporting the integration of variable renewable electricity generation.
[Animated Sequence]
An image of solar panels fills the screen with animated lines of dots showing the energy feed from the direction of the sky down to the solar panels.
Words appear on screen labeling a different areas of the complete solar panel.
Text on screen:
Solar panel
Solar module
Solar cell
[Voice Over]
Shell is building on solid experience, trading power in over 20 countries, and moving into new areas, as we help customers manage their energy use.
[Animated Sequence]
A still image of a man standing in a kitchen looking at a tablet appears. Text and icons appear on screen to show energy use as if the man in the image is adjusting the settings of his home on his tablet.
Text on screen:
Air conditioning set off (partnered with a snow flake icon)
Air conditioning set on when home (partnered with a snow flake icon)
Air conditioning set to standby when away (partnered with a snow flake icon)
Dishwasher set to run off-peak (partnered with a wine glass and fork icon)
Helping customers manage energy use
[Voice Over]
We are using technologies to enhance safety and efficiency …
[Animated Sequence]
An image of a drone flying appears on screen with animated text, icons and lines to depict the drone in motion while highlighting key facts.
Text on screen:
Remotely-piloted aircraft monitors wells (partnered with an icon depicting a person)
Enhance safety and efficiency
Fly up to 900 meters (partnered with an icon of a plane taking off and moving upwards)
[Voice Over]
...deploying robots to monitor pipes and equipment.
We invested $922 million in 2017 in research and development…
[Animated Sequence]
The next image shows a Sensabot. Text and icons appear on screen to label different working parts of the Sensabot.
Text on screen:
Monitors pipes and equipment
Powerful zoom lens picks up small details (partnered with an icon depicting a camera lens)
Extendable boom for long reach (partnered with an icon to depict an extendable boom)
[Voice Over]
…as we find more ways to power progress together.
[Animated Sequence]
An image of a vehicle on a race track appears on screen with text and icons.
This image is showing the most recent Shell Eco-marathon vehicle while the text and icons highlight the message of powering progress together.
Text on screen:
Power progress together
Collaboration (partnered with an icon to depict collaboration)
Innovation (partnered with a light bulb icon)
Ultra efficiency (partnered with a cog icon)
The shell pectin appears on a final end screen.
More in energy and innovation
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Shell’s principles for producing tight/shale oil and gas
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