Natural Gas Energy Research Articles

Transformation of the energy sector in the Arctic in the context of sustainable development of the region

The Arctic is the northernmost region of our planet, including the outskirts of the continents of Eurasia and North America, as well as the corresponding islands and archipelagos, the Arctic Ocean and parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Despite the still existing discrepancy in the concept of the boundaries of the Arctic region, all researchers agree in one opinion: this region is most sensitive to the climate change, and the consequences may be irreversible. As a part of the commitments on sustainable development undertaken by Russia and taking into account the importance and special status of the Arctic region, it seems necessary to consider the possibility of transforming the energy sector of the Arctic as one of the main sources of emissions of pollutants and CO2 in the region. The combination of energy sources proposed in the article - natural gas and renewable energy sources - is the cleanest and most environmentally friendly, and a hybrid energy system based on this alliance is the most sustainable and allows to use advantages of proposed energy sources, hedging each other's limitations. Proposed hybrid system could contribute to the development of the region and the well-being of its population and the environment.

Hybrid inorganic-organic membranes in the service of clean coal technologies

Clean coal technologies (CCT) are all technological solutions that are designed to increase the efficiency of coal combustion, processing and extraction. They are therefore, all the technologies that will help to reduce its environmental nuisance during the production and use of coal and can be introduced at various stages of coal application. Earlier was stated that none of the energy sources (natural gas, crude oil and renewable energy sources), their native resources, the used technologies and the sources of imports are not able to eliminate hard coal from the energy mix of Poland in the near future. That is why the authors began research to create a new clean-coal technology based on the hybrid inorganic-organic membranes, which can be used for elimination of harmful substances generated during coal combustion, especially CO2. This work concerns the study of the inorganic-organic hybrid membranes based on few modified polymer matrices and various inorganic fillers. It was found that incorporation of zeolite 4A into the polymer matrix had significantly changed the gas transport parameters (D, P, S and α). In turn, the mechanical (Rm and E) parameters have increased with the filler content. The application allows the initial selection of ingredients from which the final membrane will be created. The designed technology does not require high financial expenditures, and it is also highly universal. It can be used both in households, heating plants and, above all, in power plants.

Assessing Uncertainties of Life-Cycle CO2 Emissions Using Hydrogen Energy for Power Generation

Hydrogen and its energy carriers, such as liquid hydrogen (LH2), methylcyclohexane (MCH), and ammonia (NH3), are essential components of low-carbon energy systems. To utilize hydrogen energy, the complete environmental merits of its supply chain should be evaluated. To understand the expected environmental benefit under the uncertainty of hydrogen technology development, we conducted life-cycle inventory analysis and calculated CO2 emissions and their uncertainties attributed to the entire supply chain of hydrogen and NH3 power generation (co-firing and mono-firing) in Japan. Hydrogen was assumed to be produced from overseas renewable energy sources with LH2/MCH as the carrier, and NH3 from natural gas or renewable energy sources. The Japanese life-cycle inventory database was used to calculate emissions. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to evaluate emission uncertainty and mitigation factors using hydrogen energy. For LH2, CO2 emission uncertainty during hydrogen liquefaction can be reduced by using low-carbon fuel. For MCH, CO2 emissions were not significantly affected by power consumption of overseas processes; however, it can be reduced by implementing low-carbon fuel and waste-heat utilization during MCH dehydrogenation. Low-carbon NH3 production processes significantly affected power generation, whereas carbon capture and storage during NH3 production showed the greatest reduction in CO2 emission. In conclusion, reducing CO2 emissions during the production of hydrogen and NH3 is key to realize low-carbon hydrogen energy systems.

Economic Profitability of a Hybrid Approach to Powering Residual Households from Natural Sources in Two Wind Zones of the Lubuskie Voivodeship in Poland

The research was a response to the search for alternative energy sources and the assessment of their profitability and legitimacy of use. The assessment used combined energy sources in the form of wind, solar, and natural gas energy. The research was carried out in various locations with varying degrees of sunlight and in various wind zones, which was motivated by the adopted strategy of increasing the importance of non-conventional energy sources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The evaluation was performed using the Homer Grid software. The studies showed the justification for the use of hybrid energy sources, combining renewable and non-renewable sources, at the current stage of development. In the conditions of the Lubuskie Voivodeship, the level of insolation was more important than the more favourable wind zone in such a model. Higher economic efficiency of the hybrid model was obtained in the southern location, with slightly less favourable conditions for wind installations. At the same time, the investments were economically profitable and allowed for their return in the perspective of at least eleven years, even at current prices.

Natural gas consumption behavior of companies by clustering analysis

We have still consumed natural gas as a restricted source of energy in our daily life. Moreover, the consumption of natural gas energy will continue to increase by the year. Although many studies have focused on electrical energy consumption, natural gas is another significant energy source that can be examined. Since companies consume much more gas, their gas consumption data are examined in this study. The study contributes to the literature by applying intuitionistic fuzzy c-means (IFCM) methodology to the natural gas industry. The main motivation and advantage of the methodology is two-fold. Because of its fuzziness, one data point can be assigned into more than one cluster, similar to real-world cases. Because of its intuitionistic side, it considers membership, non-membership and hesitant degrees. These two strengths of IFCM improves the clustering accuracy. IFCM clustering was used to arrange the companies with respect to the consumption amount to increase the understandability because 1049 companies’ consumption data were collected. A calendar view was developed to visualize the consumption amounts in the clusters. The changes in consumption amounts were presented in different weather temperatures. Whereas some clustered companies were directly affected by temperature changes, others were not affected. The companies in the clusters were analyzed with respect to two main criteria: regularity and complexity. The findings showed while high levels in routine are related to manufacturing companies, high complexity level is an indicator of being active in the service industry.

On the pursuit of energy security: evidence from the nexus between clean energy stock price and energy security elements

ABSTRACT Concerns for fossil fuel price volatility, environmental pollution and energy inefficiency drive the formulation of energy policies aimed at attaining energy security. We use a theoretical framework which integrates key elements of energy security into the context of natural capital theory to investigate the causal relationship between Nasdaq clean energy stock price and a range of variables including oil price, natural gas prices, carbon price and energy efficiency. Our autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) results reveal that clean energy stock price is jointly and individually explained by the variables representing some elements of energy security. Carbon price and energy efficiency emerged as the most important elements of energy security driving the on-going transition from conventional to clean energy sources. Consequently, governments should take environmental sustainability and energy efficiency very seriously when formulating energy policies in the pursuit of energy security and the way they stimulate substitutions between clean energy sources and hydrocarbons.

Rule of Law, Corruption Control, Governance, and Economic Growth in Managing Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy Consumption in South Asia.

Strong governance is vital for developing environmental policies to promote renewable energy consumption and discourage nonrenewable energy sources. The present research explores the effect of economic growth and different governance indicators on renewable and nonrenewable energy consumption in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka using data from 1996 to 2019. For this purpose, the study uses different econometric techniques to find the long-term effects of the rule of law, regulatory quality, corruption control, government effectiveness, political stability, voice and accountability, and economic growth on oil, natural gas, coal, hydroelectricity, and renewable energy consumption. The results show that economic growth has a positive impact on all investigated renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. Additionally, regulatory quality measures also increase all types of renewable and nonrenewable energy consumption. Except for natural gas, the impact of the rule of law is negative, and government effectiveness positively affects all energy sources. Control of corruption has a positive effect on natural gas consumption. Political stability has a negative effect on nonrenewable energy sources and a positive impact on renewable energy sources. The magnitudes of the effects of economic growth and most governance indicators are found to be larger on nonrenewable sources than renewable sources. The testing of the energy consumption and governance nexus is scant in global literature and is missing in South Asian literature. Hence, the study results contribute to how South Asian economies can be more sustainable in energy use by enhancing governance indicators in the economies. Particularly, the results imply that these countries should focus on improving the rule of law, corruption control, governance, regulatory quality, political stability, and economic growth to help maintain a sustainable balance of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. Moreover, this issue needs further attention in developing countries, as governance indicators would play an effective role in promoting sustainable energy.

Cognitive Biases in Understanding the Influence of Shale Gas Exploitation: From Environmental and Economic Perspectives

People have higher expectations for shale gas exploitation. However, the promotion of large-scale shale gas exploitation does not seem to be as good as it seems, since the extraction technology - hydraulic fracturing - harms the environment, which causes cognitive biases. This paper reviews studies that estimate the environmental and economic influence of the fracturing process in the U.S. and China to help people better understand the shale gas exploitation. It summarizes the methodological issues and results of main projections. There are shared problems in evaluating the influence of shale gas development due to limited identification methods, data sources and advancing exploitation technologies. Little research values the environmental influence of shale gas development in social benefit or economic benefit. Though varies significantly across various plays and parameter compared with conventional gases, previous researches indicate that water use for shale gas development will not affect the local water supply vastly, and the ultimate influence relies on the water management method. Moreover, compared with conventional natural gas and other energy resources, freshwater consumption about shale gas exploration is decreasing with the progress of exploration technology, while its life-cycle GHG emissions are greater in the long term.

Gas desorption characteristics and related mechanism analysis under the action of superheated steam and pressurized water based on an experimental study

As a kind of unconventional natural gas, efficient and clean energy, CBM (Coalbed methane) exhibits great potential in adjusting energy structure and formulating energy development strategy. Desorption of methane from coal is essential for CBM production. And the desorption characteristics of methane in coal under different conditions and how to improve the desorption capacity have always been a hot issue of interest to researchers. So, research in this aspect becomes urgent. In this study, a series of desorption experiments of coal samples with various particle sizes under different adsorption pressures were carried out and the influence mechanism of pressurized water and superheated steam on the desorption was analyzed. The results were as follows: 1) The gas desorption capacity is more influenced by the adsorption pressure than the particle size, the particle size mainly affects gas release rate of the desorption process. It can be found that the lower the adsorption pressure, the more obvious the enhancement effect of superheated steam on desorption. 2) The inhibition of desorption by water injection can be attributed to four inhibition mechanisms caused by water, i.e. Water blocking effect, Wetting effect, Capillary effect, and Jamin effect. 3) Superheated steam can provide the energy required for the desorption of methane, intensify the thermal movement of molecules, and can also carry and displace methane, which together increases the desorption capacity and effective diffusion coefficient of gas in coal. These research results can provide a theoretical basis for hydraulic measures and heat injection techniques related to on-site CBM extraction.

Hydrogen Industry: A Technical, Economic, and Market Analysis Overview

Like electricity, hydrogen is an excellent energy carrier, as it can be produced from many different and abundant precursors, such as natural gas, coal, water, and renewable energy. The use of hydrogen in fuel cells, particularly in the transport sector, will make it possible to diversify the energy supply, take advantage of domestic resources, and reduce oil imports dependence. Unlike other fuels, hydrogen (H2) can be generated and consumed without emitting carbon dioxide (CO2). This results in great ecological benefits and fundamental challenges. Hydrogen can operate in a closed and inexhaustible cycle based on the cleanest, most abundant, and elemental substances: water, oxygen, and hydrogen. If hydrogen is generated using light, heat, and electricity produced from solar, wind, or nuclear energy, hydrogen becomes a versatile and universal means of storing and transporting energy and a necessary element for future energy systems that operate without environmental pollution, CO2, and other gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect. Hydrogen is necessary to eliminate environmental pollution and stabilize the composition of the planet’s atmosphere and climate. This paper investigates different methods of hydrogen production in the term of their technological and economic aspects. This paper shows that thermochemical methods dominate the hydrogen market while emerging electroreduction methods are developing fast, which might turn the tide in the future.

Effect of natural gas energy fractions on combustion performance and emission characteristics in an optical CI engine fueled with natural gas/diesel dual-fuel

Natural gas/diesel dual-fuel combustion is one of the most promising low-temperature combustion strategies. However, unstable combustion processes under low engine loads restrain the development of this strategy. To overcome this problem, a visualization technique and numerical simulations were used at low engine load conditions to investigate herein how the natural gas energy fraction (NGEF) coupled with split injection affects flame development, performance, and the emission characteristics of natural gas/diesel dual-fuel engines. The results reveal that increasing the NGEF retards the start of combustion and decreases the peak pressure. The NGEF significantly affects the distribution of the ignition kernel, with a higher NGEF scattering the ignition kernel. Combustion first occurs in regions of richer mixture near the cylinder wall and then propagates towards the interior. The amount of methane produced by diesel fuel through NC7H16 → C7H15-2 → PC4H9 → C2H4 → CH4 is relatively small compared with natural gas. Unburned methane is detected near the central axis of the cylinder, which is mainly due to the limited coverage of the flame. The lower soot volume fraction and unburned hydrocarbon emissions can be obtained by increasing the NGEF from 0% to 70%, whereas further increasing the NGEF to 85% deteriorates combustion.

Study of indicators of the working process of tractor diesel when working on ethanol and rapeseed oil

The use of alternative fuels derived from natural gas, coal, and renewable energy sources in tractor diesel engines (TDE) will solve the problem of replacing petroleum fuels, significantly expand the raw material base for obtaining motor fuels, and reduce the negative impact of motor vehicles on the environment. The use of alternative oxygenate fuels, such as ethanol (E), in diesel engines is particularly promising. As a result of the analysis of the conducted studies, it was found that it is possible to organize the working process in the cylinder of a TDE when it operates on E and rapeseed oil (RO), with their separate supply directly to the cylinders and ignition from the ignition fuel (pilot) with a high cetane number. As a starting fuel, it is possible to use RO, which is capable of self-ignition due to its physical and chemical properties. At the same time, it is expected to improve the performance of the working process, environmental and efficient performance of the TDE with the complete replacement of diesel fuel (DF).

An Investigation of the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Energy Consumption in the United States

Abstract Lockdown measures and mobility restrictions to combat the spread of COVID-19 have impacted energy consumption patterns. The overall decline of energy use during lockdown restrictions can best be identified through the analysis of energy consumption by source and end-use sectors. Using monthly energy consumption data, the total 9-months use between January and September for the years 2015–2020 is calculated for each end-use sector (transportation, industrial, residential, and commercial). The cumulative consumption within these 9 months of the petroleum, natural gas, biomass, and electricity energy by the various end-use sectors are compared. The analysis shows that the transportation sector experienced the greatest decline (14.38%). To further analyze the impact of COVID-19 on each state within the USA, the consumption of electricity by each state and each end-use sector in the times before and during the pandemic is used to identify the impact of specific lockdown procedures on energy use. The distinction of state-by-state analysis in this study provides a unique metric for consumption forecasting. The average total consumption for each state was found for the years 2015–2019. The total average annual growth rate (AAGR) for 2020 was used to find a correlation coefficient between COVID-19 case and death rate, population density, and lockdown duration. A correlation coefficient was also calculated between the 2020 AAGR for all sectors and AAGR for each individual end-user. The results show that Indiana had the highest percent reduction in consumption of 10.07% while North Dakota had the highest consumption increase of 7.61%. This is likely due to the amount of industrial consumption relative to other sectors in the state.

Economic Comparison of Alternatives for a Stranded Offshore Gas Reservoir

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper OTC 30732, “Economic Feasibility Study of Several Usage Alternatives for a Stranded Offshore Gas Reservoir,” by Khoi Viet Trinh, SPE, and Rouzbeh G. Moghanloo, SPE, University of Oklahoma, prepared for the 2020 Offshore Technology Conference, originally scheduled to be held in Houston, 4–7 May. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2020 Offshore Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission. This paper compares economics of a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project with those of an onshore LNG plant and gas-to-wire (GTW) processes. Sensitivity analyses and tornado charts are used to evaluate the importance of various uncertain parameters associated with FLNG construction and operation. This study will be helpful for future considerations in using FLNG to convert offshore gas reservoirs previously considered stranded into economically viable resources. The results from this economic model can play a key role in the future of the natural gas industry and energy market in West Africa. Assumptions Before presenting different economic scenarios, the following assumptions must be established: * The pipeline will have the correct diameter, pressure rating, and metallurgy to transport produced gas. Only the pipe length will be considered a variable. * Operating expenses (OPEX) of both onshore LNG and FLNG will be the same. Realistically, however, OPEX of FLNG will be different from that of onshore LNG. * A subsidy from the Nigerian government has been obtained for the onshore LNG plant. * The electricity price is assumed to be $0.25/kWh. * An assumed upstream cost of $2/Mscf to cover onshore LNG gas pretreatment is assumed. * The onshore LNG plant and FLNG will have the same lifespan. However, in reality, availability of FLNG can be lower than that of onshore LNG. Pricing Models FNLG. Because of the relative recency of FNLG, few pricing models have been readily available. For the complete paper, Shell’s Prelude project is the basis for pricing of FLNG. Prelude costs averaged out to approximately $14 billion, which will be used as the cost of the facility for the FLNG scenario in the economic analysis.

Construction and measurement of China’s comprehensive energy dependence index

In order to scientifically measure China’s dependence on various energy sources, we constructed an evaluation index system of comprehensive energy dependence based on a deep analysis of its meaning,whose dimensions contained economic development, energy security, residents’ living, and ecological environment. An EM-GRA-TOPSIS comprehensive evaluation model was constructed to calculate and analyze China’s dependence on four energy sources, coal, oil, natural gas, and clean energy, from 2000 to 2016. The results show that: (1) both coal and oil dependence are in a state of decline, with coal dependence having fallen sharply, indicated by the economic development dimension score, which has fallen the fastest, while oil dependence is relatively stable with only a small drop. (2) Dependence on both natural gas and clean energy has increased significantly, which is due to the fact that the scores of the four dimensions of natural gas and clean energy are all increasing, with dependence on clean energy having increased the most. (3) The scores of the residents’ living dimensions for oil, natural gas, and clean energy have risen significantly, and the residents’ living field has a greater impact on energy dependence. This shows that the Chinese government’s efforts to clean up energy in recent years have achieved great results, and China’s dependence on energy has further shifted to clean energy.

Low-Carbon Economic Bi-Level Optimal Dispatching of an Integrated Power and Natural Gas Energy System Considering Carbon Trading

The integrated power and natural gas energy system (IPGES) is of great significance to promote the coordination and complementarity of multi-energy flow, and it is an important carrier to increase the proportion of wind power accommodation and achieve the goal of carbon emission reduction. In this paper, firstly, the reward and punishment ladder-type carbon trading model is constructed, and the impact of the carbon trading mechanisms on the carbon emission sources in the power system is comparatively analyzed. Secondly, in order to achieve a reasonable allocation of carbon resources in IPGES, a bi-level optimization model is established while taking into account the economics of dispatching and the requirements of carbon emission reduction. Among them, the outer layer is the optimal carbon price solution model considering carbon trading; in the inner layer, considering the power system constraints, natural gas system constraints, and coupling element operation constraints, a stochastic optimal dispatching model of IPGES based on scenario analysis is established. Scenario generation and reduction methods are used to deal with the uncertainty of wind power, and the inner model is processed as a mixed integer linear programming problem. In the MATLAB environment, program the dichotomy and call the Gurobi optimization solver to complete the interactive solution of the inner and outer models. Finally, case studies that use an integrated IEEE 39-bus power system and Belgian 20-node gas system demonstrate the effectiveness and scalability of the proposed model and optimization method.

Unified modeling of regionally integrated energy system and application to optimization

Regionally Integrated Energy System (RIES) combines electricity, heat, natural gas, and other energy sources to improve the overall utilization efficiency of the energy system as well as to satisfy the energy demand. However, the energy flows relationship in RIES is highly interconnected because of the energy network’s topology complexity and other energy factors, creating challenges in optimizing the system operation. This paper proposes a unified modeling method by incorporating an energy hub (EH) to integrate various components and energy flow relationships in RIES. The RIES energy network equations are built in the matrix forms to describe the energy conversion and coupling via energy flow selection as state variable and branches/nodes definition based on network graph theory. Based on the energy network equations, the optimized operation model is proposed in unified form as the optimal operation of RIES that reduce the complexity of optimal operation compared with the traditional nonlinear model. Finally, a test system is presented to demonstrate the optimal operation model, compared and analyzed the optimized results between unified modeling and traditional nonlinear modeling to prove the effectiveness of the modeling method. The results show both optimality of the cost and computing time have been improved by the unified modeling method.

Study on the energy overview of the industrial beverage sector in Colombia

In the Latin American region, the issues of efficiency in energy consumption and clean energy sources become more important every day, and worldwide, these issues are of great importance because a progressive change in the use of energy is required for reasons such as climate change, polluting emissions and forecasting of a shortage of fossil or non-renewable fuel reserves. The Colombian government is no stranger to these issues, and since 2001, energy efficiency plans have been implemented, creating a nationwide program for the proper use of energy sources that seeks, through analysis of the national energy landscape, the implementation of technical and technological actions that improve energy efficiency in all sectors of the country. This paper shows the study made to the industry of (number of companies) in the beverage sector, which characterized the use of different types of energy such as natural gas and electric energy and the transformation of these in their processes of production, which seeks to determine how efficiently the potential of energy resources is used. Only in the energy consumption for lighting were savings potentials of up to 50% detected. It is also shown how, through legislation and studies conducted under the direction of the Energy Mining Planning Unit, the aim is to have a more competitive industrial sector against international markets, specifically taking the industrial sector of beverage production as a sample.

Dominance of Fossil Fuels in Japan's National Energy Mix and Implications for Environmental Sustainability.

Despite the drive for increased environmental protection and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), coal, oil, and natural gas use continues to dominate Japan’s energy mix. In light of this issue, this research assessed the position of natural gas, oil, and coal energy use in Japan’s environmental mitigation efforts from the perspective of sustainable development with respect to economic growth between 1965 and 2019. In this regard, the study employs Bayer and Hanck cointegration, fully modified Ordinary Least Square (FMOLS), and dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) to investigate these interconnections. The empirical findings from this study revealed that the utilization of natural gas, oil, and coal energy reduces the sustainability of the environment with oil consumption having the most significant impact. Furthermore, the study validates the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in Japan. The outcomes of the Gradual shift causality showed that CO2 emissions can predict economic growth, while oil, coal, and energy consumption can predict CO2 emissions in Japan. Given Japan’s ongoing energy crisis, this innovative analysis provides valuable policy insights to stakeholders and authorities in the nation’s energy sector.

The dynamic dependence of natural gas and renewable energy stock markets

We measure the dynamics dependence structure between the European renewable energy stock (ERIX) market, natural gas, and other clean energy markets from 2008 to 2021 by adopting static and time-varying copula approaches. Empirical results show strong and positive dependence between ERIX and S&P global clean energy stock markets symmetric tail dependence, which indicates S&P clean energy assets provide limited hedging condition on the ERIX market and extreme upward and downward clean prices have a similar impact on the ERIX market. Furthermore, our evidence on the co-movement mechanisms between European renewable energy and clean energy markets is helpful for policymakers and investors. Governments need to adopt fiscal policy tools for clean energy firms when renewable energy prices rise (fall) together. Investors can assess and control potential risk contagion between European renewable energy stock markets and other clean energy markets via information about co-movement mechanisms.