Conventional Energy Resources Flashcards
Fossil fuels
Coal:
Quality of coal is determined by its carbon content.
Major types of coal are:
- Anthracite: Best quality coal. Approximately 90% of carbon content, found at J&K only in India. Very little smoke and ash content. Burns without flame.
- Bituminous: 70-90% carbon content, most common in India, used in making coke.
- Lignite: 40-70% carbon content, known as brown coal.
- Peat: First transformation of wood into coal, 40% of carbon content.
- Coke: formed by destructive distillation of coal. Heating of coal in the absence of oxygen to burn off volatile gases. High in carbon content.
Major problems of Indian coal are: Low carbon content, High ash content, Low calorific value.
Major coal producing areas in India are Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal.
The Chhota Nagpur region produces 90% of Indian minerals especially in coal and iron.
Petroleum/ mineral oil:
Found in sedimentary rocks of marine origin. It is also called black gold. Formed by decomposition of tiny marine creatures, plants, vegetation under mud, silt, sand. Over the years it underwent chemical changes to form crude oil and natural gas under the action of heat and pressure. 20% of India’s crude oil and gas demand is produced domestically. Jamnagar refineries of Reliance Industries is world’s largest refinery complex.
Natural gas:
It is a mixture of hydrocarbons found in pockets beneath the earth.
Mainly contains of methane.
It also contains propane, butane, nitrogen, and other non-condensables.
It is formed from prehistoric living matter that got trapped underground, decomposed, and started creating gases after being heated and put under pressure for extended periods of time.
Found in association with mineral oil.
75% lies in Bombay High and Bassein oil fields. Largest share of natural gases: 40% production of chemical fertilizers, 30% for power generation, and 10% for LPG or cooking gas.
Notable events in natural gas sector:
1. Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga is a scheme primarily aiming to provide clean energy in eastern part of the country, provide piped natural gas, and developing additional 15,000 km of gas pipeline network.
2. City Gas Distribution Network aims in distribution of natural gas of domestic, industrial, and commercial customers through pipes as pipe natural gas. It is a pilot based CDG project launched in Delhi.
3. Promotion of CNG, LNG in transportation sector.
Shale gas:
It is gas trapped in sedimentary shale rock formations.
It is extracted by pumping high quantities of chemicals, water, and sand into dense shale rock formations to release gas that is then pumped to surface called fracking.
As per the US EIA 2015 report, India has got technically recoverable shale gas of 96 trillion cubic feet.
The recoverable reserves are identified in Cambay, Krishna, Godavari, cauvery, Damodar Valley, Upper Assam, Pranahita, Godavari, Rajasthan, and vindhya Basins.
In addition to shale gas, India has got reserves of other unconventional natural gases like coal bed methane, coal mine methane, and tight gas which are in different stages of development and production.
Coal bed methane:
It is natural gas found in coal seams.
Mainly consists of methane with minor amounts of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and heavier hydrocarbons like ethane.
Coal bed methane found with coal deposits and is found in coal seams.
India is the fifth largest proven coal reserve in the world, so it has significant prospects for exploiting CBM.
Extraction requires drilling well into coal seams and removing water contained in seam and release absorbed and free gas out of the coal.
Advantage of CBM as a fuel:
It’s an environmentally safe gas.
It will halt its emission into environment and reducing emission of greenhouse gas from coal mining.
It would help in increasing domestic gas production.
Challenges and concerns:
Disturbance of lands drilled and its effect on wildlife habitats resulting in ecosystem damage.
Production behavior is complex and difficult.
Methane emissions from coal mines.
