How Do We Make Electricity from Gas?

How Do We Make Electricity from Gas?

Bolted under the cargo bay of each NASA space shuttle is a piece of equipment about a metre long. It is shaped like a narrow box and weighs a little over 100 kilograms. This small device is one of the most important items on board the shuttle. If it fails, NASA will call off an entire mission, bringing the crew back to Earth. The function of this device – small enough to fit on your desktop – is power generation. Known as a fuel cell, it efficiently produces enough electricity to run all the equipment on the spacecraft, including the crucial life support systems.
Educational Aim The aim of this lesson is to describe the key components of fuel cell systems and the process that fuel cell systems use to generate electricity from gas without combustion. Key Words for Searching Online Fuel cell systems, fuel cells, fuel cell stack, hydrogen, fuel processors, fuel reformers, electrolysis cells, alkaline fuel cell, proton exchange membrane fuel cell, polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, direct alcohol fuel cell, direct methanol fuel cell, direct ethanol fuel cell, phosphoric acid fuel cell, molten carbonate fuel cell, solid oxide fuel cell.
Key Learning Points
1. Fuel cells, like batteries, transform chemical energy into electricity. However, unlike batteries, fuels cells don't store electrical energy. Rather, they convert energy from gases using chemical reactions directly into electrical energy without combustion.
2. Mr William Grove produced the first fuel cell in 1839, over 150 years ago. He based his experiment on the fact that sending an electric current through water splits the water into its component parts of hydrogen and oxygen. Grove tried reversing the reaction – combining hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity and water, which is the basis of a simple fuel cell.
3. Fuel cells are generally comprised of three main components: 1) input gases – a fuel and an oxidant;) a fuel processor; and a fuel cell.
4. Input gases – the fuel: Most fuel cells use hydrogen as a fuel. Hydrogen makes up 90 percent of the universe and is the third most abundant element on the Earth's surface. Other types of fuel cells use alcohols such as methanol or ethanol as a fuel.
Prepared by The Natural Edge Project 2008 Page 4 of 14
5. Input gases – the oxidant: Most fuel cells use oxygen as an ‘oxidant’, taken from the surrounding air. Oxygen makes up 21 percent of the volume of air and 89 percent of the mass of water.
6. Fuel processor: This is a device used to create hydrogen gas, because the gas is usually bound with other atoms in the form of a molecule. The two main fuel processing technologies for fuel cell systems are ‘fuel reformers’ and, less commonly, ‘electrolysis cells’:
1. Fuel reformers3
2. Electrolysis cells are devices that convert hydrogen-rich fuels into hydrogen gas and carbon compounds – mainly carbon dioxide gas. Fuel reformers also filter out impurities, which reduce the fuel cell’s efficiency and life expectancy. Steam reformers use heat, pressure and a catalyst.
7. Fuels and oxidants are used in fuel cells to generate electricity as direct current (DC) via a particular type of electrochemical process called an ‘oxidation-reduction’ reaction. are devices that convert water into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas using a process called electrolysis. Electrolysis is the reverse of the process that fuel cells use. There is a new type of electrolysis technology in development that uses about one tenth of the energy used by conventional electrolysis. The new technology uses naturally-occurring bacteria in an electrolysis cell to convert almost any biodegradable, organic materials into hydrogen, pure water and heat.
8. A fuel cell is comprised of two thin, porous electrodes separated by an electrolyte. The electrodes, which incorporate a catalyst, are also connected by an external electric circuit. In a typical fuel cell, hydrogen fuel or hydrogen-rich fuel and oxygen oxidant are combined to generate electricity, heat and pure water vapour. A single fuel cell produces too little electrical power to be of much use, so up to hundreds of fuel cells are linked together in series to form a fuel cell stack.
9. In a typical fuel cell, hydrogen fuel or hydrogen-rich fuel and oxygen oxidant are combined in the presence of a catalyst to generate electricity, heat and pure water vapour via a particular type of electrochemical process called an oxidation-reduction reaction. An oxidation-reduction reaction involves an oxidation half-reaction at the anode and reaction half-reaction at the cathode, and the specific half-reactions vary between the types of fuel cells.
10. Six main types of fuel cells have been developed, with the primary difference between them being the type of electrolyte used. The main differences are that in PEMFCs, DAFCs and PAFCs, positive hydrogen ions flow through the electrolyte, whereas in the AFCs, MCFCs and SOFCs, negative oxygen ions or oxygen-containing ions flow through the electrolyte.
11. Fuel cells are used in a wide variety of applications from powering buildings to cars, buses and space travel. For more information on applications, see the Australian Academy of Science website: http://www.science.org.au/nova/023/023key.htm.
Brief Background Information
Fuel Cell Systems Fuel cells are devices that convert gases into electricity without combustion. They generally comprise of three main components.
1. Input gases: a fuel and an oxidant
2. A fuel processor
3. A fuel cell stack
Input gases Hydrogen Most fuel cells use Hydrogen (annotated as ‘H’ in chemistry) as a fuel. A Hydrogen atom consists of one proton, one electron and one neutron. The stable hydrogen molecule at room temperature and atmospheric pressure is hydrogen gas, which consists of two hydrogen atoms as shown in Figure 8.1. Hydrogen makes up 90 percent of the universe and is the third most abundant element on the Earth's surface. However, it is usually bound with other atoms in a molecule so fuel processing is usually required.
 Alcohol One type of fuel cell, direct alcohol fuel cells, uses alcohols such as methanol or ethanol as a fuel. Storing a liquid, such as an alcohol, is easier than storing a gas, such as hydrogen. Oxygen Most fuel cells use oxygen (O) as an oxidant. An oxygen atom consists of eight protons, eight electrons and eight neutrons. The stable oxygen molecule at room temperature and atmospheric pressure is oxygen gas, which consists of two oxygen atoms, as shown in Figure 8.2. Oxygen makes up 21 percent of the volume of air and 89 percent of the mass of water. Oxygen used in fuel cells is usually taken from the surrounding air.
 Fuel Processors
Fuel processors are devices that are used to create hydrogen gas, which is usually bound with other atoms in a molecule. The two main fuel processing technologies for fuel cell systems are ‘fuel reformers’ and, less commonly, ‘electrolysis cells’.
Fuel Reformers
Fuel reformers5 are devices that convert hydrogen-rich fuels into hydrogen gas and carbon compounds – mainly carbon dioxide gas. Currently, the most commonly reformed fuel for fuel cells is called natural gas, which is mostly methane.6
5 See FuelCellWorks - Just the Basics on How Fuel Cells Work at Other hydrogen-rich fuels that are reformed include methanol, propane,
 Prepared by The Natural Edge Project 2008 Page 7 of 14
butane, gasoline, diesel, solid carbon and gasified coal.7
In fuel reformers, of which there are several types, the chemical potential energy in the output hydrogen gas is about 65 percent of chemical potential energy in the input fuels. Fuel reformers also filter out impurities. Impurities can bind with a fuel cell’s catalyst, a process called poisoning, which reduces the fuel cell’s efficiency and life expectancy.
1. Natural gas (mostly methane (CH4)) reformers. This lesson discusses steam reformers, of which there are two main types:
2. Methanol (CH3OH) reformers.Fuel cells that operate at high temperature, such as molten carbonate fuel cells and solid oxide fuel cells, usually reform fuels internally and so do not require an external fuel reformer. Also, direct alcohol fuel cells use alcohols such as methanol or ethanol as a fuel and so do not require the fuel to be reformed either. Electrolysis Cells California Energy Commission (2003) Distributed Energy Resource Guide: Fuel Cells, State of California Government, USA. Available at are devices that convert water into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas using a process called electrolysis. Electrolysis is the reverse of the process that fuel cells use. InPrepared by The Natural Edge Project 2008 Page 8 of 14
conventional electrolysis cells, the chemical potential energy in the resulting hydrogen gas is 50-70 percent of the electrical energy applied. Of course, there is no extra energy value in using conventionally-generated electricity to create hydrogen and then reversing the process to use that hydrogen to generate the same quantity of electricity! However, there is an application for this arrangement in regenerative fuel cells. Regenerative fuel cells are valuable when electricity is required for 24 hours per day but only available for part of the day. For example, in remote areas where only solar-generated electricity is available, electrolysis can be used to create hydrogen gas and oxygen gas during the day and a fuel cell can be used to generate electricity at night. There is a new type of electrolysis technology in development that uses about one tenth of the energy used by conventional electrolysis. The new technology uses naturally-occurring bacteria in an electrolysis cell to convert almost any biodegradable, organic materials into hydrogen, pure water and heat in the following process:
- The bacteria consume the organic material and release protons and electrons, creating up to 0.3 volts. (The bacteria do the work of a large portion of the electricity used in a conventional electrolysis cell.)
- More than 0.2 volts are applied externally, which provides enough energy for the protons and electrons to combine and form hydrogen gas molecules.
In an electrolysis cell that uses acetic acid (found in vinegar and from glucose and cellulose fermentation) as the organic material, the chemical potential energy in the output hydrogen gas is 288 percent of the input electrical energy. When considering the total input energy – both the energy in the electricity and the chemical potential energy in the acetic acid – the hydrogen gas contains 82 percent of the total input energy. In other electrolysis cells that use lactic acid, cellulose or glucose as the organic material, the output hydrogen contains 62-82 percent of the total input energy.Fuel Cell Stack
Fuels and oxidants are used in fuel cells to generate electricity as direct current (DC) via an electrochemical process, similar to that in a battery. The main difference is that in a fuel cell, the fuel and oxidant supply is external and replenished. In a battery, the fuel and oxidant supply is stored and limited.
A fuel cell is comprised of two thin, porous electrodes separated by an electrolyte. The electrodes, which incorporate a catalyst, are also connected by an external electric circuit (see Figure 8.3):11Prepared by The Natural Edge Project 2008 Page 9 of 14
- Anode (negative electrode): has channels that distribute the fuel over the catalyst evenly and conducts the electrons from the catalyst to the external electric circuit.
- Cathode (positive electrode): has channels that distribute the oxidant over the catalyst evenly and conducts the electrons from the external circuit to the catalyst.
- Electrolyte: is a solid or solution that has a voltage across it and that facilitates in the flow of positive or negative ions from one electrode to the other while blocking electrons.
- Catalyst: is usually platinum or a nickel-platinum alloy
- External electric circuit: includes a current conditioner or load and carries electrons from the anode to the cathode.Fuel cells convert 20-60 percent of the input chemical potential energy into output electrical energy. A single fuel cell produces 0.5-0.9 volts under load, which is too low to be of much use.
 Research Institute for Sustainable Energy (2006) Fuel Cells, Murdoch University. Available at Up to hundreds of fuel cells are linked together in series to form a fuel cell stack, which can generate a useful amount of voltage and power. A fuel cell stack’s power output can range from 1 kilowatt to 11 megawatts. In a typical fuel cell, hydrogen fuel or hydrogen-rich fuel and oxygen oxidant are combined in the presence of a catalyst to generate electricity, heat and pure water vapour via a particular type of electrochemical process called an oxidation-reduction reaction. An oxidation-reduction reaction involves an oxidation half-reaction at the anode and reaction half-reaction at the cathode, and the specific half-reactions vary between the types of fuel cells. Six main types of fuel cells have been developed, with the primary difference between them being the type of electrolyte used :
1. Alkaline fuel cell (AFC)
2. Proton exchange membrane fuel cell or polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)
3. Direct alcohol fuel cell (DAFC),
4. Phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) also known as direct methanol (DMFC) or direct ethanol (DEFC) fuel cell, depending on the fuel used
5. Molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC)
6. Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)
The main differences are that in PEMFCs, DAFCs and PAFCs, positive hydrogen ions flow through the electrolyte, whereas in the AFCs, MCFCs and SOFCs, negative oxygen ions or oxygen-containing ions flow through the electrolyte and the half reactions and full reactions are given in Table 8.3. In some types of fuel cell, ions other than hydrogen ions or oxygen ions transfer across the electrolyte. For example, AFCs use hydroxyl ions (OH-) and MCFCs use carbonates (CO32-). For an animation of a PEMFC in operation, see Nice, K. and Strickland, 

Gas And Electricity Supplier : Fruitfully Provide Uninterrupted Energy Supply

Gas And Electricity Supplier : Fruitfully Provide Uninterrupted Energy Supply

  Gas and Electricity are vital necessity for they enable people to find the requisite amount of energy so as to meet the everyday demand of energy needs. It is practically impossible to meet the energy needs of people without finding a proper supply of electricity. Infact, it is absolutely essential to find the detailed information about the good energy providers. The information will definitely help people to find utility providers that can provide impeccable service in the area.

The amazing thing about energy providers is that they provide constant supply of energy to people so as to enable them to meet the everyday demand of gas supply and electricity consumption. Thus people can use the available energy to meet their everyday requirements. It may be cooking food, washing dishes, storing food in refrigerator and lighting of house.

It is definitely important for people to find constant supply of energy so as to meet their requirements on a daily basis. Regular supply of energy enables people to live a convenient life. Gas and Electricity are no doubt the basic requirements of people and without them it is very difficult to sustain life. So, people who resort to the modern amenities of living really have to depend on energy supply to live a comfortable life and stay ahead in life. Finding a really good supplier is thus important for every person for it helps them to maintain the routine of their life. Cooking in time, lighting of house, washing clothes and maintaining regularity in every respect become an easy affair. So, I would suggest people to find energy suppliers that have gained over its reputation for years of good service. It is because such an energy supplier would definitely bring impeccable service and would maintain supply of energy that would practically meet all expectations of people.

Electricity from: Natural Gas

   Natural gas is the generic term used for the mixture of vapors that result from the decomposition of plant and animal materials over millions of years. Natural gas, along with oil and coal, is a fossil fuel and, similar to oil and coal, is found in underground reservoirs located in several areas of North America. The primary component of natural gas is methane, a hydrocarbon.

Natural gas is the cleanest of all the fossil fuels.

The stock of natural gas, like other fossil-based fuels, is limited and is therefore not a renewable resource. The combustion of natural gas produces only a fraction of the nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide emissions of oil and coal, and also results in essentially no particulate matter or sulfur dioxide emissions. Natural gas therefore becomes an attractive "transition" fuel, as the energy supply moves away from polluting sources such as coal and nuclear sources and towards cleaner, renewable technologies.

Natural gas can be used as a fuel in conventional steam boiler generators, like other fossil fuels. However, new technologies using natural gas as their primary fuel are far more efficient than older combustion technologies. New state of the art combined cycle plants reduce fossil fuel use by as much as 40 percent.

Combustion turbines are based on jet engines. With the combustion turbine technology, the natural gas is burned, creating superheated gas, which is then pressurized in pipes and used to drive the turbine. Combined cycle technology is really the coupling of two electric generation technologies, and boosts efficiency by using the same fuel to generate electricity twice. Natural gas may also be used in fuel cell technologies that rely upon chemical reactions to create electricity at much higher levels of efficiency than can be obtained from fossil fuel combustion.

What are the environmental issues?

Natural gas creates significantly smaller environmental impacts than coal. On a Btu basis, natural gas combustion generates about half as much carbon dioxide, or CO2, as coal, less particulate matter, and very little sulfur dioxide or toxic air emissions. Natural gas combustion may, however, produce nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide in quantities comparable to coal burning. Ongoing use of natural gas inevitably results in methane emissions, a very potent greenhouse gas contributing to global climate change. Natural gas drilling and exploration can negatively impact wilderness habitat, wildlife and public open space. Among the list of potential negative land impacts associated with natural gas are erosion, loss of soil productivity, increased runoffs, landslides and flooding.

If natural gas is compared to coal combustion, CO2 emissions are significantly reduced, but natural gas combustion still results in a net increase in CO2 emissions and therefore can contribute to climate change.

Gas plant operations may result in significant impacts on water resources, depending on the type of combustion technology and plant design. Combustion turbines do not use significant quantities of water; combined cycle power plants do have a steam-cooling phase that may require significant quantities of water.

History of Electricity

This concept emerged during the first quarter of the seventeenth century, closely associated with magnetism. It soon became important within the development of matter theory and the treatment of occult qualities. William Gilbert (1544–1603) is often credited as the founder of the science of electricity. He was the first to use the term electricity, which he derived from the Greek word for the attractive properties of amber. Gilbert’s key contribution consists of the experimental discovery of many “electric” substances—beyond the
already known amber—that caused the attraction and repulsion of a variety of substances when rubbed.
Rejecting medieval and Renaissance “sympathies” and seeking instead a material mode of interaction, he explained the electric phenomena by combining concepts taken from alchemy and Aristotelian viscosity and cohesion. Without providing many details, he claimed that emanations of electical vapor, or effluvia, were the vehicle of the attraction. Niccolò Cabeo (1585–1650), a leading Jesuit mathematician and natural philosopher, challenged Gilbert’s presentation of both magnetism and electricity. Implementing the Jesuit program aimed at achieving intellectual supremacy, Cabeo first established himself as an authority in electricity through the finding of many new phenomena and electric substances and then replaced Gilbert’s effluvia, explaining electrical attraction through emitted streams that displace the surrounding air, forming a wind that can either attract or repel bodies.
In the second quarter of the century, mechanical philosophers offered another explanation for electrical phenomena. Noting that not all of the electric substances emit effluvia, René Descartes (1596–1650) proposed invisible elastic particles. Also trying to rationally explain directly unintelligible powers, Pierre Gassendi (1592–1655) compared the action of these particles to the movement of the chameleon’s tongue. In England, electrical experiments became popular in the Royal Society; Robert Boyle (1627–1691) intervened in the debate in 1675 with a book entitled Experiments and Notes About the Mechanical Origin and Production of Electricity, in which hecountered Cabeo’s and the Cartesian theories and proposed an explanation based upon emission and refraction of effluvia. Within the Royal Society are found the major subsequent developments in both electric theory and experimentation. On the Continent, Otto von Guericke (1602–1686) carried out important experimental work.

History of Natural Gas Industry

Natural gas formed over millions of years ago from decaying plant and animal matter. As plant and animals died, their remains mixed and layered with water, sand, and mud.  Over time, the mud and sand sediment built up and formed into rock, trapping the remains underground where the heat and pressure changed the matter within the rock into gas.


1620 - 1850 - Progress in the 1600's    

1620 French missionaries recorded that Native Americans in what is now New York state, ignited gases in the shallows of Lake Erie and in the streams flowing into the lake.  It's birthplace was Fredonia, NY. 1803 Gas lighting system patented in London, England by Frederick Winsor. 1812 First gas company founded in London, England.

• 1815 Metering for households, invented in 1815 by Samuel Clegg, and put into general use during the 1840's.
  
• 1816 First U.S. gas company (using manufactured gas) founded in Baltimore.
  
• 1817 The lighting of the first gas lamp on the corner of Market and Lemon streets in Baltimore, Maryland on February 7th marks the effective birth of the gas industry in the United States.
  
• 1821 First natural gas from the wellhead used in Fredonia, New York for house lighting.
  
• 1826 World's first gas cooker was devised in England by James Sharp, but it was not until 1851 that such equipment came into use in the United States.
  
• 1840 The first industrial use of natural gas in the U.S. is recorded near Centerville, Pennsylvania, when gas is used to evaporate brine to make salt.
  
• 1850 Fifty or more U.S. cities were burning public utility gas.

 1851 - 1899 -   Progress in the 1800's  

• 1859 Edwin L. Drake dug the first well and hit oil and natural gas near Titusville, Pennsylvania.  An iron two-inch diameter gas pipeline was built, running 5-1/2 miles from the well to Titusville proving that natural gas could be brought safely from its underground source to be used for practical purposes.
  
• 1863 Standardized metering begins with the formation of the American Meter Co. under a 50 year New York charter.
  
• 1870 An attempt was made at Bloomfield to convey natural gas through a 20-mile main but this failed, chiefly because of excessive leakage from the pinewood pipes used.
  
• 1870 Pre-payment meters, patented in 1870 by T.S. Lacey, were introduced in Great Britain, and helped to spread the use of gas to the poorer sections of the community.
  
• 1872 The first long distance natural gas pipeline in the U.S. is completed in Pennsylvania.
  
• 1880 Thomas Edison writes in notebook, "Edison to effect exact imitation of all done by gas so as to replace lighting gas by electricity.
  
• 1880 Manufacturer's begin selling appliances, mostly stoves fueled with gas. 
• 1883 The first gas circulating or tank water heater appears in the U.S.
  
• 1885  Robert Bunsen invented the Bunsen burner.  Carl Auer von Welsbach in Germany developed a practical gas mantle, which patented in 1885.
  
• 1891 One of the first lengthy pipelines was constructed.  This pipeline was 120 miles long, and carried natural gas from wells in central Indiana to the city of Chicago.
  
• 1899 Internal combustion engine development allows the first compressors to be installed to move gas farther distances.

 1900 - 1949 -   Progress in the 1900's 

• 1900 Natural gas had been discovered in 17 states.  At this time, coal was the nation's major energy source, accounting for 60% of the United States' energy needs.  Wood provided 35%, and oil and natural gas together accounted for only 5%.  By 1910, wood almost completely disappeared as an energy source, and coal continued to dominate usage until after World War II.
  
• 1904 Gas is used for the first time to power central heating and to provide a large-scale supply of hot water in London.  Also, experiments in house central heating, using gas as a fuel, are begun in St. Lois by Laclede Gas.
  
• 1907 The first gas well in Texas was brought in from the Petrolia field. Edwy Brown began pumping gas to nearby cities and by 1913 was serving Dallas, Fort Worth, and 21 other towns.  Brown formed the Lone Star Gas in 1909.
  
• 1908  Standardized gas measurement begins in Wisconsin with the use of the British Thermal Unit (Btu).
  
• 1910 The City of Mesa's City Council approved a franchise for South Side Gas Company to manufacture and serve the town with gas.
  
• 1911 The anticorrosive properties of stainless steel are demonstrated for the first time by a German scientist, P. Monnartz.
  
• 1914  Production of cast iron pipes is mechanized by S. de Lavaud's centrifugal casting process.
  
• 1915 Depleted reservoirs are used for the first time to store gas.
  
• 1917 The first commercial gas house-heating installation on a large scale is made in Baltimore in a development of 100 houses.
  
• 1917 The City of Mesa purchased both the gas and electric systems serving the town from A. J. Chandler.
  
• 1918 American Gas Association is founded to supplant 2 existing organizations:   American Gas Institute and National Commercial Gas Association.  By the end of the year, there are 2.5 million natural gas customers in the U.S.
  
• 1920 The first steel pipes with electrically welded seams go into production for use in the gas pipeline industry.
  
• 1922  A more fundamental approach to the corrosion problem is taken with the inauguration of a program of basic research jointly undertaken by the U.S. Bureau of Standards and API.1922  A more fundamental approach to the corrosion problem is taken with the inauguration of a program of basic research jointly undertaken by the U.S. Bureau of Standards and API.
  
• 1923 The Regulo, the first commercial thermostat in domestic ovens, is fitted to the New World H16 Radiation Gas Cooker made Davis Gas Stove, giving the user total control over the cooking process.
  
• 1924 The Aga cooker, which provides cooking from solid fuel, is invented by a Swedish physicist, Gustav Galen.  Later models will be equipped with a built-in water tank, to provide domestic hot water, others will be designed to run on oil or gas.
  
• 1925 The first long-distance all-welded steel gas pipeline was laid by Magnolia Gas of Dallas.  The line, from northern Louisiana to Beaumont, Texas, was  217 miles in length and comprises 14-, 16- and 18-in. diameter pipe.
  
• 1926 Gas-fired refrigerators are added as a new domestic use for natural gas.
  
• 1928 Seamless tubing and electrically welded pipe used in the gas industry for the first time.
  
• 1928 Some 60 asphaltic compounds were on the market to reduce corrosion in buried pipe.  An advance was made with the introduction of the mill-wrapped pipe on Texaco's West Texas (oil) line.
  
• 1930 PVC a thermal setting plastic is invented by B.F. Goodrich.
• 1931  The first 1000-mile, 24-in. diameter gas line was laid by Natural Gas Pipeline from Panhandle, Texas to Chicago.
• 1932  The first domestic gas water heater to work efficiently is the Progras instantaneous water heater.  Bernard Friedman introduced the heater into Britain, under the name Ascot.
• 1933 imperfections in metal can now be detected by a device which produces high-frequency sound waves and beams them at metals.  Developed by O. Millhauser, the instrument will be widely used to detect hairline cracks in railway lines and to test welding of pipelines and boilers.
• 1934 The City of Mesa entered into an agreement with El Paso Natural Gas Company for supplying natural gas from their new line going to California.
• 1937 Gas-fired air conditioning units are introduced in the U.S.
• 1938 The Natural Gas Act of 1938 established federal authority over interstate pipelines, including the authority to set "just and reasonable" rates.  It is also established a process for companies seeking to build and operate Interstate pipelines.  Oversight of the new law is given to the Federal Power Commission, which was eventually succeeded by the Federal Energy Commission.
• 1939 Polyethylene (PE) a thermo plastic is made commercially by ICI in England.
• 1940 The first gas-powered turbine to generate electricity for public use is operated at a power station in Switzerland.
• 1941 Oil industry executives began to plan the building of two pipelines-one, 24 inches in diameter, called the Big Inch, to transport crude oil, and another, 20 inches in diameter, called the Little Big Inch, to transport refined products.  A ditch four feet deep, three feet wide and 1,254 miles long was to be dug from Longview across the Mississippi River to Southern Illinois and then east to Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, with twenty-inch lines from there to New York City and Philadelphia.  Crude oil was delivered to the end of first leg, Norris City, Illinois, on February 1943.
• 1943 Natural gas is liquefied for the first time in Cleveland, OH.  A fatal explosion in 1944 will delay its development and a means of transporting and storing the fuel.
• 1943 Approval was given for the Little Big Inch.  This line, beginning in the refinery complex between Houston and Port Arthur and ending in Linden, New Jersey, was completed in 1944.
• 1947 A new type of cast iron, which is twice as strong and three times as resistant to shock, is announced in Britain by Harold Hartley.
• 1947 The purchase of the Big Inch and the Little Big Inch by Texas Eastern Transmission was final in November, lines were converted to natural gas.

 1950 - 1999  

• 1950 Domestic customers exceed 18 million; gas now in 46 states.
  
• 1951 For the first time in the Western world, natural gas is produced from coal, while it is still underground in the coal seam, at a colliery at Newman Spinney, England. Trans-Continental Gas Pipeline completed an 1840 mile long and 30-in diameter gas pipeline from the vast reserves on the Texas-Louisiana  Gulf Coast to the high demand areas around Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York.  It worked at a pressure of 800 psi maintained by 19 compressor stations.  It was of welded steel construction throughout.
• 1954 A special committee of the Thermoplastic Pipe Division of the Society of Plastic Pipe recommended the first three thermoplastic materials for natural gas distribution pipe.
• 1956 AGA reported, "For the first time, gas has become the nation's principal fuel for central heating of residences."  Gas provided central heating for 10.2 million dwelling units, surpassing oil at 10.1 million.
• 1957 Natural gas industry has 27 million customers, who are served via 155,000 miles of transmission line.
• 1959 LNG is produced for the first time on an industrial scale in LA.  It will be transported to Britain for the first by the vessel Methane Pioneer.
• 1960 The number of U.S. domestic natural gas customers exceeds 30 million.
• 1962 The first industrial robot is marketed by the U.S. company Unimation.  Once programmed, the robot can pick things up and move them continuously and reliably.
• 1965 For the 15th year in a row, a million or more new house heating customers were added to the ranks for natural gas.
• 1965 Cumulative miles of plastic gas distribution pipe in the U.S. reach over 9,000 miles.
• 1966 President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed "Gas Industry Week"  (June 13-19) to observe the 150th anniversary of the nation's first gas company in 1816; that company later became Baltimore Gas & Electric Company. 
• 1966 ASTM standards (D2513) were developed for plastic piping for three materials, PE, PVC and polybutylene.
• 1966 Natural gas is available in every one of the Lower-48 States.
• 1968 Unlike the transportation of gas, the production of gas is not a natural monopoly because thousands of firms compete for sales.  Subsequent efforts by the Federal Power Commission to set price caps on gas sales by producers resulted in a gradual reduction of exploration activities, and ultimately, gas shortages - not from inadequate gas resources, but because producers could not economically produce gas at the artificially low prices set by the FPC.  For the first time, the amount of natural gas consumed exceeded the amount added to reserves.  AGA sent a now-famous letter to the chairman of the FPC (the predecessor to today's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission), declaring that wellhead price controls would have to be lifted to prevent eventual shortages.  It was a rare case of the buyers of a commodity asking that its price be allowed to rise.
• 1970 Cumulative miles of plastic gas distribution pipe in the U.S. reach  over 45,000 miles.
• 1970 Corporation of Pipeline Rules DOT standards change - Rules came into effect.  Federal government establishes Pipeline Safety Rules for industry.
• 1975 The number of U.S. domestic natural gas customers exceeds 40 million.
• 1975 First  PE plastic gas pipes installed in Mesa.
• 1976/77 During the winter, wellhead price controls result in gas supply shortages.  The gas industry's well-earned reputation for reliability was threatened as interstate pipelines were unable to meet one-fourth of their firm demand.  Gas brought a much higher price in the unregulated intrastate marked than it did across state lines, so shortages in consuming states resulted.  Twenty-two states declare emergency situations.  In response, Congress considered (but did not pass) legislation that would eventually be approved 2 years later, as the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978.
• 1976 The Gas Research Institute was formed to coordinate the gas industry's efforts to develop urgently needed supplemental supplies, to find means for conservation and to contribute to the more efficient use of gaseous energy.  
• 1978 In response to supply shortages, Congress enacts the Power plant and industrial Fuel Use Act (FUA).  The law prohibited use of natural gas in new industrial boilers and new electric power plants.  The goal is to preserve "scarce" supplies for residential customers.
• 1980  The City of Mesa purchased the Magma Gas System which serves rural areas East of Queen Creek, AZ as well as South towards Florence, Arizona.   Magma  customers is approximately 150.
• 1985  The present system within the City of Mesa serves an area in excess of 120 square miles.  The Magma natural gas service territory incorporates approximately 236 square miles.
• 1985 The Federal Energy Commission replaced the Federal Power Commission and issues Order 436, intended to provide for "open access" to interstate pipelines that offered transportation service for gas owned by others.
• 1987 President Reagan signed into law the repeal of the remaining FUA restrictions and incremental pricing, he believed that the country's natural gas resources should be free from regulatory burdens that are costly and counterproductive.
• 1989 The American Gas index Fund was introduced.
• 1989 The American Gas Cooling Center was founded.
• 1990 On April 3rd, trading on natural gas futures began at the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX).
• 1990 The Industrial Gas Technology Commercialization Center was founded. 
• 1992  FERC issued Order 636, requiring pipelines to "unbundle" their services and to offer and price these services separately.  This order changed FERC's earlier open access rule (Order 436) from a voluntary to a mandatory program.  Order 636 ended the pipelines' traditional middleman role as a buyer and a seller.  It converted them to transportation companies.  This enabled all natural gas producers to compete directly for buyer on an equal footing.
  1993 The Arizona Utility Group (AUG) was formed.  This is a statewide organization formed of gas distribution and transmission companies who operate within the state of Arizona. 
• 1996 The first residential "customer choice" pilot program, which allows customers to purchase gas from a supplier other than the local utility, begins operating in Rock Valley, Iowa.  
• 1998 Competition continues to evolve in the U.S. natural gas industry.  More than 80% of the natural gas consumed in the U.S. could be purchased from multiple suppliers, according to the American Gas Association report issued in August 2000.  By markets: 99% of natural gas consumed by electric utilities, and 96% of gas consumed by industrial facilities can be purchased from multiple suppliers.  69% of all natural gas used in commercial facilities is available for purchase under a "customer choice" option.  Almost half of U.S. households with natural gas service have or will soon have the opportunity to purchase gas from a supplier other than the local utility.  this choice is available to about 26 million of the nation's 54 million households with natural gas service, who reside in a total of 23 states and District of Columbia.
  

2000 to Present

• 2001 Department of Transportation establishes minimum requirements for operator qualification of individuals performing operations and maintenance tasks on a gas pipeline facility.
  
• 2002 Total City of Mesa customers is approximately 39,000.  Magma has over twenty master planned communities, which will be built in the Magma Gas Service area,  current customer in Magma is approximately 1200.  System expected to grow to over 80,000 residential homes.
  
• 2002 Approximately 22.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas was consumed in 2002, meeting about one-fourth of the United States' total energy needs.
  
• 2003 Natural gas is the nation's fastest-growing major energy source according to DOE's Annual Energy Outlook (January 2003).  By 2025, natural gas use will increase 54% (an average of 1.8% each year).  More than 64 million customers use natural gas.  59 million residential customers,  5.1 commercial customers, and 235,000 Industrial customers.
  
• 2005 The City of Mesa is awarded the Gas System Achievement Award by the American Public Gas Association (APGA).  This national award represents a significant commitment to the gas industry towards improving safety and integrity of the gas system.
  
• 2005 The City of Mesa's Magma service territory is experiencing phenomenal growth.  The system is expanding and 120 new services a week are being installed.
  
• 2006 City of Mesa adds 50,000th active natural gas customer.
  
• 2007 City of Mesa Utilities celebrates 90 years of providing natural gas service.
  
• 2008 City of Mesa installs excess flow valves on single family residences.  Total of City of Mesa customers is approximately 52,000.
     

Sources:  Gas Technology Institute;  American Gas Association's 75th anniversary issue of American Gas Magazine (July 1993);  American Gas Association "Chronology of America Gas Cooking, Water heating and Central Hose Heating (February 1952); Gas Daily's "History of Natural Gas Timetable."; Culver Company; and City of Mesa.

Electric Generation Using Natural Gas

Electric Generation Using Natural Gas

Source: Sandia National Libraries

Natural gas, because of its clean burning nature, has become a very popular fuel for the generation of electricity. In the 1970s and 1980s, the choices for most electric utility generators were large coal or nuclear powered plants.  However, due to economic, environmental and technological changes, natural gas has become the fuel of choice for new power plants built since the 1990s. In fact, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that between 2009-2015, 96.65 gigawatts (GW) of new electricity capacity will be added in the U.S. Of this, over 20 percent, or 21.2 GW, will be natural gas additions. The graph below shows how, according to the EIA, natural gas-fired electricity generation is expected to account for 80 percent of all added electricity generation capacity by 2035.

Source: EIA Annual Energy Outlook 2010

There are many reasons for this increased reliance on natural gas to generate our electricity. While coal is the cheapest fossil fuel for generating electricity, it is also the dirtiest, releasing the highest levels of pollutants into the air. The electric generation industry, in fact, has traditionally been one of the most polluting industries in the United States. Regulations surrounding the emissions of power plants have forced these electric generators to come up with new methods of generating power, while lessening environmental damage. New technology has allowed natural gas to play an increasingly important role in the clean generation of electricity. Click on the link for more information on the environmental benefits of natural gas, including its role as a clean energy source for the generation of electricity.
Steam Generation Units
Natural gas can be used to generate electricity in a variety of ways. The most basic natural gas-fired electric generation consists of a steam generation unit, where fossil fuels are burned in a boiler to heat water and produce steam that then turns a turbine to generate electricity. Natural gas may be used for this process, although these basic steam units are more typical of large coal or nuclear generation facilities. These basic steam generation units have fairly low energy efficiency. Typically, only 33 to 35 percent of the thermal energy used to generate the steam is converted into electrical energy in these types of units.

A Centralized Gas Turbine Generation Station

Source: National Energy Technology Laboratory, DOE

Centralized Gas Turbines
Gas turbines and combustion engines are also used to generate electricity. In these types of units, instead of heating steam to turn a turbine, hot gases from burning fossil fuels (particularly natural gas) are used to turn the turbine and generate electricity. Gas turbine and combustion engine plants are traditionally used primarily for peak-load demands, as it is possible to quickly and easily turn them on. These plants have increased in popularity due to advances in technology and the availability of natural gas. However, they are still traditionally slightly less efficient than large steam-driven power plants.
Combined Cycle Units

Reciprocating Engine System

Source: EnergySolutionsCenter.org

Many of the new natural gas fired power plants are known as 'combined-cycle' units. In these types of generating facilities, there is both a gas turbine and a steam unit, all in one. The gas turbine operates in much the same way as a normal gas turbine, using the hot gases released from burning natural gas to turn a turbine and generate electricity. In combined-cycle plants, the waste heat from the gas-turbine process is directed toward generating steam, which is then used to generate electricity much like a steam unit. Because of this efficient use of the heat energy released from the natural gas, combined-cycle plants are much more efficient than steam units or gas turbines alone. In fact, combined-cycle plants can achieve thermal efficiencies of up to 50 to 60 percent.
Distributed Generation

A Proposed Natural Gas Combined Cycle Power Plant in New York

Source: New York Power Authority

Until recently, methods of generating power have been discussed in the context of large, centralized power plants. However, with technological advancements, there is a trend towards what is known as 'distributed generation'. Distributed generation refers to the placement of individual, smaller sized electric generation units at residential, commercial, and industrial sites of use. These small scale power plants, which are primarily powered by natural gas, operate with small gas turbine or combustion engine units, or natural gas fuel cells.

Distributed generation can take many forms, from small, low output generators used to back up the supply of electricity obtained from the centralized electric utilities, to larger, independent generators that supply enough electricity to power an entire factory. Distributed generation is attractive because it offers electricity that is more reliable, more efficient, and cheaper than purchasing power from a centralized utility. Distributed generation also allows for increased local control over the electricity supply, and cuts down on electricity losses during transmission. Below is a discussion of the various forms of natural gas-fired distributed generation.
Natural gas is one of the leading energy sources for distributed generation. Because of the extensive natural gas supply infrastructure and the environmental benefits of using natural gas, it is one of the leading choices for on-site power generation. There are a number of ways in which natural gas may be used on-site to generate electricity. Fuel cells, gas-fired reciprocating engines, industrial natural gas-fired turbines, and microturbines are all popular forms of using natural gas for on-site electricity needs. Industrial Natural Gas Fired Turbines
Industrial natural gas-fired turbines operate on the same concept as the larger centralized gas turbine generators discussed above. However, instead of being located in a centralized plant, these turbines are located in close proximity to where the electricity being generated will be used. Industrial turbines - producing electricity through the use of high temperature, high pressure gas to turn a turbine that generates a current - are compact, lightweight, easily started, and simple to operate. This type of distributed generation is commonly used by medium and large sized establishments, such as universities, hospitals, commercial buildings and industrial plants, and can achieve efficiency up to 58 percent.
In contrast with distributed generation the heat that would normally be lost as waste energy can easily be harnessed to perform other functions, such as powering a boiler or space heating. This is known as Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems. These systems make use of heat that is normally wasted in the electric generation process, thereby increasing the energy efficiency of the total system.
In addition, on-site natural gas turbines can be used in a combined cycle unit, as discussed above. Due to the advantages of these types of generation units, a great deal of research is being put into developing more efficient, advanced gas turbines for distributed generation.
For more information on natural gas as a fuel for generating electricity, click here to see a study from the Natural Gas Supply Association.

Gas Fired Microturbine

Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Microturbines
Microturbines are scaled down versions of industrial gas turbines. As their name suggests, these generating units are very small, and typically have a relatively small electric output. These types of distributed generation systems have the capacity to produce from 25 to 500 kilowatts (kW) of electricity, and are best suited for residential or small scale commercial units.
Advantages to microturbines include a very compact size (about the same size as a refrigerator), a small number of moving parts, light-weight, low-cost, and increased efficiency. Using new waste heat recovery techniques, microturbines can achieve energy efficiencies of up to 80 percent.
Natural Gas-Fired Reciprocating Engines

Gas Fired Reciprocating Engine

Source: National Energy Technology Laboratory, DOE

Natural-gas fired reciprocating engines are also used for on-site electric generation. These types of engines are also commonly known as combustion engines. They convert the energy contained in fossil fuels into mechanical energy, which rotates a piston to generate electricity. Natural-gas fired reciprocating engines typically generate from less than 5 kW, up to 7 megawatts (MW), meaning they can be used as a small scale residential backup generator to a base load generator in industrial settings. These engines offer efficiencies from 25 to 45 percent, and can also be used in a CHP system to increase energy efficiency.
Fuel cells are becoming an increasingly important technology for the generation of electricity. They are much like rechargeable batteries, except instead of using an electric recharger, they use a fuel, such as natural gas, to generate electric power even when they are in use. Fuel cells for distributed generation offer a multitude of benefits, and are an exciting area of innovation and research for distributed generation applications.

source: http://www.naturalgas.org