May
21
Natural Gas Uses
Filed Under Uncategorized
Just for fun, let’s take a look back at the historical role of natural gas in some of the most fascinating cultures of the world. Here are a few facts from the University of Colorado at Boulder’s LSA website:
About 2,500 years ago, the Chinese recognized that natural gas could be put to work. The Chinese piped the gas from shallow wells and burned it under large pans to evaporate sea water for salt.Natural gas was first used in America to illuminate the streets of Baltimore in 1816. Soon after, in 1821, William Hart dug the first successful American natural gas well in Fredonia, New York. His well was 27 feet deep, quite shallow compared to today’s wells. The Fredonia Gas Light Company opened its doors in 1858 as the nation’s first natural gas company. By 1900, natural gas had been discovered in 17 states. In the past 40 years, the use of natural gas has grown dramatically. Today, natural gas accounts for about a quarter of the energy we use.
This one’s my favorite: The ancient peoples of Greece, Persia, and India discovered natural gas many centuries ago. The people were mystified by the burning springs created when natural gas seeping from cracks in the ground was ignited by lightning. They sometimes built temples around these eternal flames so they could worship the fire.
Many of you will be happy to know many of these uses have been preserved through history. There are still some U.S. cities that rely on natural gas to illuminate street lamps, such as Cincinnati, Ohio and Boston, Massachusetts. And although the mechanism has changed a bit, natural gas is still used to heat water. I can’t say the traditions of Greece, Persia, and India have fared quite as well, but two out of three is still pretty good. In addition, we have created many more uses that directly influence our daily lives. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration:
Approximately 23 percent of the energy consumption of the U.S. comes from natural gas. Over one-half of the homes in the U.S. use natural gas as their main heating fuel. Natural gas is also an essential raw material for many common products, such as: paints, fertilizer, plastics, antifreeze, dyes, photographic film, medicines, and explosives. We also get propane, a fuel we use in many of our backyard barbecue grills, when we process natural gas.
Industry depends on it. Natural gas has thousands of uses. It’s used to produce steel, glass, paper, clothing, brick, electricity and much more!
Homes use it too. More than 62.5 million homes use natural gas to fuel stoves, furnaces, water heaters, clothes dryers and other household appliances. It is also used to roast coffee, smoke meats, bake bread and much more.
Past and present, natural gas has made a significant impact on society. Roasted coffee beans, anyone?
