Natural Gas and Other Technical Gases

Reserves and resources of fossU fuels, renewable energy, natural gas and other technical gases, oil and refinery products, coal and coal products, renewable raw materials, and economic and social aspects of (future) energy consumption and mix. 

Another possible fuel is methanol, which is produced from natural gas, coal, or biomass. Studies indicate that the amount of principal pollutants in automobiles is lowered when methanol is used instead of gasoline, but methanol is more corrosive and extensive engine modifications must be made. Other fuels that show promise are hydrogen, methane (natural gas), and propane however, storage and delivery of these fuels, which are gases at room temperature, are more difficult and other significant technical problems also must be solved. 

The material in this section is divided into three parts. The first subsection deals with the general characteristics of chemical substances. The second subsection is concerned with the chemistry of petroleum it contains a brief review of the nature, composition, and chemical constituents of crude oil and natural gases. The final subsection touches upon selected topics in physical chemistry, including ideal gas behavior, the phase rule and its applications, physical properties of pure substances, ideal solution behavior in binary and multicomponent systems, standard heats of reaction, and combustion of fuels. Examples are provided to illustrate fundamental ideas and principles. Nevertheless, the reader is urged to refer to the recommended bibliography [47-52] or other standard textbooks to obtain a clearer understanding of the subject material. Topics not covered here owing to limitations of space may be readily found in appropriate technical literature. 

The chlorination process was the first to be used in industry.2 It consisted of exposing the surface of the polyethylene film to chlorine gas in the presence of light, excess chlorine and hydrogen gas being removed subsequently by passing the film through a chamber in which fresh air was circulated. Because of the hazardous nature of the gases involved and for other technical and economic reasons the process became of little commercial interest. 

Membranes play an important role in natural science and for many technical applications. Depending on their purpose, their shape can be very different. For instance, membranes include porous or non-porous films, either supported or non-supported, with two interfaces surrounded by a gas or by a liquid. Important properties of non-porous membranes are their permeability for certain compounds and their stability. In biological cells their main task is to stabilize the cell and to separate the cell plasma from the environment. Furthermore, different cells and cell compartments have to communicate with each other which requires selective permeability of the membranes. For industrial applications membranes are often used for separation of gases, liquids, or ions. Foams and emulsions for instance are macroscopic composite systems consisting of many membranes. They contain the continuous liquid phase surrounded by the dispersed gas phase (foams) or by another liquid (emulsions). Beside these application possibilities membranes give the opportunity to investigate many questions related to basic research, e.g. finite size effects. 

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