A Review on Natural Gas Utilization and Cutting Carbon Emissions: How viable is Compressed Natural Gas for Road Vehicle Fuel?

As the world grows and economies develop, global demand for energy will continue to grow dramatically. Demand for natural gas is likely to overtake other fossil fuels due to its availability, accessibility, versatility and cleanliness. For instance, the International Energy Agency (IEA) proposed in May 2012 that global demand for natural gas could rise more than 50% by 2035, from 2010 levels. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be reduced by 50 to 80 percent by 2050 to avoid dramatic consequences of global warming. In order to meet this growing energy demand and GHG reduction, we must develop all commercially-viable energy sources. As we know that no single energy source can meet the world's growing energy needs. We also need a more diverse energy mix which will enable energy security and help tackle the issue of climate change. Meeting this growing long-term societal demand requires that we develop all economic and environmentally-sound energy sources. Natural gas which is the cleanest compared to other fossil fuels is available to provide the world with a viable alternative. Its abundance, reliability, versatility and accessibility, will be a huge factor.  This paper considers the value of compressed natural gas (CNG) to be used for natural gas vehicles (NGV), and how it could  serve as a long-term emission-reducing energy source. Such uptake would also improve utilisation of natural gas instead of flaring it, thereby minimizing environmental harm and improving public safety. Keywords: Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Natural Gas Vehicles (NGV), Green House Gas (GHG), Cash Flow Analysis of CN

A review on solar energy utilisation in Australia

Climate change due to greenhouse gases emission from fossil fuels has prompted several governments to channel resources in the commercial utilisation of renewable energy sources. Solar energy is one of the renewable energy sources that is highly untapped and underutilized. Australia has the highest average solar radiation per square metre of any continent in the world. This paper will focus on the need to improve solar energy utilisation in Australia, challenges facing it and the future benefits. This study shows successfully storing and transferring solar energy will ensure that this energy source will make a significant contribution to Australia\u27s electricity grid supply in the future and Australia will be well positioned to assist in meeting its growing clean energy demand

Review of wind energy utilization in Australia

Energy production processes that use fossil fuels as an energy source release greenhouse gases (GHGs) that cause global warming and climate change. However, in recent years, concerns over this climate change have prompted Australian policymakers to seek ways to increase the proportion of emissions-free renewable energy, such as wind energy. Wind energy is a renewable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly energy source. In Australia, the wind power industry is expected to grow rapidly over the next decade, primarily due to the national renewable energy target (RET), which will mandate that renewable sources provide approximately 20% of Australia’s electricity production by 2020. The objective of this article is to identify and analyze issues that are imperative for successful acceptance of wind energy in Australia

Dictionary of oil, gas, and petrochemical processing

In industry, miscommunication can cause frustration, create downtime, and even trigger equipment failure. By providing a common ground for more effective discourse, the Dictionary of Oil, Gas, and Petrochemical Processing can help eliminate costly miscommunication. An essential resource for oil, gas, and petrochemical industry professionals, engineers, academic staff, and science and engineering students, the dictionary defines over 5,000 technical and commercial terms encompassing exploration, production, processing, refining, pipelining, finance, management, and safety. From basic engineering principles to the latest drilling technology, the text covers the fundamentals and their real-world applications. Alphabetically arranged for quick reference, it contains easy-to-understand descriptions and figures, as well as oil and gas SI units and metric equivalents. Industry newcomers and personnel with no technical background especially benefit from the book’s practical language that clearly demonstrates the concepts behind the definitions

An overview of renewable energy potential and utilisation in Australia

As concerns about rising fossil fuel prices, energy security, and climate change increase, renewable energy can play a key role in producing local, clean, and inexhaustible energy to supply Australia’s growing demand for electricity, heat, and transportation fuel. Renewable energy is an essential part of Australia’s low emissions energy mix and this energy is important to its energy security. Australia has some of the best renewable energy resources in the world. This paper will focus on the impact of these renewable energies in Australia. This study shows that Australia has the potential to secure its long term energy future through focus and encouragement on increasing utilisation of renewable energy

Process plant equipment: operation, control, and reliability

"Process Plant Equipment Book is another great publication from Wiley as a reference book for final year students as well as those who will work or are working in chemical production plants and refinery…" -Associate Prof. Dr. Ramli Mat, Deputy Dean (Academic), Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia "…give[s] readers access to both fundamental information on process plant equipment and to practical ideas, best practices and experiences of highly successful engineers from around the world… The book is illustrated throughout with numerous black & white

Advancement and new perspectives of using formulated reactive amine blends for post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technologies

Chemical absorption using amine-based solvents have proven to be the most studied, as well as the most reliable and efficient technology for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from exhaust gas streams and synthesis gas in all combustion and industrial processes. The application of single amine�based solvents especially the very reactive monoethanolamine (MEA) is associated with a parasitic energy demand for solvent regeneration. Since regeneration energy accounts for up to three�quarters of the plant operating cost, efforts in its reduction have prompted the idea of using blended amine solvents. This review paper highlights the success achieved in blending amine solvents and the recent and future technologies aimed at increasing the overall volumetric mass transfer coefficient, absorption rate, cyclic capacity and greatly minimizing both degradation and the energy for solvent regeneration. The importance of amine biodegradability (BOD) and low ecotoxicity as well as low amine volatility is also highlighted. Costs and energy penalty indices that influences the capital and operating costs of CO2 capture process was also highlighted. A new experimental method for simultaneously estimating amine cost, degradation rate, regeneration energy and reclaiming energy is also proposed in this review paper.The financial supports from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to our CO 2 Capture Research programs at the University of Regina, are gratefully acknowledged. In addition, this publication was made possible, in parts, by NPRP grant# 7 - 1154 - 2 - 433 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. The authors also gratefully thank Clean Energy Technologies Research Institute (CETRI) of University of Regina � CANADA, Gas Processing Centre of Qatar University � QATAR, as well as the Petroleum and Petrochemical College of Chulalongkorn University - THAILAND, for their research facility supports.Scopu

Regeneration Energy Analysis of Aqueous Tri-Solvent Blends Containing 2-Amino-2-Methyl-1-Propanol (AMP), Methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) and Diethylenetriamine (DETA) for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Capture

This study investigated the contribution of absorption heat, sensible heat and heat of vaporization towards the regeneration energy (Qreg, kJ/g-CO2) of AMP-MDEA-DETA tri-solvent blends. The experiment was conducted at atmospheric pressure and 363 K. Their CO2 absorption prior to their regeneration was conducted at 313 K, 101.3 kPa and 15.1 v/v% CO2. The regeneration energy was estimated using two different methods (experimental and correlation) and the results showed similar trend. Results showed that the AMP-MDEA-DETA blends have lower regeneration energy than MEA and this was due to a much lower sensible heat of the blends. It was also discovered that higher absorption heats does not necessarily indicate higher regeneration energy, rather the effects of both sensible heat and/or heat of vaporization can greatly affect the regeneration energy. 2017 The Authors.Scopu