gas explained
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natural gas
Natural gas is a colourless, odourless mixture of a number of gasses, mostly methane. It is an extremely important natural resource. It is estimated that over 20 per cent of energy use worldwide is fuelled by natural gas. Australia has relatively high reserves of natural gas especially in Victoria, Central Australia and Western Australia. It is expected that Australia's current natural gas reserves will last until 2050, possibly longer if additional reserves are discovered. While found naturally as a gas, it can be liquefied at -161°C. In this state it takes up 260 times less space than in natural form. Australia is the fifth largest exporter of liquefied natural gas. Although not commonly used for electricity, its popularity is growing.
how gas is created
Natural gas is created from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago. The pressure of the earth's surface changed them into fossils. Coal is a solid form of compressed remains, while natural gas is a gaseous version. Gas is reached by drilling deep into the earth's surface.
lpg
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is a colourless and odourless gas that is denser than air and contains propane or butane. It is also highly flammable, and for that reason a chemical is added to it to indicate if there is a leak. LPG is an excellent fuel for heating, cooking, automotive use and burns readily in air.
The LPG industry began in Australia during the 1920s with imported cylinders from the United States. There are a number of uses of LPG: the biggest proportion goes to the automotive industry which accounts for two thirds of Australia's LPG consumption, running about 500,000 cars and other road vehicles. It is also used for recreation activities (barbecues, caravans), in industry (as a fuel) and residentially (for heating and cooking).
